American Made (Between Civilization and Reality)

Author: (French) Solman, translated by Wang Xinlian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In Europe, nations were created by states. In America, society is built on autonomy; resident groups are left to organize themselves without external intervention, rather than waiting for higher authorities to do so. Any resistance to the American way is futile, and this very approach shapes our own lives. It should be noted that our future will become more Americanized, rather than clinging to the past.
Chapter 3
All American churches are businesses, and every pastor is an entrepreneur, concerned with growth. Successful pastors aspire to create a "super-church," a religious empire with branches across the nation, and if possible, promote their sermons on a television channel.
Chapter 4
The American state is not a master ruling over its citizens but a subject being watched by the bureaucracy. All public officials are suspect; once they clearly deviate from the will of the electorate, they are accused of abuse of power, and their careers are ruined. Today, if one were to criticize America, it would no longer be the eternal issue of racism but rather the possibility of class division emerging in American society.
Chapter 5
California is the white man's California, the English-speaking California, with enough income to live comfortably; it lives by the sea. Second, California is the non-white California, with far less education, confined to primary industries, poor, and often settled inland rather than by the coast.
Chapter 7
This book does not demand that readers accept the author's stance on specific issues; it is offered to them simply to provide an understanding of the matter. Strangely enough, America is impacting our daily lives, yet while we are well-versed in its foreign policy, how much do we really know about its domestic society? Overall, our understanding is extremely limited, because understanding a country takes time. This book is the result of four decades of close contact with America. I hope it can make a modest contribution to a deeper understanding of this unique society. Such a civilization is so distinctive that it cannot, and should not, be equated with European civilization; Americans have long ceased to be Europeans. After reading this book, you may choose to love America or not to love it. I only hope that everyone's choice is a rational one, an informed one, and that is all I ask.
It should be noted that the views expressed in this book are solely the author's. We offer this material to scholars and experts interested in international politics, hoping it will contribute to the advancement of related research and foster academic prosperity. If it benefits societal development, that would be even better.