How many times has an average European been told about the badly informed, uninterested in the world news Americans? Hehehe... those ignorant Americans, so blase about all that happens and all that is in foreign lands ... If I am anything to go by, and I do count myself within the ranks of average Europeans, the answer is: this picture of Americans has been almost engraved on my mind.
Now that I am here, in the land of the ignorant, I started reflecting on this phenomenon. And the thing is: it can be a challenge to get good quality international news, if one is to watch and read what is generally/easily available. Of course, as with all things, upon further digging one comes across the unexpected. PBS news, the New York Times International section, and even the BBC America can fill in the void and satisfy the longing for information about the world. But because there is some significant effort involved in those searches, one can safely assume that an average American does not become overly exposed to international news.
Are we to commiserate those under-enlightened, self-absorbed people? Right now I am no longer so quick to judge, or indeed commiserate them. And, forgive me o ye European brethren, I even started commiserating you.
First of all, I am afraid that our/European judgement passed on the Americans has its deeper source, at least partly, in a little chip we carry on our shoulder. Because, let's face it, when we say that Americans are not curious about the world news, we really mean that they are not curious about us. And how can this be? Is Europe not the centre of the world? We would be surprised to see that there is quite a lot spoken of South America and Asia. To an average American, Europe is just as un/important as their southern and, much further away, western neighbours. And, frankly, I personally have a feeling that they see us as 'those weird Europeans'. Something like what the French are to, well, the rest of the world. Quite often I see, or at least sense, a slight smirk on the faces of reporters giving us a gist of some event in Europe. The latest strikes in Greece, demonstrations in France, the strikes in Italy (where strikes are not really 'latest' but rather constant) are the best example. How can Americans keep straight faces at the sight of someone demonstrating at having to work until they are, well, 62? Or English students breaking into government buildings at a suggestion that they would need to pay more for their own education? Or Mr Berlusconi's recent adventures at the Italian Parliament. Or Poland's continuing struggles with conspiracy theories about who 'really' brought down the plane with our president on it, and who created an artificial fog when the plane was landing. Or even Europe's quite serious problems with the Euro? They bring smiles to the faces of quite balanced and sophisticated newscasters. So my conclusion here would be - an American perspective on the world news is far from similar to ours.
And another reason why I feel we Europeans have not got a whole lot to be proud of, is when I compare American local news with what an average European is receiving. Yes, we in Europe may be well informed about what the German Chancellor said the day before, but do we know what has happened in our own cities, in our neighbourhoods? I am sorry to say that American local news puts their European counterpart to shame. I have lived in quite a few European countries - never observed anything like what I see here in Atlanta.
Local news starts at 4:30 (!) in the morning, and lasts till 9am. Then there is the lunchtime and the 2-hour dinner slot as well. And the late evening show concludes the day. What could they possibly talk about? Oh, I cannot help but feel amazed at the contents. True to fact, local crime, disasters and corruption play the key part. It is an intense, chilling drama of human emotions. But you can bet on the fact that if there is anything of importance happening in your 'hood, the news people will be there. Helicopter shots of accidents and road problems, a microphone straight in the face of a corrupt local official, an interview with a firefighter who has just finished saving a local store, all create a newscast which is difficult to miss. A visit by a famous someone, an event at a local school, a book or film festival, a new restaurant, and more... Not only are the news people there when it happens, they also often are the source of the news: they discover and uncover more than one would want to see. I will never forget the face of a local Atlanta reporter who wanted to show how bad the rain and wind were - we've had some localised tornadoes that day. His was soaking wet. His hair in thick dark streaks was stuck to his forehead. The rain and wind were getting into his open mouth when he spoke. But the determination on his face! And did we know exactly how bad it was out there? Yes we did.
To all you skeptics who shoot 'humbug' straight back at me, and point out the relative lack of any point in such 'news', I say - humbug yourselves! There is more to this news coverage than meets the eye. It shows local/unimportant people caring about local/unimportant events. And it makes one feel a member of a community. To risk being overly dramatic: it is democracy in action, if ever I saw democracy in action. It is dialogue about issues, transparency, full open (often too open for my taste) information. Americans - self-absorbed? Yes! Well-informed and involved in their communities? Also yes! I, a European, feel jealous.
Back to watching local news now.
