Werner Peters - Society on the Run: A European View of Life in America

A European View of Life in America

Werner Peters

First published 1996 by M. E. Sharpe

Published 2015 by Routledge
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Originally published as The Existential Runner: ber die Demokratie in Amerika ,
1992 Werner Peters and Edition Isele Eggingen

Copyright 1996 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Cartoon strips on pages 24, 32, 45, 99, 110, 144, 158, 161, 163, 170, 189, 203, 214, and 219 from DOONESBURY. Copyright by G. B. Trudeau. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All rights reserved.

Selections from WASHINGTOONS copyright 1983 by Mark Alan Stamaty.
Published by Congdon & Weed, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Selections from MORE WASHINGTOONS COPYRIGHT 1986 by Mark Alan Stamaty. Published by Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Selections from BAD by Paul Fussell reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster New York and of Simon & Schuster London. Copyright by 1991 by Paul Fussell.
Selections from Dave Barry Slept Here by Dave Barry reprinted with the permission of the author and Random House. Copyright by Dave Barry.

Selection from "The Best of Stealth" by Dave Barry reprinted with the permission of the author and the Miami Herald . Copyright 1991 by the Miami Herald . Dave Barry is a syndicated humor columnist for the Miami Herald .

Selections from Parliament of Whores by P. J. O'Rourke reprinted with the permission of the author and Grove/Atlantic. Copyright 1991 by P. J. O'Rourke.

"Are You Running with Me Jesus?" by Eugene J. McCarthy reprinted with the permission of the author.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Peters, Werner, 1941
[Existential runner. English] Society on the run : a European view of life in America / Werner Peters ; translated by the author with the assistance of Bettina Hinze and Jerome N. Eller.
p. cm.
Translation of : The existential runner.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-56324-585-X (hardcover : alk. paper).ISBN 1-56324-586-8 (paper : alk. paper)
1. United StatesSocial conditions1980 . 2. DemocracyUnited States. I. Title.
HN59.2.P4813 1996
306'.0973dc20 9525770
CIP

ISBN 13: 9781563245862 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 9781563245855 (hbk)

Eugene J. McCarthy

Are you running with me Jesus,
Asks the Reverend Malcolm Boyd.

May I ask the same?

I'm not matching my stride
With Billy Graham's by the Clyde.
I'm not going for distance
With the Senator's persistence.
I'm not trying to win a race
Even at George Romney's pace.

I'm an existential runner,
Indifferent to space.
I'm running here in place.

Wall to wall unending,
The treadmill carpet flows.
Baseboard to baseboard unchanging,

From the looms of Mohawk.
As I run against the clock,
Are you running with me Jesus,
Or not?

"people are running ..." Parade Magazine
Billy Graham wherever he is,
George Romney every day
Senator Proxmire to the Capitol and home again.

This book is about America, about democracy, and about movement being the essence of democracy. The book also represents my personal dialogue with America.

I belong to the first generation of Germans who grew up after World War II under American influence. But since we were ingrained with old-European values, we remained very sensitive to the Americanization of the German and European society. I was influenced in a special way by America because I spent some years there during a turning point in American-European relations at the end of the sixties.

At first I developed my very own anti-Americanism through a Kulturschock (culture shock), which I experienced upon my arrival in this country at a time when there were still huge differences between American and European societies. But I went through my personal "Americanization" by getting to know the "American way of life" in the country itself and by accepting it as the dominating cultural force of the outgoing twentieth century. Since those days, I have occupied myself with America and have observed the irresistible advance of American culture that is changing the face not only of Europe, but also of the whole world.

Since the end of the war, America has become the destiny of Germans and Europeans. In the beginning, its political and military supremacy and its economic dominance over our part of the world were obvious. Then came the gradual encroachment of American culture, lifestyle, customs and habits, values and views, first in parts of Europe and then throughout the world. I use the word culture deliberately, and without hesitation, and in defiance of all the Eurocentrists who distinguish between the trappings of civilization, which are reluctantly granted to Americans, and culture, which is reserved for Europeans.

Getting to know America means getting to know oneself. To understand America is to understand the twentieth century. This is the singular event of this centuryAmerica's world triumph as a military power, as an economic force, as a cultural movement, and as a political idea. To grasp America means to grasp Modern Times, the transition to postmodernism, and, in turn, the contours of an emerging epoch. I believe that we, as members of Western societies, cannot understand ourselves without understanding America and recognizing the imprint it has left on us.

The title of the book alludes to the best and most famous inquiry into American political culture: Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. I havewith obvious scruplesdeliberately established this almost presumptuous relationship. I have turned to Tocqueville because I believe that we are again, as 160 years ago, at a historical turning point, when it is necessary to reflect on the fundamentals of democracy. In Tocqueville's time, the idea of democracy was beginning to take root and as Tocqueville correctly envisioned was becoming so dynamic a force that it was destined to influence the course of world history. Tocqueville anticipated a democratic future for Europe and elaboratedby taking the United States as the most advanced modelits achievements and failures, its opportunities and limitations. This model was to serve as a guide for the establishment of democratic societies and governments in Europe. At present, we are witness to two major developments: One is a monumental surge in the advance of democracy, not only in Eastern Europe, but, although less dramatically, in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, too. On the other hand, especially in the United States, we observe widespread dissatisfaction with existing democratic structures, harsh criticism of the growing contradiction between democratic aspiration and democratic reality, and obvious lack of participation in the established political process. At the same time, there is a struggling development of new kinds of political institutions and initiatives bringing about a curious mixture of withdrawal and cynicism along with experiment and enthusiasm.