PJ: The US Auto makers have not dominated the field for years and American power abroad is no longer what it used to be but there are a lot of things American that even the country's biggest critics crave. From iPads to Oscars, some of the world's most popular ideas (including democracy) are still American inspired.
Guardian
Stars and stripes in our eyes: what's so special about the American way?
America's cultural influence is stronger than ever – as British excitement at the Oscar success of The King's Speech shows
It is hard to read a newspaper or newspaper site nowadays without being told yet more details about the downfall of America. From Wikileaks to the Obama administration's attempts to find the right approach to revolution in the Middle East, it seems that every event in this fast-moving century can be seen as yet more proof of the failure of American power. But are rumours of US decline exaggerated? A look at the cultural sphere suggests the superpower's obituarists may be getting ahead of themselves.
This week saw – according to breathless promoters of Britishness – a great cultural triumph for the land of tea and biscuits. Yes, the Oscars were invaded by our directors, our actors and our royal history, courtesy of the success of The King's Speech. But wait ... Why are we so chuffed? Because we got some recognition from America! It was the popularity of the film there that made it famous, and it was the approval of Hollywood, USA that confirmed its glory.
So we don't respect America any more? Phooey. We revere America, imitate America, lap up its inventions. The last time I looked, Apple was a US company. And as The King's Speech has proved, our little British culture never means more to us than when it gets a bit of acclaim in Big America. No wonder, for America becomes more culturally influential all the time.
The best contemporary novelists – Philip Roth, Jonathan Franzen – are American. Lady Gaga is American. So is Eminem. The Wire and other HBO dramas are American. Coffee culture is American (disagree if you wish, but at least recognise the paradox if you are reading this in a Starbucks).
In Britain, we are past masters at the hypocritical game of lauding our own parochial culture, while expecting Americans to embrace us with a cosmopolitan generosity we never even acknowledge. Take the Booker prize. We feel no shame about excluding US writers by limiting it anachronistically to the Commonwealth – knowing full well that if the likes of Roth were included, they would win almost every year. By that logic, Hollywood could say the Oscars were for the Americas only.
It has no need to, however, because even when a British film like The King's Speech wins, the joy we feel only confirms our investment in the prestige of all things American, even as we pretend otherwise.
Hard American power may or may not be in decline. But American cultural influence is prevailing. It has infected us deep inside. We may indeed be about to see an epochal moment in global perceptions of the United States, as the unexpected, profoundly Earth-shaking revolutions of young Arab democrats continue. People across the Middle East are saying they care about freedom more than anything; this is about as American a politics as you can get. It is an Arab 1776. No wonder America is confused: everyone wants the American way – so long as it is not imposed by America or called American. A paradoxical victory may be coming for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/mar/03/stars-stripes-american-cultural-influence
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