Lee Greenwood, a song writer, describes the emotion involved in American
self-perception in a song by saying, "I'm proud to be an American. For at
least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American
self-perception. Self-perception is the
culmination of how one views oneself.
Other aspects which make up American self-perception are wealth, power,
and the pursuance of happiness. Self-perceptions, whether confined to the
individual or confined to an entire country, usually leave out negative aspects
such as hypocrisy. When dealing with the perception of a country, the true
image of a society comes from self, or internal perceptions, combined with the
external perceptions from other countries.
The foundation of American self-perception is
freedom. Freedom of speech and movement are virtual institutions in the United
States. Such freedoms of speech and movement are outlined in the United States
Constitution. Americans believe the
constitution sketches the "American Dream" which is having a family,
money, and the freedom to pursue happiness.
Every American will stand by the line derived from the Constitution,
"All men are created equal."
In actuality, the constitution outlined the freedom for rich white
landowners to achieve unchecked power and wealth. At the time of the framing of the
constitution, blacks were slaves thus all men were NOT created equal. Women
were equally excluded from the constitution as suffrage wasn't even a consideration
at the time. The only class groups which the American Constitution outlined
freedom for were wealthy European immigrants fleeing their own land for such
reasons as taxes. After such movements
as Suffrage and Civil Rights, all Americans were granted individual rights of
freedom thus approaching equality.
The American self-perception of living a life
of virtual complete freedom parallels the American stand on its' belief of democracy. Americans feel that a
democratic government is the only possible administration which can be deemed
acceptable in today's world system. Such a deep rooted belief in democracy
instills a fear and dislike of any other form of government. Look at American
policies towards the Soviet Union after the second world war. The American
enemy image of the Soviets was that of a
populace of evil and clever people who pushed their form of government upon
weak nations all over the world. The base of Soviet fear was based and
strengthened not on fact but a fear of the unknown. The American response to
the Soviets was to contain U.S.S.R
through political and military interventions in countries where there
was a possibility of the formation of a communist government. American
intervention dominated the western hemisphere as a bipolar world system arose
with the United States in the west and the Soviet Union in the east. By using
extensive intervention, the United States turned incredibly hypocritical as
they were pushing their form of government upon smaller, weaker countries which
were dependent on American aid. This is no different than what the
"evil" Soviet Union was doing in the eastern hemisphere. Also by
forcing American government style upon other nations, the United States was
restricting the choice and freedom of independent states. This threatening of
choice contradicts the American belief that every country should be democratic.
Again another form of hypocrisy has occurred in American self-perceptions and
beliefs.
Other nations view America slightly differently
than what the American self-perception details. Let's take the Polish
perception of Americans. Ever since the Polish Solidarnosc movement of the late
1980s, America has been there to lend a helping democratic hand. Help from the
United States come in the forms of economic
aid and increased trade. For the United States, a democratic sphere of
influence in a former Eastern Bloc country was considered to be a prized
possession. To Poland and the Polish
people, America was doing more than helping democratic reform, they were trying
to mold Poland into a mirror image of the United States just as the Soviets
tried to mold Poland into a miniature Soviet Republic. This overbearance of
American help borders on imperialism. Such overbearance which disturbs the
Polish people is the recognition of such American holidays as the Fourth of
July. All over Poland, particularly in Warsaw, extensive news coverage of
American Independence Day spans the entire day through such mediums as
television, radio, and newspaper. Poles view this as Americans having a
superiority complex. While the general
consensus all over Poland is that help from America is a godsend, Many Poles
agree that the intermingling of American culture with Polish culture is
unacceptable. Never has the US ever
extended another country such equal treatment. A large section of the Polish
population views Americans as wealthy
and powerful on the positive side, and imperialistic and egotistical on
the negative side.
The American true image is comprised of more
than self-perception. How other countries and cultures perceive Americans is a
important part of what it truly means to be an American. Americans see
themselves as free and righteous while other countries like Poland view
Americans as ethnocentric. What many Americans fail to see in their
self-perception is, that intermingled within their beliefs and practices,
hypocrisy. Hypocrisy dominated the American containment policy of the Soviet
Union in the Cold War era. As Americans were condemning the Soviets for pushing
a communist government, Americans themselves were pushing democracy in weaker,
dependent states. To find the truth of what it is to be American, you must
combine other countries perceptions into your own, otherwise you will only
achieve half the truth.
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