Unit 7. What do they aspire to? ‘Having It All’

AMERI-THINK: Life is about ‘Having It All’ – the most American of catch-phrases. For years Yanks went around parroting well-worn cliché’s like, ‘You Can’t Have Everything’. But somewhere between the Fifties and the Eighties they changed their minds. Post-war Baby-Boomers – possibly the most influential members of society – now believe that you not onlycan, butshould have it all: beauty, intelligence, ability, money, health – and fame as a result. The catch is that nothing happens unless youmake it happen. Hence, the compulsion to exercise, diet, wheel-and-deal, write books, appear on talk shows, and marry ‘up’. Also to live for ever, since there’s scant time for total success in one lifetime. Even TV commercials appeal to the Yank’s sense of comprehensive ambition; the slogan for low-cal beerMichelob Light runs, ‘Oh Yes, You Can Have It All!’

Recent changes in television shows document the shift in attitudes. Three of today’s brand-leaders are Dallas, Dynasty, andFalconcrest – serials depicting the world of the super-rich. Their popularity suggests that the American Dream has been up-graded ... from the sweet, suburban comforts depicted inFather Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet, andLife of Riley, to hard-core mega-wealth and all its privileges – including the freedom to be nasty. The Carringtons are fascinating because they let Americans see why and how the rich are different.

New American role-models are those who fend for themselves (‘Rambo’) and get their own way. ‘Go for it!’ is the buzz-word. People who’ve taken the idea to heart include athletes, rock-stars, models, businessmen, newscasters, and even TV weathermen. Many enjoy huge incomes, and convince themselves that ‘I deserve it’. The syndicated television series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, illustrates the material rewards of Me-think, and is a runaway success. Problem is that the possibility of ‘Having It All’ is a mixed blessing. Many Americans are now restless, confused about how best to invest their energies. The question on nearly 250 million pairs of lips is, ‘if it’s all within reach, if I can have it all – why haven’t I got it? How can I get it? And when is enough enough?”

BRIT-THINK: Muddling through

Brits feel no desire to ‘Have It All’. They were so relieved to learn that ‘you can’t have everything’. They prefer to relax, and enjoy working within life’s natural boundaries – ‘I’m not very good at games’ – instead of kicking against them. As a nation, they are so fond of limitation, that where necessary, they will invent one: ‘You are not the type to wear red’; ‘He’s not well suited to business’.

Brits hate being required to hustle and change the course of destiny – even in their own interests. They have a great and easy contentment, and can derive much satisfaction from small successes: ‘Look, dear, I’ve cleaned the fish-pond.’ It’s not – as is often said – they are lazy. But they’ve seen the future, and decided that it doesn’t work, and is not worth getting hot and bothered about. They are united in the belief that most change is neither possible nor desirable …which also rules out improvement. So, Brits of all classes live for the moment. They have no master-plan, no ultimate ambition: ‘What’s is it all about, Alfie?’ As a group, they are a bit chaotic. It is a particularly British concept ‘to muddle through’.

This distinguishes them from Yanks, who are in every sense goal-orientated …‘I always do 27 lengths before breakfast’ / ‘I want to be a millionaire before I’m 40’. In general, Brits are less single-minded and determined. Their private aspirations – if they can be identified, since they embarrass Brits – are more modest: ‘This year, Muriel, I’ll wipe out the greenfly’.

Historically, Brits have been wary of men of driving ambition (‘that’s how you get dictators. Or Scargill’). It’s a romantic notion, anyway, for any one of us to think we can change the world. Silly to believe there is a reason why our own interests should prevail. That way lies ruin … Look at the Second World War. Far better to relax, and cultivate your garden. Anything for a quiet life.

Yanks want to know why we’re here. They’re desperate to leave a mark on life, to impose some order on the chaos. They need to decide about money, or power, or love, and act accordingly. Brits know why we’re here. In the words of the song, ‘we’re here because we are here’.