My father grew up listening to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin, which he heard live on Free Europe in the 1960s. An anti-communist, always a rebel, he was never a party member and believed in the supremacy of the West, the democratic system, and the omnipotence of Western culture. Written by historian and Middle East researcher Beata Corneli.
Intellectuals read Ginsberg, Scream, and Kerouac on the Road. It is possible that his novel was published in some low-quality samizdat edition. And I still don't understand why the Hobo Blues Band didn't get a Grammy for “Vadasza.” For their album?
I grew up on 80s American pop culture. I remember my parents taking me to the cinema in Czomor because there was no one to take care of me, and I grew up under the influence of Hair, Flashdance, Rocky and Staying Alive, willy-nilly. No matter how much it lacked any artistic value, it still carried a very serious message, the American Dream in capital letters, the message of the Free West:
It doesn't matter who you are, you can be the last worker in the factory, and with hard work you can realize yourself and achieve your dreams, just dare to dream.
And what you believe in is worth fighting for.
That's pretty much what all the movies and American pop music were saying. To this day I have not shaken off this delusion, which has affected every branch of art and society in Eastern Europe besides mine.
Interestingly, American culture at that time carried a message for the social classes living in the eastern half of the world for decades from the 1950s, so everyone cared about the United States. I believe that this particular cultural message had far greater power than any political doctrine. This was in fact the force that brought down the Berlin Wall, not the weakness of the Soviets or Reagan's policies.
What is the lesson learned from this? That American leadership desperately needs to find a new Ginsberg, a new Capote, a new Jim Morrison, or a Sylvester Stallone so that the world can start caring again,
Because as long as it does not carry a message for different social classes, it remains without weight.
that's it writing Originally appeared on Adventurer Middle East. Other writings by Beata Cornelli itt Readable.
This article was prepared by our editors before the start of the holiday and published on the site in advance.
Does the Carter Doctrine still apply? this is the question
Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the position of Newcon's editors.
