Cultural differences: Europe and the United States

2007-03-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Swissnex, San Francisco.

http://www.wincup.com

http://www.caffevita.com/

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U.S. (Europe)

Nomadic society (Sedentary), Bigger is better (Smaller is the norm), Patriotic (Worldly), Disposable (Built for the Ages), Young (Old), Popular (Elitist), Exhibitionist (Bourgeois)

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Origins

Cultural gap has a common origin: discontent
Two iconic historical events
Two divergent solutions

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The Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest by the American colonists against Great Britain heavy taxation in which they destroyed many crates of tea bricks on ships in Boston Harbor. The incident has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution.

Actually, the American ANTI-TAX revolution.

To this day.

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La commune de Paris (1871)

The Commune was an uprising in Paris generated by the lost war against Prussia and growing discontent among French workers.

Symbolically, the Commune is the source of French democracy. People power was born and with him, and for all, free public schools, the right to defense in a court of law and the opening of public libraries, museums and theatres.

Implicitly, TAXATION as the fuel of progress.

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Main cultural divide

America is anti-tax, a philosophy of individual responsibility.
Europe is providing, a philosophy of community responsibility.

The trickle down economy.
The welfare state.

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Quotes from bi-continental commuters

"Europe is multi-sensual; in America, it's only about appearances. In Europe you can smell the bread or the cheese before you buy; you know it's real. In the U.S., it's hermetically sealed, wrapped, and double-wrapped. You hope it's real."

Jeffrey J. Carmel
Editorial/Design consultant

"The most glaring differences to me are, unfortunately, a decline in basic manners and standards of what is acceptable public behavior in America, a general lack of interest in, or awareness of, what is happening abroad, ... and the possibility that, when other people express grievances or criticism of the United States, they might be correct."

John McDermott
Photographer

I can think about one huge difference: The mobile phone culture of the Europeans. In Europe, the mobile phone is now part of the lifestyle. In the US it still is a just a tool. Another difference with the US is that most people in Europe also use the SMS instant messaging except may be the very old. It has become the major social-networking tool especially for the young and very young.

Henri Slettenhaar
IT guru

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Links

The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrim's Progress -- The Atlantic Monthly
"No Work and No Play" -- New Yorker magazine
"Europe vs. America" -- New York Times
"Differences in American & European Worldviews" -- Hoover Institution

Good Reads

Tintin en Amérique - Hergé (1931/1945)
The Mouse that Roared -- Leonard Wibberley (1955, and 1959 movie)
Le Journal de Californie -- Edgar Morin (1970)
French and Americans, The Other Shore -- Pascal Baudry (2005)

http://cafedumonde.blogspot.com

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Café du Monde

Cultural differences: Europe and the United States