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American Dream, Global Nightmare
This title brings into sharp focus the merger of celebrity, corporate, power, government and empire which has become an essential part of America's belief in itself as a nation.
Hardcover
First published October 7, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 13, 2017
This is a terrible book. Not because of the subject matter or even much of what the authour seeks to depict. It is terrible because it is shallow and Sardar seems fixated on Hollywood. He writes as though every point can and should be made using a movie or television reference. As though the American Republic has always been this way, even before the existence of Hollywood. Sort of derived from a movie plot.
This would be a fine book if it was suppose to be about how Americans sometimes see themselves through film or fiction. But it is not done this way. It is done solely with the assumption that in some way Hollywood drives the American mindset and helps to influence foreign policy. When in fact one could suggest that the reverse is in fact true.
Read this book if movies and TV shows are your thing. BUT do not look at it if you want historical and empirical depictions of American exceptionalism abroad. I would suggest Chalmers Johnson, Robert Fisk or Scott Horton for a more serious look at the brutality of American foreign policy and the resentment it tends to reap.
20%
This would be a fine book if it was suppose to be about how Americans sometimes see themselves through film or fiction. But it is not done this way. It is done solely with the assumption that in some way Hollywood drives the American mindset and helps to influence foreign policy. When in fact one could suggest that the reverse is in fact true.
Read this book if movies and TV shows are your thing. BUT do not look at it if you want historical and empirical depictions of American exceptionalism abroad. I would suggest Chalmers Johnson, Robert Fisk or Scott Horton for a more serious look at the brutality of American foreign policy and the resentment it tends to reap.
20%
July 23, 2017
Is America really 'that' bad?
18 November 2011
There was a time when I had started working and actually earning double what I was earning on the dole (whether one can actually consider the dole as a form or earning money since in reality it is a charitable handout) when I started buying any book that I saw that was anti-American: this book was one of them. However, over time I have become less anti-American than I previously was in that it is more that it is not American in and of itself that is the problem, but rather elements of Western Society. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of aspects to America that I do not like and do not agree with but that does not necessarily mean that we should hate America - on the other hand, it does not mean that we should simply sit back and do nothing.
Now, this book I think is quite wrong. Yes, the United States has arisen to take the mantle of world superpower, but that does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. One should consider what Nial Fergusson said in his book Empire - at the end of World War II there were four powers that could have taken the title of world superpower: Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United States (Britain had come to the end of her tenure by that time). Out of those four, I am sure we would all through our weight behind America as being the more responsible power.
That is true, and I remain of that position, however that does not necessarily mean that the United States will not, or has not, changed, and we can see that it has. The concern is not the outward appearances, but the inner beliefs. While a bulk of the world opposed the wars of George W Bush, as it turns out there was quite a lot of support within the United States. While the world actually likes Obama, inside the United States there was been a turn against him. This is what concerns me as it does not seem that the people inside the United States have any concept of the world outside.
This is the premise of this book, and it works on the idea that the exporting of American Imperialism is destroying the wonderful and varied cultures that our world has produced. However this is not the first time it has happened. It happened in the Ancient World all too often, and while I will point at Rome as the prime example, we cannot ignore Babylon, Persia, and even Greece under Alexander. As for more modern examples we cannot go past the British Empire that uprooted whole societies to plant their own colonies (and Australia and South Africa is an example of this, not to ignore the American continent).
As for cinema being the machine of empire, well the truth is that Hollywood is not the only producer of movies. Go for a wonder through the Paris Metro and count the number of posters on the wall that advertise a Hollywood Movie. Can't find any? Well, neither could I. The French are well known for having an independent cinema culture, and to be honest, most French probably aren't interested in American films because they know that theirs are a lot better. Same with Hong Kong, go for a wonder through the MTR and you will see posters advertising Hong Kong films (along with American Films). Second point to make is language. People still speak their own language. If there is one country where it appears that the language is in danger of becoming extinct it is Germany, but as it turns out, it is not. Despite all Germans being taught English up to year 10, they all still speak German, and when people spoke to me in Germany, it was in German. It was only after I indicated that I have difficulties understanding German that they would switch to English.
