[Culturechat] What does Jim Kunstler know?

[Barbara Roy]

    Since it's the Christmas season, I thought I could hold off 
responding to Kunstler's recent: "Thoughts upon returning from Europe," 
wherein he stereotyped Americans as pathological and pervasively fat, 
miserable, impoverished, alienated, depressed, demoralized,  conspicuous 
consuming TV addicts, etc., etc.  I can't wait, however!  My hope is 
that no one will have time to read this, because it is not my intention 
to give him any more attention. However, as an American who lives and 
works in Europe, I felt I must respond.  How any presumably intelligent 
human being can compare what he "observed, "as a mid- December tourist, 
in Paris and Amsterdam, to the complexities of American people and 
culture is absolutely beyond me.  C'mon!! If we are going to make such 
stupid simplistic comparisons, let's do apples with apples and oranges 
with oranges!  If that is even possible or necessary.
    It is true that we Americans are on average "fatter" than Europeans, 
even though on a per capita basis, we eat less chocolate and consume 
less beer.   That is the only one of Kunstler's "observations" with 
which I can agree.  However, I am sure the reasons for the differences 
are more complex than reducing us to lonely lumps eating our cheez 
doodles and frozen pizza, waddling through the aisles of warehouse 
depots, having just dropped off our children at local movie theaters to 
be entertained. Unbelievable, that anyone could write such a thing.  My 
only thought is that Mr. Kunstler must like to stir the pot and get 
people's attention anyway he can.  He got mine.
    Having just returned from a day of shopping in Zürich, I have some 
of my own "observations," and a few facts to add as well.  Here are just 
a few of them.
   The department stores, shops and restaurants were all mobbed. 
Standing rooms only. The more upscale gourmet markets and designer 
stores were the most crowded.  People were consuming in every sense of 
the word.  Shopping. Having gifts wrapped.  Eating. Drinking.  Buying 
DVDS and CDS for "at home" (?couch potato) enjoyment.  Spending money. 
Christmas is very big here as it throughout Europe. Decorations have 
been up for almost a month now.
    People weren't dressed up or even well dressed.   For every hundred 
people I passed, I saw maybe 1 or 2 who could "pass" as business types 
in major US cities.  I saw a few women in mink coats.  They looked out 
of place.  Jeans, sweatshirts, baggy sweaters, scarves, parkas, etc. 
That's what I saw.
    There were huge traffic jams.  Believe it or not, not everyone rides 
the trains.
    We passed three Starbucks coffeehouses within a half mile radius. 
 They were jammed packed. Caramel macchiatos are as popular here as in 
the US. They are as expensive too.  Trendy?  Yes.
     People smoke.  Alot.  Men, women, young teens and pregnant women. 
 They have no qualms about  blowing smoke in your face either.  It is 
hard to find "non-smoking" areas anyplace.  And to think, that in good 
old New York city, people don't have to suffer from second hand smoke 
anymore.
    People drink.  Alot.  Even in the middle of the day. Beer, wine, 
schnapps, etc.  American wines are in and much more of a status symbol 
than French or even Australian wines.  
    Guess what too?  We saw a decorated department store - sponsored 
trolley, being driven down a main street by a Santa, filled with young 
children whose parents were presumably shopping elsewhere. Abandoned 
children?  I don't think so.  Smart marketing? Yes.  
    The conversations I overhead (and believe me, I love to listen to 
others) didn't seem any more or less "meaningful" or significant than 
anywhere else in the world.  I don't have anything solid to base this on 
however, just observations.  From general appearances, some people 
seemed happy, but more seemed stressed, tired, and caught up in the 
holiday bustle.        
    Oh well, nevertheless, it was a great day, but no more fun than it 
would have been in any other capital US city.
    Now for a few facts.  People in Europe take antidepressants  too. 
They have plenty of stress and problems of all sorts.  Does Mr. Kunstler 
have any idea how many medications the average French person takes on a 
regular basis?  Check it out.  Divorce is prevalent.  The divorce rate 
in Switzerland is as high as in the US.  Domestic violence is growing. 
Folks have huge TV's and entertainment centers. Most homes have 
computers.  Mobile phones for teenagers are de rigeur.  Frozen pizza and 
other fast foods are popular.  Take-out meals are on the upswing. Casual 
dress is the norm. Get my point?
    Isn't it possible that in the end, people are people, wherever we 
live?  Aren't we all more alike than different?  I think so.  I believe 
most of us want to live and work and love the best we can.  It's our 
friends and loved ones who matter most. We try to do the best we can 
with what we've got.
    I live and work here most of the year, but I am and will always be 
an American and proud of it.
So let's stop now with these silly cultural comparisons.  We're just all 
people, connected in more ways than not.
    Happy holidays to anyone who has the time to read this.

Barbara Crowell Roy
Sachseln, Switzerland
December 22, 2004