The NYT effect on men

Two things have happened in the last few months. First, Europeans have once again been riled by American coverage of events and politics in European countries, often from the bastion of US journalism, the New York Times, and second, Europeans have watched on live television an attempted insurrection in the capital of the United States. 

In other words, in the last few months, Europeans have been reminded both of our dependency on the US, stretching even into our discourse and coverage of ourselves, and of how untenable this dependency is. 

But always, deep down, we know there is a third thing. From the most dedicated atlanticist to the most hardcore opponent of America, everyone in Europe knows three things are true: one, we are dependent on the US, two, this dependency is a problem, and three - no one will do anything about it. 

On our phones, on TV and computer screens and in newspapers, we see coverage of US politics almost as much as of our own national politics. We certainly see more coverage of US politics that events in our own neighbourhood, anything that might be reasonably be described as European politics - whether the events and debates of the European Union or simply what is happening in the countries next to us. From day to day we are encouraged to view the public space of the United States almost as an extension of our own, to debate and argue over laws that don't govern us, to consider candidates we can't vote for. 

Occasionally America also takes an interest in us. It's usually fairly critical and often not especially accurate. It's now unsurprising for outrage to ensue as individuals, commentators and sometimes politicians seek to set the record straight. But on what basis are we even complaining? This is what we keep asking for.

American politics is like a blanket that covers all of Europe, warm and comforting but also restrictive. Certainly we're upset when they get things wrong about Europe, but who is ever willing to remove the blanket? It's cold out there. 

No one has developed meaningful European media. No one is willing to downgrade their coverage of the US. No one will invest in in-depth coverage across Europe. We have no European discourse of our own so we rely on that of an outside observer. It's frustrating when Americans try to apply their understanding of race or of free speech to events in Europe but it's also easy. Coverage of Europe is given to us on a silver platter. It's provided by some of the leading media organisations in the world. 

And so we hang on to our blanket. After all, is it such a bad thing? 

Well, it brings us back to the three things that we know - dependency exists, it's a problem, we won't do anything about it. But what if we did want to do something about it? Herein lies the issue - wanting is one thing but doing is another. 

America's predominance made sense in the wake of the Second World War. Our nations had been shattered and only the US had the military strength to prevent a Soviet invasion and the cultural capital to present the image of a better life. But now the shine has faded. It's not 1950 anymore and after 70 years the time has come to move on. 

The reality is that as long as we hold on to our blanket, we won't be able to do anything about this dependency. A society that cannot talk to itself, cannot act for itself. And while we keep filtering our understanding of our own neighbourhood through the lens of American media, our society will not be able to talk to itself. 

If we want to develop the ability to act for ourselves, we must first develop the ability to think for ourselves. The United States is important and remains a key democratic ally, but it's ability to suffuse our daily lives has limited us from thinking outside the constraints of dependency. 

No matter what you may think of Europe as an idea, if we want a sovereignty and control of any kind, whether through the nation alone or through the common effort of all our nations, the first step will be to reshape our media landscape. Not to make it more left or right, or any other ideological stance, but to simply make it more our own. 

Only from this starting point, with a European media that can speak for us, that can present our debates, with the concepts as we understand them and according to our priorities, can we then review the policies which make America our parent rather than our partner.

Image via Flickr