Don’t go west

Maren and I had booked a trip to New York in May as our wedding present to ourselves. Neither of us have ever been there and we had a fun itinerary lined up. Last week we cancelled it. We were going to meet up with friends, and missing out on this is the part that hits the hardest.

The reasons for cancelling are muddled but contain elements of the economic boycott, safety concerns and ethical considerations. On the economic side, this seems like a practical step in response to Trump’s trashing of trade agreements. Safety wise, although planes seem to be crashing with increased regularity, and the current border control agencies are acting like pumped up jocks waiting to flush a line of nerds’ heads down the toilet (for example, the treatment of this Welsh woman), I wasn’t overly concerned. Ethically, the infamous Zelensky meeting and erasure of trans people’s presence in public sites began to make it feel like attending the 1936 Berlin olympics.

To be honest though, there are also some personal factors such as elderly parental care in the mix. Also, I don’t agree with the policies of every country I visit (I don’t agree with much our own Government has done over the past 15 years), so why should I suddenly take a stand here? I guess, partly because it’s America, and the special position they occupy in world politics, and in our cultural imagination.

While all of the above factors played into our decision to cancel, perhaps the most prominent one was an emotional response. It stopped being a joyful thing to consider. As it was a not inexpensive treat to ourselves, this no longer seemed a good use of money or attention. I was pondering this, and while all of the preceding factors will hurt the status of the US, it is perhaps this emotional one that will be most damaging. Of course, like every country, the US has not been a paragon of virtue hitherto, but culturally they have dominated much of the landscape, through films, TV, music, (fast) food and technology. I don’t think it has such a strong grip over the cultural mindset now, increasingly Gen Z are influenced by trends from countries such as Korea. I grew up in the 80s – I can’t tell you how excited we were when a McDonalds opened within driving distance. America was a mythical place of epic stories and endless possibilities.

Just to clarify, I am not equating American people with the American Government – I wouldn’t want to be seen to be aligned with the Tory Government under Johnson either. Most American people are decent and as horrified by what is happening as the rest of us (although sadly, not enough of them). But the concept of “America” is tainted, and it now just leaves a bad taste. Once that shift happens it is difficult to regain and so much of the American cultural dominance is based on an emotional appeal. If that goes, the money follows.

(Image https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_york_times_square-terabass.jpg)

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