The Europeanization of the United States
There was a time when, perhaps peaking in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a lot of talk on both sides of the Atlantic about the burgeoning American influence on Europe. The post-1945 western world had been largely created on America’s terms and in America’s image. Thus, American corporate and social culture manifested itself across the continent in the form of, for example, cars, movies, pop music, processed food, shopping malls, television shows, fast-food restaurants, and blue jeans.
However, this previously one-sided transatlantic exchange has in recent years shifted to a much more bilateral dynamic, whereby both Europe and America tend to influence each other equally. This change has resulted from several different factors, including the resurgence of Europe as an economic and cultural force; the relative decline of American power and the perceived political and social dysfunction of the United States; and the impact of globalization, which has allowed for an unprecedented level of international travel and flow of information. It has never been easier for countries and cultures to present, compare, and exchange ideas.
Unquestionably, the United States still has a huge impact on Europe (such as the internet, entertainment, and social media companies), but here are a few examples of the reciprocal European influence on contemporary America.
1. Food and drink.
The highly processed, cheap, and low-nutrient food that defined American food for a generation has fallen out of favor. Although many American fast-food chains and food companies that still sell such products remain profitably embedded in Europe, the continent retains much of its more natural, authentic, and artisanal approach to food. This approach has now been exported back to the United States. Now, across America, instead of the sugary, preservative-laden bread, the weak, insipid lagers, the rubbery ‘cheese-product’ cheeses, the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup, and a general acceptance of food as simply fodder, there is now an abundance of artisanal bakeries, craft beers, and authentic cheeses. As well as a real move towards natural, nutrient-rich ingredients and a broader understanding that food is something to savor and relish. The days of American factory food are numbered, and it is being replaced by European-inspired recipes, authenticity. wholesomeness, and quality.
2. Texting.
In 2005, virtually nobody in the United States texted on their phones. In fact, hardly anyone in America even knew what texting was; it was obliquely referred to as ‘SMS’. However, in Europe at that time, texting was a very popular form of communication and was ubiquitous, certainly among the young, by 2009. That trend gradually migrated across the Atlantic and nowadays texting in America is as commonplace as it is in Europe. But it took about ten years to catch up.
3. Bicycles
There was a time when some Americans used to declare without shame or irony that “we don’t use bicycles — we’re Americans”, or “no American would be seen dead on a bicycle — we love our cars”. Of course, the car remains king in much of the United States, but in many places, urban hubs and coastal towns particularly, there has been a huge move towards cycling. Bicycles, and bike-sharing schemes, have been a key component of European life for generations and remain prevalent in cities from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, and London to Berlin. They have also inspired a two-wheeled revolution in America.
4. Walkable communities
Fundamental to the villages, towns, and cities of Europe is the concept of walkability: the ability to walk to work, shops, schools, parks, churches, libraries, bars, and restaurants; to engage with friends, neighbors, and strangers on the street; and to adopt a healthier, less sedentary lifestyle. Although, as noted above, the car culture still dominates life in the United States, there has been a noticeable shift in the nation’s town-planning and lifestyle aspirations to emulate Europe’s walkable communities. Whether in urban redevelopment, downtown regeneration, or even a remodeled and re-conceptualized suburbia, walkable living in the United States has become a European-modeled mainstay.
4. The coffee bar
Plenty of people in the United States, certainly those under the age of thirty, assume that Starbucks, Peet’s, Caribou Coffee and such like, are a quintessential part of American life and have been around forever. However, they would be mistaken. In fact, the American coffee bar is very much a recent development with the earliest chains starting in the late 1960s, inspired by the coffeehouses of Europe. Indeed, Howard Schulz proudly admits that he based Starbucks on the Italian coffee bar (hence the Italian-named cup sizes as a homage). Previously, coffee in America was merely functional and distinctly unglamorous; brewed and poured unceremoniously in kitchens, truck stops, and down-at-heel diners across the country. Now no neighborhood in the United States is without a coffee bar and the focus on quality beans, original roasts, and European-styled specialty drinks.
5. Work/life balance
Europe has long been the leader and promoter of a holistic lifestyle in which the individual seeks more from life than simply work, retirement, and death. The work/life balance of the holistic lifestyle puts an emphasis on vacations, leisure time, family time, travel, experiences, and personal adventure. Traditionally, the United States, like many other nations I hasten to add, tended to prioritize its work ethic, long hours, and economic productivity over leisure and pleasure. Nevertheless, the over-commitment to work, with little time for rest and recuperation, has not only resulted in a low quality of life but has also helped fuel a physical and mental health crisis in American society. Therefore, the example from across the pond, of working to live rather than living to work is making an impact. There is now growing unease about the work-obsessed, ‘materialist’ lifestyle and growing enthusiasm for one which offers more freedom, passion, joy, personal growth, and emotional rather than financial contentment. The European balance between productivity, prosperity, and pleasure has become the beacon that many in America are choosing to follow.
