Admiration
to Resentment in Nanoseconds:
Any
way out for America?
Adeboye Oseni
California
State University, Fullerton
Many minds
in the U.S. government are working unusual overtime these days trying to
figure out a seeming dilemma.
How can the
United States be doing so much for the world, yet continue to be so unpopular?
How is it possible to welcome U.S. products, and yet hate the U.S. government?
There may be no easy answers yet, but any solution mix that emerges must
include high dosage of cultural exchanges that genuinely reconnects Americans
to the world.
Not too
long ago, American youths wanted to be like Mike. It’s hard to believe that
this kind of admiration for all things America did not begin with the
basketball star. Sometime ago, without much government urging and hype, youths
all over the world wanted to be like JFK. Even down to the hairstyles.
A central
question to ask is what has happened over the years that turned strong
admiration for the United States to strong resentment. Where has all the
goodwill for America gone?
Without
flogging the issues, it seems that once America won the ideological war, she
climbed and sequestered herself on the hilltop only to reemerge with a stick,
intent on beating the world into shape. That was not the America that won the
ideological war, that wasn’t the America that won the world over to
capitalism.
That
America identified with the pains of the less fortunate peoples all over the
world, and encouraged the building of extensive infrastructures of exchange
programs that prioritized cultural connection between peoples. That America
was sensitive to global needs. That America prioritized the meeting of minds
and peoples. That American won the day.
That
America won admiration and respect despite rampant accusations of sometimes
mixing subtlety with subterfuge because people saw hope, opportunity, and
chance for self-determination in the American way. America in turn won the
hearts of people who believed that by embracing the society’s underlying
principles, someday they would be able to turn their relative poverty to
prosperity.
Ironically,
the new America that inherited that ideological victory won primarily on
championing the cause of competition, now appears to be suffering the effects
of lack of competition. Rather than persuasion, this new America must have her
way, whatever the cost. And, egged on by unimaginable might, she promises and
delivers “shock and awe.” Tough luck, if you are on the receiving end.
The dilemma
of the moment appears unending; it is troubling, but certainly not
insurmountable. The global groundswell of goodwill for America can be rescued,
but it will be revived neither by might nor by hucksters. America may yet end
up saving the day.
Everyday
normal Americans have a lot to offer the world. Americans’ stories of honest
toils, failures, and successes in the face of numbing obstacles can inspire.
The world needs to know what genuinely makes Americans tick.
Peoples of
the world harried and harassed by their governments need to learn about
empowerment. They can gain a lot of perspective from Americans who daily hold
their governments, at all levels, accountable for that promise of justice,
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The U.S. government needs to
revive those neglected cultural infrastructures that helped the nation gain
global credibility and endorsement from peoples of the world.
Sometime
you get the feeling that we are back in 1915 and powerful America is the Old
John Rockefeller. The old man’s humanity was successfully rescued by a
public relations program that counseled him to hand out dimes to the poor as a
way of showing his philanthropic instincts. This America has more than dimes
and hucksters, but those alone may not work to repair the reconnection path to
the rest of the world. At this time, Americans may be America’s greatest
untapped assets. It’s time to set the stage for their genuine reconnection
with the world.
Sure,
God bless America. But, renewed admiration or continued resentment for America
depends on how the most powerful nation decides to spread her blessings.
About the
Author
Adeboye Oseni,
born and grew up in Nigeria with an extensive journalism
background, both in Africa and the Caribbean. Former Electronics News Editor for
the Online Forty-Niner, California State University Long Beach. Mr. Oseni is now
a Communications Analyst with the County of Los Angeles, California and a
graduate student at Cal State Fullerton. Reach him by email at adeboye@sbcglobal.net
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