Universalism...

Monday night, Alonna, Kevin and I (Victoria) met to discuss the readings and our responses to the material and terms. After re-reading the chapters and becoming aquatinted with terms such ‘European universalism” “universal universalism” and debated America’s position and view as a global superpower.

Some of our initial responses to the text included Kevin’s thoughts on Bush and his presentation of the situation in the Middle East as the US mission from heaven, the presence of US troops in Iran and Afghanistan as culturally imperialistic, and this country’s view of Muslim nations as oppressive and backwards in comparison to the advancement and modernity of the US. He also drew comparisons to many American’s vacation habits and rituals, which is the popularity of resorts in foreign countries instead of exploring, living near and interacting with locals. He claims that it is a tendency to avoid the reality of the country one is visiting instead Americans want to believe our ‘island vacation fantasy’. Although (many) Americans say that wherever they are visiting is complex, beautiful and exotic we lack the will and interest to explore it beyond the means of a resort. We create the image, which Said’s Orientalism and the first few pages of Jamaica Kincad’s A Small Place addresses. Tourists/foreigners see what they create and want to see, they impose an image and even package an American ideal back to the natives.

This leads into my own thoughts about our education on Cold War Era Communism (Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea) vs. Democracy (U.S, N.A.T.O). I always look back upon our education as American citizens and how we viewed the world. It never ends even today because the US still presents itself as the moral, cultural, political, and economical example for a ‘great’ country that ‘helps’ the world. We make ourselves superior like Europeans made themselves during the period of colonialisation. Before an extensive university education I felt that my high school courses presented Americans as the ‘good guy’ in political “intervening” throughout history and the Communists as ‘revolutionary rebels that hurt everyone”. It is strange how we felt obligated to storm through the crumbling Berlin Wall and ‘liberate’ the eastern Germans from communism. The Korean and Vietnam war also demonstrate our ability to justify intervention and war for a form of government we want to be dominant. The events also demonstrate the US reaffirming its status as the ‘protector of truth, rights, freedom and equality in democracy. We set ourselves up and sells the image of the U.S police who protects and intervenes under the flag of human rights and ending torture.

I noticed, like Kevin and Alonna, that the US has a very us and them view of the entire world: “God bless America” why not everyone else?(K), “Bring democracy to the world” what if they don’t want it? (V), “We are bringing good and civilization” same question but with exclamation marks(A), “it is modern Eurocentricism unchanged and obviously embedded in our culture and education” we are Americans, we have the democratic answer(A/V).

Alonna brought up how European universalism stems from Eurocentric views of culture, history and nations outside Europe (even those in Eastern and parts of southern Europe). She talked about how Europeans created a sense of superior history and culture in order to create the paradigm. Once one creates the paradigm and set the rules then there is a sense of power over others. She also related ideas from Said and McClintock by relating how this author makes theories that went against the mainstream way to understand the historical and culture patterns of Europe and US in indigenous areas. Alonna also cited that because this author, unlike Dussel, uses sources like Las Casas to demonstrate that historically there were those that did go against the paradigm but were oppressed by the dominant powers. With period-based examples we can draw upon notions that clash with the ‘white-standard’ education that has trickled through time and into the textbooks.

Drawing from Wallerstein, I (Kevin) feel as if European Universalism was also expressed throughout the Pear Soap advertisements. In these advertisements, the object was to paint the “others” as inferior. By doing this, the British now appear to be superior. This type of European Universalism is showcased in many aspects of American culture. Take for example, sports in the United States. For baseball, it’s not the United States Series, it’s the World Series. Although maybe they’re representing the multitude of foreign players, it’s still held in the United States, and the game is completely commercialized with American culture. If it truly was the World Series, we would play teams such as Japan, China, and Mexico. Also, they’re are zero advertisements from foreign countries. The stands, commercials, and advertisements are completely Americanized. The fact the Major League Baseball calls it the “World Series” shows that the US is the center of the world. And it also shows that the power dictated from the powerful trickles down into all aspects of the culture, and that’s problematic.