[C8]

PO.com readers: I created and posted this review for another site last year and thought some here may not have read it and might find it interesting. Since PO.com has a book review section I checked and noted that this book wasn't reviewed AFAIK. Note to mods: this is original writing – so there no copy write violations (I didn't steal another review off the net)- C8

BOOK REVIEW: WHY AMERICA FAILED-MORRIS BERMAN (and my Peak Oil perspective)

Main Idea
Why America Failed: the Roots of Imperial Decline, is Morris Berman’s third book about the fall of the US empire. The central thesis of the book is that the nations’ fundamental flaws are not due to control by corrupt elites or the 1 percent. The real problem lies in the 99 percent; it is American culture, in general, which sows the seeds of the nation’s demise. The problem is in the average US citizen. Americans are a money-centered “hustling” people who have trashed friendship, honesty, community, nature, intellectual curiosity and even spirituality in a relentless pursuit of the dollar and “more stuff”. It is our own culture which is killing us- everything else is reflective.

Beginnings
To back up his claim, Berman starts at the nation’s founding (as a business enterprise) and uses early writings from Colonial times to show that, from a very early age, Americans came to value wealth above all other things. Many foreign visitors to the Colonies note a total obsession, by Americans, to become richer. Even the Pilgrims quickly transformed their sense of “community” to align with the “hustling” ethos (thus destroying community). Religion bowed to commerce.

The Birth of a Dangerous Myth
During the Revolutionary War, America found its identity not in what it was, but what it wasn’t: Europe. A myth was necessary to bless the endless pursuit of property so Americans convinced themselves that they were a shining city on a hill, a better people who have a divine obligation to spread the American way of life (and get rich while doing so). America’s holy war for profits began with the taking of Native American and Mexican land- and has never stopped since.

The Destruction of the last remnants of the Feudal Order
The Civil War represented the last stand of an alternative culture to the Yankee hustling: the gentlemanly, old world, ways of the South. Berman acknowledges the horrors of slavery (and how free labor supported “Southern Hospitality”) but maintains that this doesn’t change the fact that the slower paced life of Dixieland represented a real threat to northern businessmen who felt the need to wipe out any alternative to unrestrained capitalism and “modernize” the South. Total war against the South (ex: the burning of Atlanta) by the North reflected a violent industrialized mindset that couldn’t conceive of any other way of life than its own.

A Strange Interlude: Jimmy Carter
Much of the later years of America represent the now familiar theme: plundering other nations while claiming to be bringing the progress of the American way of life to the world. US imperialism spreads from the Spanish American War to the Cold War. The only major challenge to this consensus occurs in the 60’s when many begin to question the life of acquisition. Due to this brief counterculture trend, and a freakishly bad set of events for the Republicans, Jimmy Carter is elected. Berman seems to view him as an accidental president. Carter’s concern about the lack of happiness money can buy, and his interest in energy conservation, turn out to be dangerously out of step with the dominant “hustling” culture embraced by average Americans. He is soon rejected by the nation as a foreign body.

The Return of the King: Reagan
With the election of Ronald Reagan, Americans returned to “one of their own”. Reagan ripped out solar panels and sold Americans on a fantasy of borrowing without pain. America loved this. In fact when, 4 years later, when presidential candidate Walter Mondale suggested paying the bills the nation flatly rejected him. In Reagan’s election, Berman sees the nation making a final and tragic decision to commit completely to the unsustainable and maintain the American value system at all costs. Realism and limits are rejected for fantasy- and greed is once again embraced as “good”. At this point, the financial crisis was all but guaranteed and so is America’s eventual future collapse.

The Final Act
In the final section of the book Berman gets personal and talks about his increasing alienation in his own nation. He checks out other places and decides to become an expat in Mexico. Despite publicity about drug violence in major cities, he finds the countryside to be quite safe and extremely gracious. He is relieved to be away from what he sees as the competitive interactions which characterize the shallow, manipulative, “relationships” of US citizens.

Berman does not have a happy ending or a “call to action” section of his book. He does not see any hope for the US because the problems are too hardwired into the average American, who tends to be hyper-individualistic, egotistical, mistrusting, greedy and violent. Although he doesn’t spend much time on Peak Oil or Global Warming, Berman does not think Americans will be up to face the challenges they will confront. Climate change and resource depletion require community action, cooperation, a desire to stop making a “buck,” and many more traits that mistrusting, isolated Americans do not possess.