Is it the end of the American Empire? Probably not just yet, but we are entering a period where the US is in decline, and Asia is in ascension, but parity shifts do take years. Ask the average European in 1910 if it was the end of the British Empire and they would have laughed, however even then the UK was in decline (but did not vanish until the Suez Incident). Despite all this, I believe that it is better that a democracy (even if access to power in this democracy is limited) take the reigns of world leader than some tyrannical dictatorship. Anyway, I also suspect that China is rapidly facing some serious problems, and if we see a collapse in their economy in the next few years (which is quite likely) then it will simply be further evidence that the American Empire still has life left in it.
18 November 2011
There was a time when I had started working and actually earning double what I was earning on the dole (whether one can actually consider the dole as a form or earning money since in reality it is a charitable handout) when I started buying any book that I saw that was anti-American: this book was one of them. However, over time I have become less anti-American than I previously was in that it is more that it is not American in and of itself that is the problem, but rather elements of Western Society. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of aspects to America that I do not like and do not agree with but that does not necessarily mean that we should hate America - on the other hand, it does not mean that we should simply sit back and do nothing.
Now, this book I think is quite wrong. Yes, the United States has arisen to take the mantle of world superpower, but that does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. One should consider what Nial Fergusson said in his book Empire - at the end of World War II there were four powers that could have taken the title of world superpower: Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United States (Britain had come to the end of her tenure by that time). Out of those four, I am sure we would all through our weight behind America as being the more responsible power.
That is true, and I remain of that position, however that does not necessarily mean that the United States will not, or has not, changed, and we can see that it has. The concern is not the outward appearances, but the inner beliefs. While a bulk of the world opposed the wars of George W Bush, as it turns out there was quite a lot of support within the United States. While the world actually likes Obama, inside the United States there was been a turn against him. This is what concerns me as it does not seem that the people inside the United States have any concept of the world outside.
This is the premise of this book, and it works on the idea that the exporting of American Imperialism is destroying the wonderful and varied cultures that our world has produced. However this is not the first time it has happened. It happened in the Ancient World all too often, and while I will point at Rome as the prime example, we cannot ignore Babylon, Persia, and even Greece under Alexander. As for more modern examples we cannot go past the British Empire that uprooted whole societies to plant their own colonies (and Australia and South Africa is an example of this, not to ignore the American continent).
As for cinema being the machine of empire, well the truth is that Hollywood is not the only producer of movies. Go for a wonder through the Paris Metro and count the number of posters on the wall that advertise a Hollywood Movie. Can't find any? Well, neither could I. The French are well known for having an independent cinema culture, and to be honest, most French probably aren't interested in American films because they know that theirs are a lot better. Same with Hong Kong, go for a wonder through the MTR and you will see posters advertising Hong Kong films (along with American Films). Second point to make is language. People still speak their own language. If there is one country where it appears that the language is in danger of becoming extinct it is Germany, but as it turns out, it is not. Despite all Germans being taught English up to year 10, they all still speak German, and when people spoke to me in Germany, it was in German. It was only after I indicated that I have difficulties understanding German that they would switch to English.
Is it the end of the American Empire? Probably not just yet, but we are entering a period where the US is in decline, and Asia is in ascension, but parity shifts do take years. Ask the average European in 1910 if it was the end of the British Empire and they would have laughed, however even then the UK was in decline (but did not vanish until the Suez Incident). Despite all this, I believe that it is better that a democracy (even if access to power in this democracy is limited) take the reigns of world leader than some tyrannical dictatorship. Anyway, I also suspect that China is rapidly facing some serious problems, and if we see a collapse in their economy in the next few years (which is quite likely) then it will simply be further evidence that the American Empire still has life left in it.
July 5, 2016
This is a deep study of the Psyche of the US and taught me a great deal, though not an easy read at times. Highly recommended.
Read
October 7, 2013a book on how globalization has made the globe , a very simple good written book
Read
December 15, 2017thesis-read, was ok
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews