Rupert Yorke - College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Yorke, Rupertvarious columnists, such as The Washington Post’s Harold Meyerson, will consistently promulgatetheir unwavering dogmatism that the world continues to revolve around the USA. During thecatastrophic Japanese earthquake disaster, Meyerson was all too quick to reflect on what Americacan take from the disaster – his March 16 th column asked “Our Lisbon moment? What Japan’sdevastation teaches us?” 10 . In a nation where freedom of speech is so cradled and enshrined in theinerrant Constitution, it appears that Americans can write on absolutely anything they wish, safelyprotected by their extant founding documents.It therefore remains to be asked how the lack of British affairs reported in US media reflects on ourposition in the twenty-first century, at least from an American point of view. Despite this neglect foraffairs en Bretagne, it does appear that Britain in fact receives far more favourable reporting thanmost other European countries. Through a combination of our intertwined historical connections,the “special relationship” accentuated through the close alliance between Tony Blair 11 and GeorgeW. Bush during the Iraq/Afghanistan wars and a general affection for each other’s cultures, Britainand America do indeed enjoy a unique relationship which is manifested in daily interactions here inVirginia. Being British is a source of extreme pride and satisfaction. Americans bizarrely value ouridiosyncrasies and eccentricities hugely and view our culture and our comparably rich history withconsiderable envy. This appears to be in stark contrast to Germany’s modern opinion of the Brits asarrogant and supercilious – this however must similarly be tainted by historical vicissitudes too.Americans have considerable respect and admiration for the Brits, justified by the extent to which somany are desperate to visit London at some point in the future. Nevertheless, despite this affinitybetween our two cultures, they still neglect to report our news to any substantial degreewhatsoever.It is with a fair degree of reluctance and hesitance when I therefore inform Americans that US affairsand the Obama administration in particular is followed closely and reported almost daily back in theUK. Perhaps we must accept that the ramifications of American socio-political movements are(regrettably) far greater than those of twenty-first century Britain. Or perhaps they are just toowound up in their own elevated spirit of die-hard patriotism. Either way, the BBC website providesan incredibly satisfying escape from the Americanization that my eyes have endured in recentmonths – I do not feel cut off from home at all when I can’t help but read how Kate Middleton’scatwalk dress fetched £65,000 at a recent auction – lets just hope her marriage to the future King ofEngland can at least receive 60 seconds or so before Glenn Beck gets going.10 The Washington Post, March 16 th 2011, p. 21.11 Tony Blair has done us the great favour of landing the UK with the not so humiliating “lap dog of America”tag.