The Ugly Americans

Martha Bayles talked about her book, The Ugly Americans: How Not to Lose the Global Culture War, soon to be published by Yale University Press. She argued that people abroad now assume that violent, vulgar, vitriolic entertainment is a true expression of life in the United States. She said this is a result of the downsizing of U.S. cultural diplomacy and the skyrocketing export of an increasingly debased popular culture. She argued that in the war of ideas against radical jihad, culture is not a frill. She said it is mainly through culture that one group of people judges the humanity of another. After her presentation she responded to audience members' questions.

This event was American Enterprise Institute’s monthly Bradley Lecture. close