http://worldmeets.us/images/statue-of-liberty_under-construction.jpg

On display in Paris before shipment to New York harbor: Despite the

transatlantic grousing at one another, the things that unite Americans

and French are deep and enduring, writes columnist Helio Gurovitz.

 

 

French and Americans: Freedom 'Brothers at Odds' (O Globo, Brazil)

 

"Ask an American what he or she thinks of the French: They are arrogant they'll say, stuck in the past, a culture that thinks it's superior, lazy, defenders of privilege, a set-in-their-ways society, hostages of an economic model whose wreck is evident - and a curse in the United States: 'socialists.' Now, ask any Frenchman what he or she thinks of Americans: A smug, unrefined people who don't understand life's pleasures, don't know how to eat or drink, only think about money, weapons and power, have delusions of grandeur and disrespect the privacy of others – a futile people, superficial and in France an expletive: 'uncouth.' … Yet the gigantic monument that impresses everyone upon arrival at the port of New York was a French gift. The original statue, smaller it is true, is in Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Both recall the old Enlightenment ideal that unites the two peoples even today: liberty.

 

By Helio Gurovitz

                               http://worldmeets.us/images/Helio-Gurovitz_mug.jpg

 

Translated By Brandi Miller

 

February 25, 2015

 

Brazil - O Globo - Original Articles (Portuguese)

Ask an American what he or she thinks of the French: They are arrogant they'll say, stuck in the past, a culture that thinks it's superior, lazy, defenders of privilege, a set-in-their-ways society, hostages of an economic model whose wreck is evident - and a curse in the United States: "socialists." Now, ask any Frenchman what he or she thinks of Americans: A smug, unrefined people who don't understand life's pleasures, don't know how to eat or drink, only think about money, weapons and power, have delusions of grandeur and disrespect the privacy of others – a futile people, superficial and in France an expletive: "uncouth."

 

These are prejudices, of course. It's worth remembering that a short time ago, the Americans turned a book about inequality by French "neo-socialist" Thomas Piketty into a best seller. And in Provence, one of the France's most refined regions, the local population throngs McDonald's to eat burgers and fries on Saturday nights. The Americans call them "French fries" whereas Provence dwellers adopted the Anglo term "potatoes." French and Americans are like brothers living at odds, more similar than different. The root of this is in history. American Independence and the French Revolution have the same DNA, the result of an innovation in the world of ideas known as The Enlightenment.

 

France was the distribution center for Enlightenment ideas by way of a type of Internet of its time: the Encyclopedia. This story of this 18th century "super-information highway" is the theme of The Business of Enlightenment by historian Robert Darnton, an American impassioned with France and head of the Harvard University Library. Conceived of by philosophers, the Encyclopedia had, according to Darnton, a duel mission. First, it was a manifesto of the Enlightenment. It made reason - no longer divine inspiration or royal objectives - the center of ideas. Second, in entries written by specialists, encyclopedists undertook a methodical account on all accumulated knowledge. Professionalism should impose itself over nobility, royal privilege or divine right.

 

 

In its day, the Encyclopedia was the greatest editorial undertaking of all time. Its impact extended over more than fifty years. In the beginning it was banned, then released thanks to a brilliant editor that turned it into a best seller: Charles Joseph Panckoucke, a businessman from Lille and a kind of Rupert Murdoch of his time. It underwent multiple reissues, patches, corrections and supplements according to political and commercial demands. It was sold through a sophisticated system of subscriptions wherein portions were delivered as they were produced. The French editors used false advertising to sell subscriptions, became embroiled in hard-fought business disputes, Panckoucke was victimized by a disloyal partner, and authorities confiscated books and pirated copies throughout Europe. At the end of the century and all of this adventure, their editions even disseminated knowledge of the encyclopedias to the United States where Thomas Jefferson, former ambassador to France, convinced compatriots like Benjamin Franklin or James Madison to subscribe.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

The success of the Encyclopedia was not only due to the encyclopedists, but above all to entrepreneurs. Panckoucke knew how to detect public demand for enlightened ideas and knowledge, masterfully navigated the torturous political and legal environment of pre- and post-revolutionary France, invested in modern graphics, print equipment and gigantic shipments of paper, signed deals with distributors, was victorious in his dispute with his ex-partner and faced the harsh demands of printers - all to supply the market with a new edition which was better and cheaper. More than a philosophical innovation, the Encyclopedia was, Darnton says, a magnificent commercial venture. Like "baker" Adam Smith (who didn't feed us out of benevolence but for money), Panckoucke's editors weren't interested in enlightening the world with ideas - or not just that. They were greedy capitalists, and often deceptive.

 

"The most eminent editors of the Enlightenment operated based on bribery and extortion, false accounting and the theft of subscriber lists, mutual espionage and the manipulation of Machiavellian alliances that gave ample scope for betrayal and intrigue," writes Darnton [translated quote].

 

This story belies those who believe in simplification. It's true that the Americans led capitalism to its most advanced stage. It's also true that the French were left behind. But Piketty isn’t the only thing that represents France. There are many Panckouckes as well. The gigantic monument that impresses everyone upon arrival at the port of New York was a French gift. The original statue, smaller it is true, is in Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Both recall the old Enlightenment ideal that unites the two peoples even today: liberty.

 

 

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[Posted By Worldmeets.US February 25, 2015, 8:59pm]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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