Quote from: Conquest of Bread on September 22, 2015, 07:17:14 PM

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I think they think we spend our time poncing around in beautifully studied and staid poses, that we're fey and fairy-minded, that we are masters of melody and pop but lacking in vital energy. Maybe living in a monarchy and being basically "nice" people (though much less now than before it seems) makes us like harmony, balance and being reasonable in life and art. It could seem to the yanks that we're too peevish and ashamed to put our balls on the table.

My boomer mother (age 70) never did get into any music that doesn't have the melody of the Beatles's Strawberry Fields Forever. She is apparently not much of a music aficionado. And being proper, nice, and socially respectful is an important priority to her. And she ideologically approves of the Nanny State (except where it conflicts with some value she has) and feminist movement. For her melody is more important than bite and drama. She is extremely, flippantly sarcastic especially about any drama or hard-edge which goes against her core values of what is right and proper. And must have her daily tea. My mom explains it as having a strict German descent father. Sounds more British now the way you describe it.

So as you can imagine my mother and I can very easily get into horrible arguments where we won't even talk to each other. She so easily gets offended and I get really pissed off when someone tries to cage me. But also she is intelligent so we can enjoy some stimulating discussion as long as it is within the parameters of what is acceptable to her worldview. And lately I've learned to keep it more in that limited range, because it is a better feeling to share some empathy and good feelings with my mother than to display my full range of personality where it won't matter any way. But it also means I am not deeply driven to get back over to the USA to see my mum. But OTOH, its been more than a decade since I hugged my mum.

My father is the opposite when it comes to music. He recently had Little Boosie on his Facebook. He was usually listening to new styles of music before I did, I can say for example I got into Peruvian flute music and punk rock which he didn't seem to like much. I even went through a phase where I was listening to Mozart and Beethoven. My father was also much more permissive of my different modes through my life, but I think the Philippines jaunt exceeded his reasonable range of what was sane.

I think Americans wouldn't take the time to criticize Europeans (other than the stereotype that French can be arrogant as I guess experienced by Americans who vacationed there and had a romantic, idealized expectation of France) because they are so focused on the local affairs in their life, they haven't even taken the time to think about or experience what it means to be European. My mother had a fantasy about France (I assume her entire life) and last year finally did the vacation to France. She left thinking it was far too socialistic and plastic niceties for her taste. Even with her attitude which is I think less Americanized than I am, she still misses the black lady driving the public bus in New Orleans who'll stop the bus, fling open the door and remark, "hey darling, you need to get on this bus". So she has that American edge (unrefined, improper) in some facets.

I was exposed to Europeans in my travel to the Philippines and that is where I learned they (especially Germanic) look down on Americans, but don't entirely dislike us. Then again, I think Americans have adopted a similar attitude recently deviating from isolationism to thinking they have to fix everyone's lives (which I one reason I hate to be in the USA!!!). But it is more of a personal level thing than a nationalist projection of culture aspect (for that we delegate to the US military, which many of us Americans hate but some others admire it).

I think Americans oscillate throughout their lives between their Europeans roots and their American independence. I know there were times I was into melody and harmony. The past couple of decades have been really hard on me. Always fighting for my independence. Always gritting my teeth. And the struggle doesn't seem to lessen. When one goes too extreme, there are costs to bear which may be incompensable and unconquerable.

Society has a purpose. Isn't there a song, Get the Balance Right. I was always full speed to wall, bang, back up, bang again. Lol. Embarrassed