Discussion
From the viewpoint of this book, it is hard to see Americans creating transition towns, high speed rail systems or even new urbanist designs. Our focus on money causes us to mistrust each other and our individualism makes it an upward climb to get massive government projects completed. Anything that seems community oriented or cooperative is labeled “socialistic” or “un-American”. Any suggestion of a steady state “no growth” economy seems to interfere with the prime directive to hustle for more money. Our national belief in our exceptionalism inclines us to reject the solutions of other nations to PO.

If this book is correct, as Peak Oil hits harder the typical US response will probably not be to become sustainable but to attack others for their resources (justified by a higher motive, of course). However, our inability to work together or create a trustworthy government might undo much of what we gain. Later, as resources deplete everywhere, attacking others may not bring in very much anyway. At that point, the game will be up and we will be forced to either choose a new sustainable culture or perish as a people- like a crew fighting each other on a ship heading toward a waterfall.

I’m not sure if I agree with this Berman’s view, but the book was very stimulating to read and I recommend it. I throw this book out there to the PO.com community because I am interested in how Peak Oil will interact with US culture. Often, a nation will accept or reject a PO solution not based on its technical merits but because of cultural norms, values, etc. This is sometimes overlooked.

Questions
1. Is Berman correct in his assessment of the American people and their future?

2. Is the problem not mainly with the top 1% but with the bottom 99%- as Berman maintains?

3. How will American CULTURE respond to Peak Oil?

I would love to hear from you- in any case, thanks for reading- C8

[Loki]

Is Berman correct in his assessment of the American people and their future?

I haven't read the book, the author's name sounds familiar but I can't place him. But based on your summary, the author's thesis seems simplistic to me.

From the viewpoint of this book, it is hard to see Americans creating transition towns, high speed rail systems or even new urbanist designs. Our focus on money causes us to mistrust each other and our individualism makes it an upward climb to get massive government projects completed. Anything that seems community oriented or cooperative is labeled “socialistic” or “un-American”.

So how does the author explain the Interstate highway system, Social Security, Medicare, the Columbia and Colorado river hydrosystems, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the vast network of publicly owned state highways and local roads, PUDs, the vast network of “first responders,” California's water infrastructure, the multitude of social movements (labor, Civil Rights, environmental, etc.), the overwhelming success of American group activities of all kinds (economic, sports, military, cultural production, etc.)? These would seem to run counter to the author's thesis of crippling hyperindividualism.

And this is just stuff we've done post-Depression/WWII, the period of history I'm most familiar with. Prior to that there was the establishment of a strong legal system, the construction of a vast network of canal and railroad systems, the establishment of a vast public land system, various sundry Progressive Era reforms, a successful anti-slavery movement, a multitude of “mutually beneficial” societies, etc., etc., etc. Organized group activity, whether public or private, has been key to American success. That, and lots and lots of natural resources to exploit.

I'd recommend the author delve a little more critically into American history, and review some non-American history while he's at it. He might find that the cultural memes he's focused on extend well beyond the American microcosm. He sounds like a cultural critic with a predetermined view on American history, a wider view of the human experience might temper his myopia.

If anything, we Americans are too good at organized group activities. I'd like to see economic, political, and military power far more diffused, it'd limit the damage we're doing. I'd be an anarchist if I wasn't a realist.

[ralfy]

The 1 pct needs the 99 pct to keep spending, as that's the only way that the 1 pct can get their returns on investment. The same applies globally.

[Ibon]

The author's focus is a very accurate trajectory since the end of the Carter years. But as Loki pointed out it is not predetermined and there are, or perhaps better said, were memes in our culture that valued more the common good and created laws and works that reflected this.

What I really like about the focus on the 99% is that in the end of the day, no matter how much the 1% control and consume, the ecological damage caused by overshoot lies in the consumption and cultural norms of the vast majority. So I salute the author in directing the problem accordingly. And also, as Loki says, this is not uniquely American, or perhaps more accurately, for lack of a better alternative, we find the rest of the emerging world copying this "American disfunction" and emulating the pathology.

Another positive in the focus on the cultural norms of the 99% is that it allows the opportunity for Kudzu Ape to stop finding a boogy man, like the elite or the 1% or corporate greed etc. to blame.

Let's be honest, the vast majority of the masses that resonate with the concern of the growing disparity of rich and poor blaming the 1% do so because they see a better distribution of wealth enabling them to consume more stuff.

