Us and Them

I used to live in Europe, 1970-72. It was a mark of honor to be a Yank. Things have changed since then. It appears to me that the honeymoon is long since over. Yes, I have been back. But not since we became the new theocratic State. For crying out loud, even the Italians don't carry religion to the extremes that the current dispensation in D.C. does. But I digress.

You would think after all this time and all the hoopala about American culture taking over the World there would be more of it on display in Vienna. Yes, there is an occaionsal McDonald's and one Burger King. And, there's a Starbuck's across from the Sacher (as in Tort) Hotel (the gods of Culinary are frothing at the mouth). But there are no American cars (wasn't this what Havana was known for?) There were no American electronics in the shop. While the styles for teenagers are the same (all that midriff skin), I don't see the American logos that I expected (of course American clothes are made in China, so there.) It is almost as if we didn't exist. What's a few McDonald's? Certainly not a Cultural Revolution. In a contest between Snoopy Dog (whatever) and Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler and Shubert, its hard to imagine a rapper victory.

We had better wake up. The World is moving forward without us (Romania and Bulgaria have been admitted to the EU and the euro is surging). European cars get many kilometers to the liter whereas we continue to support SUV's. This is food for thought. American Civilization. Where is it on its trajectory?