To: MNI who wrote (15217 ) 11/9/1999 4:58:00 AM From: GUSTAVE JAEGER Read Replies (2) | Respond to
Re: Gustave, I think it was you that once said that there was more CULTURE in cheap pop cuture products than in a certain specific highbrow elitarian thing (I forgot the context, am too lazy to search). But even if that weren't true, I think you concur with me about the super- and artificiality of the division you documented - only to make sure a genuine source of anti-Americanism in educated bourgeoisie, as you might call it! Lethal Weapon (I/II/III/IV) featuring Mel Gibson and Dany Glover than in French histrionic movie Cyrano --even though the latter was awarded a Golden Palm at a Cannes Film Festival.... Yet, besides (you and) me, who else, in Europe, would agree with such a radical viewpoint? You seem to forget that mainstream public opinion is not shaped by maverick intellectuals.I challenge you on making plausible that there is a way to describe >>the exact mainstream feeling of the European plebs<<. Too many too different European streams around here, I fear. No, there is one thing I think I can say as a global judgement: Europeans are not united well enough to wage any kind of economic war seriously, even if low-scale, cold-war style, or hidden, especially against the US. And Anti-American sentiment, or consideration of own interest if opposed to US is simply out of fashion. As I tried to communicate in the last post, the strongest 'anti-Americanism' we are capable of is a moment now and then in which people think 'the US are REALLY our best buddy, aren't they?' Compare it to maturing love among insecure youth ... if it came out that 'maybe they aren't, after all', then we would focus all our energy and set out to reform ourselves, to become even more loveable! global judgment against yours..... Well, now it's my turn to give you a friendly piece of advise: open your mind, MNI, and read and listen to what other European fellows are telling us! Read Slavoj Zizek, for instance --especially his opinion on what he labels as 'anti-NATO pseudo-leftists'....Berlin Wall commemoration yesterday --starring former world celebrities such as Gorbatchev, G. H. Bush, H. Kohl, et al. And suddenly, I got the impression that you were among the cheering crowd! I feel I caught a glimpse of you as you were frantically waving a German flag in your right hand and a Stars-and-Stripes in your left.... with a twelve-starred blue cap on your head! Keep on the good work! But hey, don't soup it up or it might just blow up in your face....
