If America were a person ...

Nosemonkey recently spoke [presumably predominantly through his nasal cavity] of his experience writing about how other nations see America and this prompted me to ask a very simple question. If America was a person what kind of person might it be? How different might he or she be to someone from Europe. As an Englishman living in Italy the view from here is slightly different. Most Italians and other non-English Europeans think that because our two nations speak the same language and go to war together we are one in the same.

If America was a person what kind of person might it be? Like any person it would, in all likelihood, possess a combination of good and bad qualities. Most English and Italian people really believe that the American economy and society give you a fair chance. Most of the Americans whom I have met fail to understand how much class affects your life chances in the UK. Class is not to do with money but more linked to the bed in which you were born. To be upper class does not mean you are wealthy and to be working class does not necessarily mean you are poor. It is difficult to be more socially mobile in the UK and so we look with envy at what can be achieved by someone with a little hard work and a good idea in the USA. Entry to the older professions in the UK can still depend, in part, on which school you may have attended. I have written a piece about this phenomenon entitled, ’Old School Tie Strangles the Professions’ at:-

http://dannybernardi.wordpress.com/tag/society/

In Italy family patronage or ‘knowing someone’ still plays a major part in just getting an interview or a start in the world of work. Knowing someone is often better than having the perfect CV (or resume for any American readers). Speculative letter writing rarely works here when searching for a job - I can tell this from bitter experience.

So what of the Americans? Difficult to say really but if I were to meet Andrew or Anna America in a pub I would expect to meet a person louder and perhaps larger than the average Brit. Such a person might be very keen to tell you all about themselves and their achievements. Andrew or Anna America would probably also want to impress upon you that he or she was deeply committed to their family and might even let slip that they undertook good works in the community.

In other words they would always be ’on’. Brits are ’off’, in social situations especially, and find it troubling to reveal too much about themselves upon first meeting. They are also a bit suspicious of anyone who needs to be ’on’. In other words ... if you are successful, happy and worthy then you probably shouldn’t need to go around telling people. Most Brits would also think that Andrew or Anna may not know how to laugh at themselves. Laughing at oneself is seen as being an extremely important quality. If Andrew or Anna could not manage a little self-deprecation then the average Brit would think this, ’a very bad show’. Understatement is widely respected in the UK. For example it is widely believed that the stiff upper lip i.e. getting on with things without making a fuss won us two world wars (we often conveniently forget the major role America played in WW2) and the soccer world cup back in 1966. An Englishman could have his arm hanging off after battle and would be more concerned not to make a fuss, ‘just a small flesh wound old boy! Nothing to worry about!’. I once spent a whole night sitting next to a guy at a dinner party who told me he was a humble medic who managed a bit of surgery every now and then when nobody else could be found to do the job. ‘I’m usually the last guy they call,’ he said whilst stretching for the cheese board. It transpired he was a top brain surgeon who had saved about four lives that week!

God Bless America and all who sail in her. If America were a person he/she would probably be no better or worse than anyone else ... just different. Your environment moulds you and perhaps in a young nation, such as the USA, knowing who you are is more important. But identity is not always what you do or what you possess. When a culture is young such things more significance and meaning is derived from such things. Here in Italy where I live everyone knows who they are-they have thousands of years of culture and history upon which to draw. There is no crisis of identity or need to impress ... but then most people can’t find a job!

Ciao