“The European Dreamers,” an article published in The Economist print edition on December 16, 2004, inflates a bubble of idealism about the current perception of the European Union as seen through the eyes of the West, then seems to pop it in the end. Whatever the leanings of the article, there are enough opinions to go around, even for the Westerner with the choosiest tastes.
The old stand-by contention that Europe is a washed-up enterprise gains support from Europe’s current low birth rate and the aversion to immigrants, yet it fails to squash a growing trend of optimism about the future of the E.U. “One explanation for this new strand of opinion doubtless lies in the grim realities of modern publishing,” the article suggests. In other words, volatility sells as well as yellow journalism.
T. R. Reid, author of The United States of Europe, offers a la dolce vita-inspired perspective of Europe, which is understandably attractive to the generation of overworked Americans who flocked to see Under The Tuscan Sun. He offers several recent situations in which the United States has been forced to subscribe to European demands, though The Economist questions whether these illustrate European supremacy or just a process of globalization.
“A self-confessed former hippy, [Mr. Reid] argues that ‘it is in Europe where the feelings of the sixties generation have given rise to a bold new experiment in living.’ On several occasions, he asserts that Europeans spend a lot of time involved in something called ‘deep play,’ which appears to be an alternative to hard work. Visiting Europe, he is delighted by a continent in which everybody is nicely dressed, while on returning to the United States, he notes that ‘it seems everyone is grossly overweight.’ The moral of the Rifkin story is that America is hooked on overwork and excessive consumption, while the Europeans have their lives in balance — and are nicer to animals to boot.”
When contrasted with the opposing perspective, which is explained by Jeremy Rifkin, author of The European Dream, is it any wonder that an increasing number of readers prefer optimism? Mr. Rifkin notes that it is not uncommon for “realists” to argue that “…the sad truth is that without a massive increase in non-EU immigration in the next several decades, Europe is likely to wither and die.”
It’s all in how you look at it. The Economist enjoys a distinctive European view:
“Awareness of the depth of the political and economic challenges that lie ahead accounts for the fact that many European officials are more inclined to troubled pessimism than to Rifkinesque optimism. This European willingness to be self-critical is, as it happens, a genuine strength. Unfortunately, there is a lot to be self-critical about.”
Filmmaker Michael Moore has shown that Americans are no strangers to self-criticism either. So toward which side of the idealism question does The Economist tend? Is The Economist intimating in this article that Americans are more practiced in visualizing an ideal world? And if so, does strengthening that ability increase the likeliness of actualizing those ideals?
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