Civilization

American Civilisation's Dominance Over Europe - And What To Do About It 'civilization' -- A Hard Term To Define. But While Every Society Has A Distinctive Culture, Authentic Civilizations Must Offer Those They Subjugate An Attractive Way Of Life. Their Imprint Outlasts Their Imperium. A Century Ago, Debray Argues, There Was A European Civilization Of Which America Was An Outlying Culture; But Today The Relationship Is Reversed. 'in 1900, An American Of Taste Was A European In Exile; In 2000, A Trendy European Is A Frustrated American - Or One Waiting For A Visa'. Characteristic Of American Civilization Is Its Three Overarching Fetishes: Space, Image And Happiness. America Is A Civilization Of Space And Image, Whereas Europe Was One Of Time And Writing. And Its Kitsch Infantilism Blinds Itself To The Tragic Complexities Of Human Life. A Measure Of America's Success Is How Its 'globish' Jargon Has So Successfully Infiltrated European Languages. For Debray, The Dominance Of American Civilization Is A Historical Fait Accompli, Yet He Sees A Model For Europe In Vienna After Its Exclusion From The German Reich. For Decades To Come, Europe Can Still Offer A Rich Cultural Seedbed. 'some Will Call It Decadence, Others Liberation. Why Not Both?'