Being America: Liberty, Violence and Commerce in an American World - Book Report/Review Example

Being America: Liberty, Violence and Commerce in an American World The book being America explores the views that people from different parts of the world view America focusing on people from Africa and Asia. The book explores the relationship that America has with the rest of the worlds who both hate and love it. It is evident that many people around the world seek to become America in several ways but at the same time there are features about America that they abhor. The book tries to give insight in the understanding of the world politics and how the people of the world interpret the actions taken by America. He explores the concepts of nationalism, liberty and global commerce which define America as a country (Purdy, 43). This book has been reported as one of the most powerful insight into the international politics where America is involved as a world leader. This article reviews the ideas presented in this book and their credibility. The author illustrates how America is central in the globe and even though he present a very good argument, some of his assertions are not all true. However, these mistakes are minimal and he has shown brilliancy in analyzing political observation. The book presents the views of people from different regions that Purdy visited. He says that even those people who hate America are attracted to some ideas that America support and work towards achieving the standards that America has set. Take for instance the idea of democracy, many nations even those that hate America seek to achieve the level of democracy that American has reached. He asserts that if America is to continue being a role model to the rest of the world, it needs to practice the ideas that it believes in. For instance, it is wrong for America to impose a universal decline on the practice of religion where the constitution calls for the separation of the state and church. This is because such a decree would lead to the creation of a monarchy as was in the case when the Roman Catholic ruled the world (Purdy, 329). Having universal rules on religion would have the same devastating results. He observes that although America has been admired for its good characteristics, there are many young people who are being lost by adopting the wrong ideas. It is no secret that the American people have grown to have an immoral lifestyle. This is well document in series and TV programs that are broadcasted in different countries around the globe. Purdy observed that many young people from Indonesia, China to Africa, and many young people are adopting the American lifestyle. This has led to them abandoning their won culture and has caused a loss of identity. For instance, there is a wave of sexual liberation practiced in America and this has spread to other nation. This has led to the breakdown of the family which is the basic unit of a society and is characterized by increased rates of divorce, teenage pregnancies all which has resulted in a dysfunctional society. People in China, Egypt, and Indonesia try to emulate the American material success but are not willing to copy other ideas such as political and religious tolerance which are key to the attainment of this success. I agree with his assertion that the power of international trade and globalization has the effect in developing openness, tolerance and other human values. This is because with globalization, activities in one part of the globe affect trade in other places in one way or the other. Different nations have therefore learnt to tolerate each other in order to gain from this mutual understanding. He asserts a with the current trends in the career market, soon enough it will not be possible to find workers who are agree to work with the terms presented by their employees. This is currently happening in London where companies are fighting for talent and the few with the talent are dictating the terms. The fact that this has happened in the developed world, there is no doubt that it is going to happen in the rest of the globe even in the developing countries (Purdy, 278). This change has been brought about by progressions in the social, economic and political areas leading to gradual evolution of the market place. Purdy describes the ills of globalization as one of the reasons why other people hate America. According to him, globalization has had the effect of disrupting the traditional systems that existed and has uprooted institutions. Moreover, because the existence of a global market companies in the less developed countries have been exposed to unfair competition from the developed ones which have better marketing techniques. This has led to these companies collapsing at the expense of the other large companies. Most of these companies are based in America and this has contributed to the stunted economic growth in the weaker economies while the richer economies continue to thrive. Take the example of the entertainment industry. Hollywood movies continue to be the most watched by fans around the world despite the fact that other countries produce equally good movies. You will find people in Africa are more familiar with the Hollywood actors than the local actors. If this is not enough reason to hate America, I don’t know what is. America is viewed by the world as the face of globalization. This means that she takes the blame of the detrimental effects of globalization. Liberal democracy may be a good form of democracy (Purdy, 231). However, this does not mean that application of this model may work on all the countries in the globe. Each nation has its unique features and what works for America may not work for the rest of the countries. Purdy describes the views of the different people he meets on his tour. There is an Egyptian lawyer who is westernized but due to her Muslim faith believes that Osama did a heroic action by attacking the white house. There is also another person who believes that America is not violent enough on Iraq as Israel was. He even talks to Chinese university students who believe that China needs good leaders in order to thrive. From all these description, Purdy tries to show the existence of a contradiction. Capitalism on one hand is a good thing as it gives people freedom and opportunity for growth. On the other hand, it destroys lives a it creates a situation where the most fit individual survive and the weaker ones are wiped out. Nationalism is a good thing as it creates a common sense of purpose or unity (Purdy, 128). However, it is an intrinsic source of violence as people define themselves as “us” and separate themselves from the rest of the world. Since the author present the view of people on different issues it is a little hard to put all the information together (Purdy, 300). The book could be more helpful if the different topics tackled were separated and dealt with individually instead of discussing all the issues at the same time. Purdy poses all the questions that face the world today. He cites that it is important that solutions to these problems to be found. He says that one the solution that can solve global division is the wealth nations being fair-minded and humane. America, which is looked up as a role model in this should lead as a good example. America should practice the liberal democracy that it is preaching. Failure to do this would lead to the widespread of anti-liberalism in the whole globe. America is currently faced by the problem of international terrorism. Purdy is opposed to the use of force in dealing with these problems. Since America is a democratic country, it should engage in peaceful resolution efforts and should only resort to military power when there is eminent danger of security of America of any other nation being in danger. I agree with his view on the use of power. This is because forceful disarmament would only drive the people working on weapons of mass destruction going underground making it even harder to monitor them. Purdy in this book thus tries to explore the problems facing America and the globe as general and the role of America and other wealthy nation which are the center of globalization in being a solution to these problems. Work Cited Purdy, Jedediah. Being America: Liberty, Commerce, and Violence in an American World. New York: Vintage, 2007. Internet resource. Read More