I haven't read the book, just this review, and would be curious about what possible solutions the author suggests. What would bring the 99% back from
the abyss of their soulless pursuit of the crumbs of materialism if as Ralfy says the 1% are intent on keeping them consuming at all costs for their own returns?

This is a nasty catch22 situation where the very change has to come from the vast majority who are lacking more and more in wisdom and dignity and who continue to tow the line in Kudzu Ape's relentless trajectory forward.

[John_A]

Why America failed...at what? You have to set the context before claiming a failure, and my guess is given such a relative scenario within which to operate, I could write a book on how Einstein failed, how the Manhattan project failed, landing on the moon failed, etc etc.

[C8]

Why America failed...at what? You have to set the context before claiming a failure.

Please be careful, "I" have not set any context, this is a book review representing the author's views- not mine

[rollin]

The American ethics and morals have been eroded by constant bombardment from commercial enterprise over the last 60 years or more. The government and corporations are responsible for breaking up community and forcing individualism along with isolation and loss of involvement.

Still, there are many good people who are worth knowing and willing to help. I don't think Berman searched very well or maybe he just has a particular social problem. There are also many areas in the US where life is slower and less hectic. No need to leave the US to find a peaceful community.

[AgentR11]

Agree with John_A's comment... Failed at what? America has been extremely successful at doing what it set out to do. Its unfortunate for the author that what America set out to do, is not what he wished America would do, but that doesn't imply an American failure.

The basic task of America has been to extract resources as fast and as forcefully as needed to keep almost everyone here fat, drunk, comfortable, and/or happy. Huge violations of decency and human rights are swept under the rug as minor inconvenient details, but the oil, wheat, corn, and sugar will continue to flow. Its gonna get real tough over the next couple decades maintaining everyone's surface sensibilities; the 1% is not some 3 million Americans amongst 300 million peasant Americans... Its the whole upper-middle and upper class of the US amongst ->10 billion peasants. Most can kinda close their eyes, point at the billionaire, and deny it for now, but soon enough, people here will be forced by reality to come to grips with their moral position in the modern world.

Maybe J6P can remain drunk and ignorant through force of stubborness, but his pastor, his boss... Politics and religion aside, they're educated, and will not be able to fool themselves, even if they continue to help J6P fool himself.

America has not failed.
The author failed to comprehend what America is.

[Ibon]

Its gonna get real tough over the next couple decades maintaining everyone's surface sensibilities; the 1% is not some 3 million Americans amongst 300 million peasant Americans... Its the whole upper-middle and upper class of the US amongst ->10 billion peasants. Most can kinda close their eyes, point at the billionaire, and deny it for now, but soon enough, people here will be forced by reality to come to grips with their moral position in the modern world.

This tough situation will determine if we rise morally to the occasion and pull from some of our best traditions, some mentioned by Loki above, and return to values in a society that reflect those traditions or if we plummet Reaganesque like further down the pathway of a crass consumer driven money chasing individualism as the author suggests.

The 1% and the remaining percent of upper middle class may set the agenda but the remaining 70 or so percent are complacent participants. That makes the whole 100% ultimately responsible and I do find the authors focus on the whole culture at large as opposed to a small controlling elite a good addition to understanding the bigger picture.

[C8]

I remember talking to a group of low income African American students after 9-11 and recall how willing many were to have all Muslims profiled and even jailed. Some wanted to bomb Iraq flat. I brought up how Martin Luther King fought against discrimination and they said this time was different, or just seemed to not care much about the inconsistency. They did feel it was wrong for cops to profile them however. I am always struck by how intensely the poor hold many of the beliefs of the wealthy. The 99% are not just passive creatures awaiting propaganda, they actively screen out messages they don't agree with and vigorously latch on to views that confirm their biases. They ruthlessly prey on the meeker among them.

[SamInNebraska]

The American ethics and morals have been eroded by constant bombardment from commercial enterprise over the last 60 years or more. The government and corporations are responsible for breaking up community and forcing individualism along with isolation and loss of involvement.

Don't forget Hollywood, the type of nonsense they have been pushing into American culture for decades now is at least as consequential as what the government has been pushing off onto our children through the public school system.

Still, there are many good people who are worth knowing and willing to help. I don't think Berman searched very well or maybe he just has a particular social problem. There are also many areas in the US where life is slower and less hectic. No need to leave the US to find a peaceful community.

Turn off the TV and walk out your door, if you don't live in one of the metropolitan areas of the country, odds are you are in a peaceful community.