DemosNews: Europe 23, America 1 (mottos say it all)
Europe 23, America 1 (mottos say it all)
By: M. Brun

Living in Europe is more interesting than living in the US—and the proof is in the maxims!

Look at the difference between the respective mottos of the United States and the European Union: e pluribus unum (“one from many”) versus in varietate concordia (“united in diversity”). Both speak of unification, but the paths to that end differ palpably. The US motto is synthetic, drawing one state/mentality/ethos from many, arriving an American way that subordinates the individual state to a federal agenda. That of the EU discerns concordance from the heterogeneity of its member states.

This may seem a semantic discrepancy, however it has practical validity. In one confederacy, fifty states speak the same language, have largely been united since their fairly recent “Western” settlement, fight in the same wars, are exposed to the same television programs, and cross-pollinate enthusiastically.

In the other confederacy, twenty-seven states speak twenty-three languages, have millennia-long histories of internecine struggle, celebrate rich and varied cultural traditions, and only recently have begun to breed with each other (royalty aside because they all descend from William the Conqueror).

Particularly fascinating is the immediate foreignness Europe embodies. You find yourself in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and before you know it you have a crazy conversation with the Polish, German, Austrian, and Slovakian neighbors. In America, not so much. Take Mississippi—how radically different can Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama really be from Ole Miss?

The great refrain is that America is a melting pot. It’s true: assimilation is the name of the game. The great problem facing proponents of a unified Europe is the immutable abundance of cultures. But for the novelty hunters and those who seek diversion in diversity and American expatriates like myself, nothing could be more compelling….

© 2024 M. Brun of DemosNews
The author is an American currently residing in Europe.

July 20, 2007 at 5:52pm
DemosRating: 4.8
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Genre: Perspectives (Sly Views)
Type: Creative
Tags: diversity, language, interest

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