Here are two ideas that are not immediately linked, but bear with me.
Thought one
Remember just after 9/11 when French newspaper Le Monde led with the headline “Nous sommes tous Américains“? That is, for those of you who, like me, are not exactly linguists, “We Are All Americans“. It was a moment of solidarity with a country which had been shaken to its foundations, a recognition that whatever divided us was irrelevant in the face of the terrorist atrocities that befell American that day. Five years later, in September 2006, in the midst of the ‘War on Terror’, that opinion no longer held true. In short, we stopped feeling connected with the US and started finding reasons we were different.
Thought two
I’m a big sports fan. Huge. Golf doesn’t usually rank within my top five, but when the Ryder Cup is on, I don’t think you can beat it for tension. 12 men selected to represent Europe and 12 to represent the USA, 28 matches to battle it out for a small gold trophy and bragging rights for 2 years. Obviously, that dramatically undersells it. Its not really about the trophy or the bragging rights. Its about sportsmanship, teamwork, integrity, honour, dignity – as with most sports, its modern day warfare without bloodshed (and yes, this is golf I’m talking about!). But for “us” (that is, Europe), it brings together those from many different countries (in this case, players from England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Germany and Sweden, as well as a captain from Scotland and Irish, Northern Irish, Danish and Spanish vice-captains). For one weekend, we are all Europeans. The one time, as Jim Murphy pointed out, that people celebrate being European.
Linking the two
Obviously, I’m not trying to compare a golfing event to a terrorist attack. It is the sentiment emanating from each that I want to focus on. The Ryder Cup has been going since the 1920s (and, in fact, was cancelled in 2001 and rescheduled for the following year in the wake of the 9/11 attacks). Post-9/11, Le Monde was, I think, right to recognise the things that bound us with the States, that common humanity prevailed over senseless violence. But in a sense 9/11 had the opposite effect – it set the US on a path where a “you are with us or against us” mentality prevailed. It also began a process of “othering”, of identifying specifically “American” values which set the US apart from others – and alienated some of its allies.
The process of “othering” is not necessarily a negative thing. It helps to strengthen ideas about a nation, to build a national identity. Sometimes, in order to define self it is easier to define what you are not. And this, I think, is where the European identity falters a little – as lamented by Jim Murphy’s tweet. For centuries, European “nations” have identified themselves as themselves, distinct from other European “nations”. When the Ryder Cup rolls round, we have an “other” to distinguish ourselves from – an “us against them” mentality.
I guess if Jim Murphy is reading this, that is why the Ryder Cup makes people happy to be European (especially when we win). It isn’t really about being European but not being American. But we can learn something here too. For the European project to be successful, we need a “them”. Europe can only really continue to strengthen with a strong US. Because we’ll always have that one thing which unites the 27 European states: not being American.
#1 by Jeff on October 5, 2010 - 1:18 pm
So, Le Monde prevailed over senseless violence but who will ensure that we prevail over senseless golf?
No, just joking, I got pulled into the Ryder Cup too, bizarrely transfixed by Saturday morning radio commentary of the unfolding events.
I was going to say that my Ryder Cup affinity with Europe (an affinity that I generally hold deeper than any affinity with the US, West Wing to one side) stems from the understated reaction that Europeans have when they make winning puts or sinking chips from 100 yards.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the U-S-A chest bumps and “BOOM BABY!” whenever an American succeeds in their endeavours but I just prefer the calmer, classier Molinari, McIlroy or McDowell approach.
That said, the two Europeans who annoy me, for reasons not dissimilar to the Americans, are Ian Poulter and Paul Casey (who wasn’t in this Ryder Cup team but was a seething mealstrom of fist-pumping shouty emotions at the 2007 event). Both men happen to be English. I hope that doesn’t make me a lesser person, but I do like Westwood and Rose.
#2 by Malc on October 5, 2010 - 1:23 pm
I assume you mean the 2008 event…
But yeah, I agree, to an extent. But I think its good to see the passion come out. And I don’t know what you were watching, but I saw plenty of McIlroy/ McDowell fist pumps, high-fives and crowd motivating!
