Dear Simone,
I hope that you enjoyed your trip to America. I'm writing to you in an attempt to convince you that America's independent spirit has not been crushed. When we talked I had the impression that you believed that the truth of America lied within the cities.
You seemed particularly fond of New York, which I understand. It's a fabulous place, and likely unequaled by any other city in the world in size and eventfulness. It's great that you were able to take in some jazz while you were there. However you told me that you found most of the large cities the same, well they had a few differences in character, such as the expanse of Los Angeles, but for you they seemed to run into a blur. Each of the cities does actually have its own character which you seemed to overlook. I understand that metropolitan areas and progress lead to functionally the same thing, many men doing much the same jobs across different places either because their company spans the country or because the same things are done by different companies in different places. This is its own kind of freedom though, it means that people can move and not worry about what they'll do in wherever they go because they know that if it's another major city they'll be able to do the same work as they did where they came from.
I'm glad you were able to appreciate the variety in the cities though. It is a shame that here in America we ghettoize non-Whites, it is a source of great shame for the country, or it is to those who know enough to be ashamed. Much of the variety comes from the diversity of people and this marginalization of some people is terrible. You got to see their culture on their terms though which is wonderful, particularly the jazz.
I'm sorry that you weren't more impressed by Niagara falls. It's an imposing place, and perhaps you just didn't get the right view of things there. I don't mean to push blame onto you for improperly visiting the place though. It is a travesty that we have built up so much around the place, in a manner which probably has spoiled some of the majesty. That's the American way though, commercialize, commoditize and sell. It's a shame that things are that way but I can't imagine they'll ever change, and they do let us have a slightly better way of viewing the falls even if the beauty is a bit tainted by all the construction. Ah well.
Yours,
Regan
Dear Regan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing to convince me that America’s independent spirit has not been crushed. You misunderstood me. Americans are not having their independence crushed; they are trading it for acceptance, for warmth, for a blanket of security to wrap around themselves. And even this trade is a farce. Do you remember my trip to Vassar? How the girls there all dressed the same – dirty jeans and bright men’s shirts? And on the train back, hats, furs, and high-heeled shoes. These uniforms allow conformity. But conforming does not crush one’s independence. It can only cover it. The American independent spirit, I assure you, is alive and well, incubated beneath a thick quilt that was knitted together by every girl who puts on silk and fur, every smiling banker hinting at your unique qualities, and every reassuring advertisement from Coca-Cola or Quaker Oats. Trading security for salience is not necessarily a bad trade, and it might even be a good one. While I hated those ads, I confess that back home in Paris, I miss the warmth of your American duvet.
Regan, you do credit to American hospitality for imploring me to see your country as you do. Your apology for the waterfall, however, is unnecessary. Has Canada’s syrupy remorse spilled over the border and into the Niagara’s blazing waters? I hear they say “sorry” for almost everything. In any case, push as much blame on me as you like. Perhaps if I’d been less preoccupied with ice I would have appreciated the water more.
I’m glad you mention “diversity” in America – though I’m not sure I know what “ghettoize” means. Do you mean you feel responsible for putting blacks in ghettos? That would certainly fill a person with shame. That shame is akin to the weight of original sin for a Christian, the weight of Harlem for a New Yorker. I’ve said that Harlem is the pin that pops the balloon-dream of good humor, benevolence and friendship, replacing it with a darker image of reality. (I hear that Ta-Nehisi Coates, a writer from your era, expands on this idea of an American dream in Between the World and Me.)
I fear what will happen when America loses its warm blanket of consumerism. What cold world will replace its happy dream? Whatever becomes of America, I hope it does not lose the frank friendliness that greeted me at every turn.
Sincerely,
Simone de Beauvoir