Bi-Weekly Discussion - How the World Views America

This is going to be an online meetup using Zoom. If you've never used Zoom before, don't worry — it's easy to use and free to join.

Click on the link below at the scheduled date/time...

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HOW THE WORLD VIEWS AMERICA

INTRODUCTION:

In this meetup, we'll discuss how people in different countries around the world view the United States and why. We'll start by looking at the pervasive influence of American pop culture, from blockbuster movies and chart-topping music to iconic sports figures, and examine how these affect America's "soft power" around the globe. Then, we will scrutinize the political ramifications of U.S. foreign policy, investigating how America's actions on the international stage - both militarily & economically - shape perceptions abroad. We'll also analyze data from public opinion polls to gauge America's likability across different nations. In the final section, we'll consider how the policies and demeanor of various U.S. administrations influence global perspectives. Join us as we unravel the complex layers of admiration, critique, and influence that define how the world sees America today.

RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:

We had a meetup back in Jan. 2023 entitled "Is Politics Downstream from (Pop) Culture?" In the Introduction, we reviewed some of the basic concepts from media effects theory, particularly how the outdated "hypodermic needle theory" that alleges strong psychological priming effects from a single exposure to a media message has shifted to "cultivation theory" that suggests subtle priming effects only arise from messages that are repeated in many forms of media consumed over a long period of time. This would suggest that any single Hollywood movie or American pop song is unlikely to have major lasting effects on how foreign audiences view America, but repeated consumption of American pop culture by foreign audiences will probably have some effects - for good or ill.

Back in Mar. 2021, we had a meetup entitled "Can The "Liberal International Order" Be Saved?" We broke the concept of the "liberal international order" (LIO) into its 4 principle components: (1) democracy & human rights promotion, (2) the dollar hegemony & the economic policies of the Washington Consensus, (3) the military alliances that support Pax Americana, and (4) the multilateral "rules-based order" & international law. We discussed what expert opinion & public opinion polls can tell us about each component, particularly in light of some high-profile failures of the LIO in recent years like the inability to implement democracy in the Middle East, rising income inequality in Western nations stemming from deindustrialization & globalization, the 2008 financial crisis & Eurozone debt crisis, multiple migrant/refugee crises in both the US & EU, increasing political polarization, and the rise of populism & nativism.

Since America's image is party shaped by diplomacy & lobbying of foreign governments, it may be useful to refer to a meetup we had back in Mar. 2018 entitled "Foreign Influence: A Menace or Just Business?" We discussed how political scientists look at the "soft power" of the U.S. and other liberal-democratic countries that garners good will from things like pop cultural influence, scientific achievements & innovation, and humanitarian programs. We contrasted this "soft power" with the "sharp power" of authoritarian regimes which involves sewing confusion & stoking internal tensions in rival nations rather than trying to win goodwill for their own nation.

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DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:

To prepare for our discussion, just watch this video from Oct. 2020 that does a good job of analyzing a bunch of Pew Research polls on how people from various countries perceive the U.S. and some of the factors that influence this. The video is a little over an hour long, but the part where they're going over the polls is only about a half hour (watch until 31:13) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQO-rhKvA88

The articles you see linked below under each section are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.
In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. I've listed some questions under each section to stimulate discussion. We'll do our best to address most of them, as well as whatever other questions our members raise. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section.

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I. AMERICAN CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD:

• Why did American pop culture (esp. music & movies) and American consumer products (e.g. McDonalds, Coca-Cola) become so popular abroad after WW2? Did it help America's global image, or inspire resentment about "Coca-colonization"?
• Has the decline of U.S. "public diplomacy" (i.e. concerted efforts by the U.S. government to shape our global image) led to a deleterious situation where foreign audiences now view the U.S. through the filter of our pop culture which is often violent & sexually explicit, as Martha Bayles argues?
• Do American films that portray U.S. foreign policy in a negative light (e.g. Bourne films, Michael Moore documentaries) stir up anti-Americanism abroad, or do they show that the U.S. is capable of an admirable degree of self-criticism?
• What sorts of cultural messages are conveyed to foreign audiences by American music genres like rock, pop & hip-hop? Has hip-hop become a global vehicle for youth rebellion in the 21st century, similar to punk rock in the 1970s-80s?
• Why weren't American consumers more interested in foreign pop culture in the 20th century? Is this changing in the 21st century (e.g. World Cup soccer, world music, foreign films & TV series, etc.), and if so - will it foster more international understanding & appreciation of various cultures?

OPTIONAL ARTICLES:

• Jonathan Wellemeyer, "Hollywood and the Spread of Anti-Americanism [according to participants in the 2006 IQ2 Debate]" (WUNC)
• Russell Heimlich, "American Popular Culture Gets High Marks Abroad [in 2012]" (Pew Research)
• John O’Sullivan, "Selling America Short, and Nasty: A review of Through 'A Screen Darkly: Popular Culture, Public Diplomacy, and America’s Image Abroad' (2014), by Martha Bayles" (Claremont Review)
• Alyssa Rosenberg, "What American pop culture tells the world" (Wash. Post.)
• Dexter Fergie, "How American Culture Ate the World: A new book [Sam Lebovic’s 'A Righteous Smokescreen'] explains why Americans know so little about other countries." (New Republic)
• Hisham Aidi, "America's Hip-Hop Foreign Policy: How rap became a battleground in the war on terror" (Atlantic)