#3 by Jeff on October 5, 2010 - 1:45 pm
I think it’s good to see the passion come out too and, as I say, there’s nothing wrong with “Boom Baby!” (as you can tell, I love it and reference it every chance I get!). I just don’t identify with that overblown approach.
And fair enough if McIlroy/McDowell did some fist pumps (I’ve not actually ‘seen’ any of the coverage), but Tim Henman was a fist-pumper and you wouldn’t mistake Tim for an American.
#4 by Despairing on October 5, 2010 - 1:23 pm
I don’t think Scotland is united by “not being English”.
I don’t think Britain is united by “not being French”.
I don’t think Europe will be united by “not being American”.
As Scots, we should know better than most that we all have multiple identities which we can switch on and off at will. Our “European” identity just doesn’t have too many outlets in which it gets switched on.
#5 by Malc on October 5, 2010 - 1:31 pm
Okay, perhaps “united” is too strong a way of putting it – though, incidentally, I’m not convinced either Scotland or Britain are “united” in any way, whether it is by “not being” something or not. But that’s “my bad” for using the term in the first place. Perhaps I didn’t explain myself that well – I don’t think the process of othering is the only factor which defines a nation, but it certainly helps strengthen it.
I think your final comment is kind of the point though – is there such a thing as a European identity? Watching the Ryder Cup, with the crowd chanting U-RUP you would think so, but outside of that… I’m struggling. And for me, that stems from having a common opponent – in this case, the States, in a sporting environment.
#6 by Phil Hunt on October 5, 2010 - 1:57 pm
is there such a thing as a European identity?
There is certainly such a thing as European culture. For example European societies have similar institutions, mainly because they’ve been continually and deliberately copying from each other for centuries. And European languages are also very similar, with many loanwords.
But in the past, when Europe was a large part of the world we cared about, Europeans defined themselves in terms of not being like the other European countries. So there is less of a sense of European identity than there is a Scottish or American identity.
Perhaps there will be more of a feeling of European identity when China is richer (and therefore more of a potential threat), as Europeans will feel they have to hang together to combat it.
#7 by Malc on October 5, 2010 - 2:13 pm
That’s kind of the point I was making – though I was using the US as the ‘other’. But I agree. If China does become richer, it may replace the US as the other which Europe defines itself as “not” being.
#8 by Jeff on October 5, 2010 - 1:42 pm
As convincing as your point immediately appears to be Despairing, I would actually disagree.
What makes a Scotland or a Britain or a Europe enjoy its togetherness must be something that carves itself out as being different to other comparable regions/nations, states or continents out there. I think Scotland is united by not being English in the same way that it is united by not being Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, French, Slovenian, Mongolian or whoever. I think fixating on just “not being English” is an emotive and short-sighted way of trying to push your point home.
Yes, identity is internal and stems from culture, history, sense of humour and/or a shared mindset and no doubt many other things beside. But taking each of them as a whole and noting that it is a unique cocktail in this melting pot of a world is where togetherness kicks in. Furthermore, there aren’t many comparators for being European which is why the US is the standard, and probably tired, benchmark.
I don’t think it’s unhealthy either.
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#9 by Despairing on October 5, 2010 - 3:12 pm
My use of “not being English” was meant partly in jest, as was the “not being French”, and they could easily be interchanged with your examples. United by “not being in the arc of prosperity”, perhaps?
But does the homogeny only kick in the further away you are from the construct? Does it take others to define who we are?
Try telling a Glaswegian taxi driver that he has anything in common with a Morningside Lady, and he’ll laugh. Zoom out and they’re united as Scots.
To US eyes, Europe is one big place in much the same way as we think of Africa. Remember the calls for the South African World Cup to be called off because there had been a gun attack in Angola 5 months beforehand, and, hey, Africa is all the same place?
We can see that this week with the warnings to Americans about visiting “Europe”. It seems weird to our ears as we wonder where in Europe, but completely natural to the Americans.
Perhaps, then, we allow others to define us at the macro level and just fall into those categories when it suits.
#10 by Stuart Winton on October 6, 2010 - 12:58 am
All of which brings to mind the recent blogosphere v MSM discussion in another thread.