Through a screen darkly

By Martha Bayles

Subjects: United states, foreign relations, American influences, Foreign relations, Popular culture -- United States -- Foreign public opinion, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, Popular culture -- American influences, United states, civilization, Manners and customs, United States -- Foreign relations -- 21st century, Foreign public opinion, Popular culture, united states, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, Popular culture, United States, Mass media and culture, Popular culture -- Foreign public opinion, Public opinion, Social life and customs, United States -- Foreign public opinion, Diplomacy, International relations, History, International relations -- History -- 21st century, United States -- Social life and customs -- 1971- -- Foreign public opinion, HISTORY / Modern / 21st Century, Manners and customs -- Foreign public opinion

Description: "What does the world admire most about America? Science, technology, higher education, consumer goods--but not, it seems, freedom and democracy. Indeed, these ideals are in global retreat, for reasons ranging from ill-conceived foreign policy to the financial crisis and the sophisticated propaganda of modern authoritarians. Another reason, explored for the first time in this pathbreaking book, is the distorted picture of freedom and democracy found in America's cultural exports. In interviews with thoughtful observers in eleven countries, Martha Bayles heard many objections to the violence and vulgarity pervading today's popular culture. But she also heard a deeper complaint: namely, that America no longer shares the best of itself. Tracing this change to the end of the Cold War, Bayles shows how public diplomacy was scaled back, and in-your-face entertainment became America's de facto ambassador. This book focuses on the present and recent past, but its perspective is deeply rooted in American history, culture, religion, and political thought. At its heart is an affirmation of a certain ethos--of hope for human freedom tempered with prudence about human nature--that is truly the aspect of America most admired by others. And its author's purpose is less to find fault than to help chart a positive path for the future"--