June 26 , 2009

 

The Allures and Oddities of America – 2

 

The freedoms enshrined in the American Constitution have been taken by a section of the society as a license to go haywire and embrace a life of vice. This has led to crime, drugs, divorce, illegitimacy, abortions, gay and lesbian lifestyles, and promiscuity - in short, to a moral sewer. But, this ugly scenario has not permeated the entire society. A vast majority continues to be quite decent and morally upright.

The First Amendment to the Constitution lays down: “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion ….” Although religion has thus been distanced from public life, people generally practice exemplary morality in the market place. All transactions are based on trust and rarely it is breached. The country is dotted with churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples. Congregations at these places of worship are generally quite substantial. The society stands, by and large, on a strong base of universal moralities.

Hollywood and TV talk-show hosts usually project the seamy side of life in America. Vice, crime, immorality and aberrations arrest attention; virtue exercises no such magnetism. Because of this and because of the Internet and satellite communications, youngsters in foreign lands get an unsavory picture of the shape of things in America.

The positive values that have made America great are overshadowed by the baleful images conveyed by the entertainment industry. Fortunately, the founding fathers had incorporated the salutary values in the basic documents of the nation and the Supreme Court meticulously protects them.

These values have given the people a forward-looking approach, a belief in progress and dignity of man, a conviction and confidence in human achievement. The famous French writer, Alexis de Tocqeville, visiting America as far back as 1830 thought that he was witnessing a “distinct species of mankind” with an uncanny restlessness, a deep desire for material advancement, and a commitment to science and technology.

No wonder, bulk of the inventions in the 20 th century have been made in America. Only a few decades back America gave to the world the satellite and the Internet that have caused a revolution in communication and turned the world into a village.

American affluence is a great attraction for the immigrants from poor countries. Had there been no restriction on immigration to the United States, almost all poverty-stricken people of the world would have flocked to this country. The highly educated and professionally well-qualified, who have no dearth of livelihood in their own countries, also aspire to reach this country not merely to make money but to breathe free from the societal taboos obtaining in their own lands.

Sons and daughters of foreign aristocrats and feudal barons generally return to their own families, after receiving higher education in America. They know that the respect and power they enjoy in their own society cannot be had in the egalitarian milieu of America. No matter how high their income, they would have to do their own shopping, drive their children to school, shine their own shoes and get used to be addressed by their first names even by the lowest functionaries of their own companies.

They cannot put on highly-starched white shalwar-khameez (virtual uniform of feudal landlords of Pakistan), go places in their luxury Pajero vehicles or walk with a swagger with a few gun-bearing bodyguards in train.

In America even the poor live comparatively well, enjoy self-esteem, and try to shed excess weight instead of fighting hunger and squalor. The system has made it possible for even those considered poor on the American scale, to have almost all basic creature comforts. Social Security offices come to the rescue of the have-nots.

A newcomer to America, particularly from a Third World country, is struck by the fact that everything seems to work here. The train or bus arrives exactly on time, light comes on every time you turn the switch, even public toilets are clean, you hear the dial tone whenever you pick up the phone, shops are full of items you might have not even seen back home. Your word is trusted; you don’t have to provide any evidence in support of your claim.

The visitor cannot also escape noticing several contradictions and oddities. While in his country the poor look emaciated, the rich fat and flabby, in America the rich generally maintain slim figures while the poor look over-fed if not obese. Houses are bigger but families smaller. All sorts of contraptions are available to save time, but people have little leisure. Everyone appears rich but everyone is in debt up to his neck. Material possessions multiply; moral values decrease. Everyone is in rush; no one has time. Fast food saves time, but expands the girth. Marriage is treated as an institution nobody wants to live in, divorce a relief like coming off a dentist’s chair and the spouse a disposable diaper.

American economy is based on the concept of capitalism in which competition plays a significant role. Competition governs the cultural melting pot too. Immigrants bring with them their respective cultural baggage. Only those items survive which stand and excel in the competition. For instance, the Chinese food, the Italian pizza, the German hamburger and some Mexican dishes are now all part of the American cuisine. Gone are the days when American steak used to be the staple dish.

Capitalism and Adam Smith’s concept of free trade and competition have given the American economy tremendous rewards. It has successfully trumped socialism and its biggest proponent, the Soviet Union. America emerged as the sole super power after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. This has generated distortions and oddities in world economy and in America’s role in world affairs.

On the economic front, free trade (laissez faire) became the idol, and a process was set in motion called “globalization” of world economies. This system, also called ‘globalism’ sees the entire world as just one market. This free-market system and the constant interaction of markets made possible by modern communication technologies, the Internet in particular, have brought down national boundaries and customs barriers.

On the political front, however, the world continues to remain divided into almost 200 nation states. This mismatch between the two - a global economy in a world divided into a couple of hundred nation states - lies at the root of the frustration in developing countries and the agitations at the meetings of WTO, IMF, World Bank and World Economic Forum,

A few facts may be mentioned to portray the extent of distortions and the enormity of the problem faced by American policy makers. According to the International Forum on Globalization, the largest 200 corporations control 28 percent of global economic activity but employ less than half a percent of the world’s work force. A recent World Bank report mentioned that a sixth of the world population living in North America, Europe and Japan received 80 per cent of world income, an average of $70 a day per person. On the other hand, 57 per cent of the world’s population living in poor countries received only 6 per cent of world income, an average of $2 per day per person.

Globalization of the world economy under the American leadership, underpinned by IMF, World Bank and WTO, has created distortions threatening the very existence of this new dispensation. Eighteenth century capitalism gave rise to colonialism and its antidote, communism. The scramble for colonies and captive markets caused the two world wars and an end to colonies. The American efforts to impose a global economy that would supposedly benefit all countries are being exploited ruthlessly by multinational corporations in pursuit of their insatiable greed.

The current American role in the field of foreign affairs presents the biggest oddities and illogicalities of a great and decent nation. Its preemptive war on Iraq and its consequences are the subject of discussions in international forums and in the world media. The new President, Barack Obama is working hard to come out of the quagmire gracefully, and he appears to be succeeding in this.

arifhussaini@hotmail.com 714-280-1902