From: Keith Elis (hagbard@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue Apr 15 2003 - 12:28:02 MDT
> No, I don't think so. Look at Italy, Spain, and Great Britain,
> for example, for strong counter-examples. I don't think that
> the collective opinion depends on what is the government's
> official position. At least that how it looks to me on this
> continent.
Maybe saying 'depends on' is putting it too forcefully. I think 'varies
with' is at least testable. But, I don't have any particular reason to
believe it does other than the examples of the US, France, and Germany.
Your counter-examples challenge nicely. Nonetheless, the formation of
Maginot lines in public opinion seems reactionary. That is, even in
modern, Internet-penetrated, information-guzzling societies, governments
often set the agenda for debate. A string of a handful of controversial
decisions can paralyze the media for weeks or months on end as pundits
multiply like bacteria and attempt to excrete analyses of whatever issue
is the hot topic of the day. In the end, we're really no smarter than we
were before. Sometimes I wonder if issues get our attention because the
government has taken a side or because the issue itself deserves
attention. There's more to say on this, but I'll stop here.
> BTW, I had different experiences than you regarding German's
> favorable opinions about the U.S. government actions.
> (I lived in and around Heidelberg, working at Max Planck
> Institute Kernphysics Apr'98-Jan'03.). While I usually
> encountered favorable opinions regarding U.S.-the people,
> the opinions regarding U.S.-the government, were often
> negative, especially after Bush came into office.
You probably remember the tension a few years back when someone rumored
the Army's V Corps to be leaving Heidelberg, they were supposedly going
to close it down and move it somewhere further east. I think they closed
the base in Bad Kreuznach instead. But, during the last round of
closures it was interesting to see the pro-US business owners making
noise. With the best intent let me suggest that the Germans have a
better reason than most other countries and cultures to avoid conflating
a government with its citizens.
Keith
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