6. Travel and experientialism
Related to the previous point, many Americans now see travelling, exploring other cultures, and having individual experiences as crucial aspects of life. Again, this has been a cornerstone of the European way of life for the past thirty years. But in 1990, only 4% of Americans owned a passport (compared to over 70% for western European nations at that time). Yet in 1997 the number was 14% and in 2018 it had increased to 40% (admittedly, aided by travel requirements following 9/11). Of course, people from many other countries are parochial and untraveled but for a developed country the United States is almost uniquely unadventurous. Granted, the distance from other countries and limited vacation time greatly impact Americans’ ability to travel and explore. However, Canada suffers some of the same disadvantages and yet most Canadians put value on adventure. Without doubt, Europe has led the world in international travel and the quest for experiences, whether in the souks of Casablanca, on the beaches of Thailand, or trekking through the Andes. Many Europeans see the world as an opportunity whereas many Americans still tend see the world as a threat. Yet this is changing as more Americans wonder why Europeans should have all the fun. Whilst older Americans consider Hawaii, an Alaskan cruise, or perhaps tourist resorts in Mexico and Costa Rica, as the pinnacle of exotic adventure, younger Americans, inspired by European wanderlust, are eager to visit the most sensational places on the planet and seek deeper, more immersive, global adventures and experiences.
7. A leftist political option
There have been many academic debates as to why a genuinely left-wing political movement has never made a significant impact on the United States. Of course, all political positioning is relative, which is why, for example, most American voters now accept public schools, public parks, public libraries, social security, and high taxes (in 1913, for example, the top federal income tax bracket was 7% and the lowest 1%) when all these things would have been considered the height of radical communism less than a century ago. Notwithstanding the relative nature of politics, the fact remains that American society has consistently failed to harness its most economically challenged, sympathetic, egalitarian, and social-justice-minded to pursue a legitimate left-wing agenda. That is until now, with the success of Europe’s social democracies finally capturing the attention of progressive Americans. The social democracy model, whereby social and economic success go hand-in-hand, has put the northern European nations at the top of pretty much every global league table, from education to healthcare, and economic freedom to happiness. The 2020 Democratic primary campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren clearly embraced the spirit of European social democracy with their emphasis on social justice, multilateralism, education, gender equality, the redistribution of wealth, and public healthcare. Whether a left-wing politician is elected to president or not, America has followed much of Europe in adopting social democracy as a mainstream political platform, and its values and ideals will remain firmly embedded in, and fundamental to, the nation’s political future.
8. Airports as shopping and entertainment centers
Even as recently as ten years ago, the difference between European and American airports was striking. European airports were comparable to city centers with a mix of shopping emporia, designer stores, cafes, bakeries, bars, and fine dining. This contrasted with the American airport and its desolate walkways and grey-black seating areas, with the emptiness filled only by the occasional souvenir shop or fast food restaurant. Nevertheless, American airports looked to Europe and realized that they were missing a major trick when it came to income generation and customer experience. American airports have consequently followed the European model and become far more shopping and entertainment focused.
9. Ecological awareness
Europe is far from perfect in its ecological tenability, but it has set the standards and parameters of the green movement to which the rest of the world is attuning. In the United States, the major fossil producers continue to hold sway over politicians and the economy but compared to twenty years ago there has been a huge shift towards a European understanding of the problems faced by the planet. Traditional American retorts to anything ecological, such as “we love our cars”, “we love our oil”, “we don’t do tree-hugging”, “drill, drill, drill”, now seem rather hollow and myopic from a contemporary perspective. They certainly represent the swan song of a dying breed being overtaken by a new age. The European emphasis on ecological responsibility, renewability, guardianship, conservation, and sustainability have become an integral part of American public discourses and policy and will continue to increase in significance.
10. Interior design
For generations, the interiors of American houses were either deliberately old-fashioned, with lots of wood, patterned couches, sleigh beds, and Victorian dressers, or chintzy, with floral designs, fur rugs, chandeliers, and ornate mirrors. It was either Little House on the Prairie or Dallas. However, in the past twenty years European style and aesthetics have become progressively influential on American interior design. Now there is much more minimalism, straight-lines, modernism, innovative materials, and sleek fixtures and fittings that are all from the design palate of the Nordics, Italy, and Germany.
11. Capital punishment
The death penalty in Europe (excluding Belarus and Russia) is not only considered barbaric and medieval but is outlawed. The absolute ban on capital punishment is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights of the European Union and Protocol 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe. Many countries around the world have followed Europe’s lead on capital punishment and the practice now seems largely confined to developing countries or brutal and dictatorial regimes. Twenty-nine states in the United States retain the death penalty, but it seems that they are on the wrong side of history and the European attitude towards capital punishment is taking hold across the country. Sooner rather than later the United States will follow Europe in ending executions altogether.
12. Influences to come
To complement the list above, it is perhaps worth looking forward at other European influences on the United States that have yet to take hold but will.(a) The gap year. A gap year refers to a year between finishing high school and attending university. In Europe, and especially in the UK, it is a year usually spent travelling or volunteering overseas. It is about experiencing something different, seeing the world, and developing oneself as a person following the fourteen or fifteen years of schooling. (b) Budget air travel. Although the United States has airlines such as South-West, Spirit, and Sun Country, no American carrier is genuinely budget; indeed, all are extremely expensive compared to their European counterparts. In Europe, it is normal to fly between major cities for no more than fifty dollars. This remains inconceivable in the United States. However, as an increasing number of well-traveled Americans experience Europe’s economy airlines there will be more pressure on the American air travel cartel to change — which it eventually will. (c) Rail travel. The rail system in Europe is quite exceptional, with high-speed, comfortable, and affordable trains zipping across the continent. The United States, mired in lobbying firms, vested interests, and limited infrastructure budgets, remains stuck with a rail system from the 1970s. This, too, will change.
