DATE= 11/10/97
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-38042
TITLE=BULLY AMERICA
BYLINE=PAMELA TAYLOR
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE UNITED STATES IS COMING UNDER INCREASING CRITICISM
THAT IT IS USING ITS STATUS AS THE WORLD'S LAST REMAINING
SUPERPOWER TO BULLY OTHER NATIONS. EVEN AMERICA'S CLOSEST ALLIES
IN EUROPE, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA AND AFRICA HAVE BEGUN TO EXPRESS
ANXIETY AT AMERICA'S DOMINANCE IN ALL FIELDS FROM INTERNATIONAL
POLITICS TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND POPULAR CULTURE. VOA'S PAMELA
TAYLOR REPORTS:
TEXT: THE MOST RECENT CRITICISM OF AMERICAN DOMINANCE OF WORLD
AFFAIRS CAME IN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE GERMAN NEWS MAGAZINE
'DER SPIEGEL'. IN ITS COVER STORY, THE REPORT CALLED THE UNITED
STATES THE (ARNOLD) 'SCHWARZENEGGER OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS',
FLEXING ITS MUSCLES TO INTIMIDATE OTHER NATIONS. THE AUTHOR OF
THE REPORT, SENIOR FOREIGN EDITOR ERICH FOLLATH, SAID AMERICA'S
ARROGANCE APPEARS STRENGTHENED BY THE END OF COMMUNISM AND THE
HEALTH OF ITS OWN ECONOMY:
// ACT ONE/FOLLATH //
THE ACCUMULATION OF SO MUCH POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND
CULTURAL CLOUT BY THE UNITED STATES IS OBVIOUSLY
BREEDING AN ARROGANCE THAT IS UNPLEASANT AND MAYBE
DANGEROUS AND IT SOMETIMES HURTS ITS ALLIES.
// END ACT //
AS EXAMPLES, MR. FOLLATH CITES THE REFUSAL OF THE UNITED STATES
TO PAY AS MUCH AS ONE-BILLION DOLLARS IN PAST DUES TO THE UNITED
NATIONS, THE LUKEWARM U-S POSITION ON THE RECENT GLOBAL WARMING
TREATY AND ITS INSISTENCE THAT EUROPE PAY THE COSTS OF EXPANDING
NATO.
BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES THAT AMERICA'S POWER IS COERCIVE. JOSEPH
NYE, THE DEAN OF THE KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AT HARVARD
UNIVERSITY, SAYS AMERICA IS EXERCISING WHAT HE CALLS 'SOFT
POWER':
// ACT TWO/ NYE //
THAT SOFT POWER IS OUR CULTURAL, IDEOLOGICAL APPEAL. SO
IT'S NOT BULLYING, IT'S WHAT A GERMAN JOURNALIST HAS
CALLED THE 'PULL FACTOR' RATHER THAN THE 'PUSH FACTOR'
FROM THE UNITED STATES -- AND THAT IS SOMETHING I THINK
WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF.
// END ACT //
MR. NYE ALSO BELIEVES A LOT OF AMERICA'S PERCEIVED ARROGANCE
COMES FROM A PAROCHIAL VIEW OF THE WORLD THAT FAILS TO SEE OTHER
NATION'S POINTS OF VIEW.
BUT IT IS THE AREA OF CULTURAL DOMINANCE WHERE THE UNITED STATES
IS MOST SEVERELY CRITICIZED. NOT LONG AGO, WRITERS SUCH AS
HEMINGWAY AND FAULKNER AND MUSIC BY GERSHWIN AND DIZZY GILLESPIE,
WERE AMERICA'S PROUDEST CULTURAL EXPORTS. TODAY, THE T-V SERIES
'BAYWATCH', DISNEY MOVIE AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS, AND AMERICAN
RAP MUSIC DOMINATE THE YOUTH CULTURE ALL OVER THE WORLD.
JERRY LANDAY, A PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
ILLINOIS, SAYS IT IS PROFIT -- NOT DEMAND -- THAT DETERMINES
WHAT IS EXPORTED OVERSEAS. HE DENIES THAT THE U-S PUBLIC IS WHAT
IS DRIVING THE QUALITY OF ENTERTAINMENT DOWN:
// ACT THREE/LANDAY //
IT'S NOT THAT IT'S (QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT IS) TOO
HIGHBROW (CONSIDERED SUPERIOR) FOR VIEWERS. IT IS TOO
HIGHBROW FOR THE PRODUCERS AND THE NETWORK DISTRIBUTORS.
// END ACT //
PROFESSOR LANDAY SAYS IN ORDER FOR AN ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCT TO
REALLY MAKE MONEY, IT HAS TO CATER TO THE LOWEST COMMON
DENOMINATOR AUDIENCE. PROGRAMS WITH LOTS OF VIOLENCE, WITH A
SIMPLE STORYLINE AND REQUIRING A MINIMUM OF DUBBING, ARE THE
EASIEST TO SELL TO THE WIDEST INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE. THAT, HE
SAYS, IS VERY DIFFICULT TO COMPETE WITH:
// ACT FOUR/LANDAY //
HOW YOU FIGHT A CULTURE WAR WHEN YOUR ARE NOT IN THE
DRIVER'S SEAT IS A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION? NOBODY
IS AGAINST ONE WORLD AND A GLOBAL VILLAGE. BUT ON THE
OTHER HAND, ONE ALSO WANTS TO PROTECT ONE'S CULTURE,
ONE'S LANGUAGE, ONE'S ART. AND SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A
GREAT ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO SPIN OUT
(END).
// END ACT //
THE ONLY WAY TO RESIST AMERICA'S COMMERCIAL IMPERIALISM, SAYS
PROFESSOR LANDAY, IS FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO FOCUS ON PRODUCING
THEIR OWN CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS IN THEIR OWN
LANGUAGE -- SOMETHING HE SAYS MORE AND MORE COUNTRIES ARE NOW
DOING. (SIGNED)
NEB/PAM/RRM
10-Nov-97 4:43 PM EST (2143 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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