Watching international news in different countries can be very revealing.
Years ago I used to systematically watch any big international news stories on at least 3 different national TVs:
- CNN
- French TV
- German TV
… sometimes British TV. And before that, even more European TV stations.
It is really interesting to see the different viewpoints and, you can even pick up propaganda in unexpected places. For example, the stories behind Turkey joining the European Union were totally different depending on where you took your news.
Even large magazine publications can run different editorials for different world regions.
Yesterday was another day to watch news from different sources. But I was busy and could not watch the US presidential inauguration live. So this morning I have scanned the press and looked for comments from different sources.
The Inauguration In North America
Calls to family in North America told me about the parties and gatherings to celebrate and follow the event in offices and universities.
This is natural in the US. But it often surprises me how involved Canadians are in American politics. There are no similarities between two countries following and celebrating in another country’s politics here in Europe that I can see.
An American In Australia
Sarah Mitchell, an American who has traveled extensively and now lives in Australia, says it is odd watching American events on foreign TV. Sarah found the commentating in Australia terrible and full of errors.
Read her comments on yesterday’s coverage of the inaugurations on Australian television:
Yesterday’s coverage of the inaugurations was “in a sneering tone, only to turn into a screaming display worthy of any teenage girl at a pop concert when they got near Obama”.
We haven’t had too much “Obama”, but I admit to getting up at 5:30 and turning on the TV. The parade had just started. NBC was commentating.
That was all fine until the Aussies broke in. What a bunch of drivel. They just don’t get it here.
They poke fun, criticize and sneer, but when they get close to Obama they turn into idiots – screaming like girls at a pop concert.
Give me a break. Once they’ve fought for independence, waged civil war, lived through riots and a civil rights movement then I’ll listen to their comments. But not now when everything they have has been handed to them.
Yes, we’re patriotic (Americans). You’re damned right we are. It’s cost too much not to be.
I find Sarah’s comments about the differences between American and Australian history enlightening. And this highlights my ignorance of the Australian culture even more.
International Tweets
Jack Yan in New Zealand tweeted about being frustrated at the translation skills, or lack of skills, in international reporting of the event. And he followed up by saying that the general impression in New Zealand was very positive.
Anti-Bush feeling was always very high here. There was more coverage of this one than any other inauguration.
Therefore, while few noted the substance of the speech, I think most agreed the delivery was superb and recognized the history.
However, the speech was at 5.30 or 6 a.m. so the majority of people I saw during the day had not seen it. It is, therefore, a far smaller sample than you may encounter in other countries where the speech was on at a civilized hour.
I smiled when I read that Jack thinks that people did not really pay attention to the substance of the speech. This reflects the high feeling of hope I pick up outside of the US.
Perceptions From France
I expected the television coverage here in France to portray the event well and it did.
There is a large population of second and third generation non-native French people here in France. French ethnic marketers have identified an “Obama effect” here in France. Second and third generation immigrants identify themselves with the Obama success story. So of course, there was anticipation before the speech.
But something surprised me. The degree of genuine interest in this inauguration speech in my daughters high school class. It is always worth noting any national trends in 17-20 year olds. And for my daughter’s class, it will be interesting to see where this inaugural speech pops up in this year’s French baccalaureate exam for English language.
More on Cultural Perceptions:
- When Women Create Havoc In Cultural Perceptions
- Cultural Perception Of The Use Of Information
- International Perceptions Of Obama’s Inauguration News Coverage
- One Eye Gives Vision, Two Eyes Give Perspective
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