America completes a gloomy year this weekend, mourning the loss of two rather different national icons who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. The former Godfather of Soul, James Brown, was eulogised in Harlem yesterday even as the obsequies for the former President, Gerald Ford, began in California.
On the surface there are not many obvious connections between the lives of the two men. You can hardly imagine the quietly decent Ford making much headway with something called Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag and not, presumably even in his most intimate moments, would the 38th President have answered to the description, Like a Sex Machine.
But only a few degrees separate even the most improbably far-flung lives and these two were no exception. They shared a verbal style that consisted almost entirely of guttural, barely comprehensible utterances. They were both leaders and mentors in their profession who identified and encouraged talented followers — though we will have to await history’s judgment on whether Brown’s role in inspiring Booker T and the MGs and Michael Jackson will count for more than Ford’s in bequeathing us Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.
True afficionados of the era will know that Brown had a minor hit with a song about a (Brand New) Funky President (People It’s Bad) that hit the charts just as Ford was taking office in the chaotic and demoralising circumstances of 1974. It is this last factor that makes their deaths this week particularly poignant at the end of an annus horribilis for America.
All week television pictures have recaptured those grim days of the 1970s when Brown squeezed into tight-fitting one-piece disco outfits and Ford donned a governing slogan of WIN! — Whip Inflation Now. You cannot help but notice that America’s funk today is about as powerful as it was when oil prices were surging, unemployment was soaring, Watergate and Vietnam were open wounds and the Soviet Union seemed unstoppably in the ascendant.
2006 was probably as bad a year for America as any since those dismal days. From high drama to low farce the country seemed on a fatally wrong track all year. It began with Dick Cheney shooting a man and ended with Donald Rumsfeld being forced from office as Defence Secretary. Wistful observers wondered whether it would have been better if the two events had been more directly connected.
Despite Mr Rumsfeld’s cheery insistence to the contrary, the Iraq sore continued to bleed more profusely than ever — last month America’s engagement there surpassed in length its involvement in the Second World War, with no obvious end in sight. The war in Afghanistan continued its alarming descent from stunning victory five years ago to cascading defeat. In Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad celebrated Iran’s rising power by graciously offering to talk to Mr Bush. In a lengthy letter he sought to engage the US President in a dialogue about the Jews, God and nuclear technology. Mr Bush wisely declined, but could not dispel the impression that it was the Iranian not the US President who was calling most of the shots in the Middle East.
At home there was no Katrina this year; indeed the North Atlantic defied the global warming doomsayers by having one of its quietest years in decades. Instead, the severest storms that hit the American mainland were home-grown and political. In a momentous election, the Republicans lost control of Congress for the first time in 12 years, having already lost sequentially their principles, their ethics and, in one or two more notable cases, their marbles. For the first time in years the Democrats look plausible and threatening.
Mr Bush lost influential friends, not only in Washington but around the world. Silvio Berlusconi in Italy succumbed to voters, Ariel Sharon in Israel succumbed to a stroke, Mahmoud Abbas in the Palestinian Authority succumbed to the populist appeal of anti-Israeli terrorism. Tony Blair’s long imminent departure finally became (almost) determinate.
Culturally, it was an odd and depressing year too. In a sign of the country’s discombobulation, the Oscars honoured films about gay sheepherders in Wyoming, violent criminals in Los Angeles and an utterly incomprehensible Middle East conspiracy theory.
There was misery for America in the most unlikely places too. If you think England’s sporting prowess has turned to ashes this winter, spare a thought for the US. The English may have got used to being beaten at their national game but this year the US even contrived to lose the first baseball world cup, an event of such imposing absurdity, it would be like Scotland losing to Sri Lanka at caber-tossing. No sooner was Lance Armstrong cleared of drug taking in his clutch of Tour de France victories than another American was promptly stripped of his win this year on the very same charge.
There were some bright moments. Although the dollar wilted, the US economy continued to grow, defying fears of a housing market crash. And despite the headlines about seasonal bonuses, you didn’t have to work for Goldman Sachs to benefit. New figures showed incomes rising — that alone, perhaps, a pleasant departure from the 1970s.
And if the lives of Ford and Brown tell us anything it is that in America redemption is always possible. The former president might once have been derided as an empty interlude between bad presidents. But history has been kinder than that, crediting him with healing the nation after Watergate. For Mr Brown, rehabilitation took a more literal form, through detox clinics and occasional jail terms. But he too got there in the end — even earning a presidential panegyric this week, though not, it should be said, an especially funky one.
For all the people who think Washington as a whole is in a funk, I doubt it. Certain groups are, and most people can probably guess which, but the rest of the city is booming. People who were here ten years ago won't recognize the place if they come back.
Marie, Washington DC, USA
Marie, Washington DC, USA
It amazes me how it is so often thought that intelligence comes from the way that a word is pronounced and how easy it is to take a swipe at Americans because it is done differently. Could someone tell me if "snobbery" is pronounced the same way on both sides of the Atlantic? My father fought in the Second World War and survived and for the rest of his life he thought that in some way he was invisible. America has turned technology into a great military machine and thinks the same thing. My father died 10 years ago. Only when mankind learns that the individual needs to govern oneself and to leave others to do the same will true peace be achieved among nations.
Alan Grocock, Huntingdon, Cambs
Alan Grocock, Huntingdon, Cambs
Mr. Baker:If I may, I respectfully suggest that you get out of New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and every other liberal Mecca in the US. The people who inhabit those cities are perpetually depressed, it is a permanent state of mind for them. We are doing just fine in the real America, no depression, just a little sadness at the passing of two people who we cared for. Mr. Baker, I'm just delighted that I don't live in the America that you so often describe.
Arlene, Weeki Wachee, FL, USA
Arlene, Weeki Wachee, FL, USA
As an American, who has lived through the events you reference, I couldn't disagree with you more.It's pretty obvious to me that we're in a struggle to define who and what we will be. We're engaged in a muddy cultural debate. The only people who are feeling funky are the probable losers in this debate. The fact that they're the most visable via media and entertainment makes their confusion and anger that much more visable.Th fact that you focus on James Brown and Jerry Ford is strong proof that you haven't a clue about the daily actions and perceptions of most Americans. Although the media may be doing a 24/7 on these two, they barely spike the radar for me, and I think, most of my neighbors.
Stacy, Bernardsville, NJ USA, ,
Stacy, Bernardsville, NJ USA, ,
I heard NY Times columnist David Brooks make the same observation almost a year ago. I think that's true, although the difference between now and the 70's is that the US had three presidents then, Nixon Ford and Carter, who all contributed in their own way to the 'malaise' (Ford less than the others), we have had one president in this decade. Even apart from Iraq, this president's contributions to the darker mood of this country are too numerous to count.
Roal Carlson, Carrboro, NC, USA
Roal Carlson, Carrboro, NC, USA
The article seemed rather depressing. Unfortunately a lot seems to be true. There is and has been a heavy wet blanket hanging over the mood in this country. Not to say there aren't wonderful things that happen on a daily basis but there is a heaviness that doesn't seem to be able to be lifted. I am in retail and talk to thousands of people throughout the year and it seems there are several reasons. The war in Iraq is the largest, followed by the President and Congress both of whom have lost their way. We elect people to be in charge of our country's affairs and when they screw it up, confidence and trust in our government disappears. The most talented usually dont run for office. It seems like each election cycle we are left to chose between two buffoons.
On a personal level, it seems like we are mice on a treadmill with little time left for reflection and multi-tasking taking us out of each precious moment. We seem connected to everything but ourselves.
Walt Hazzard, New Hope, PA, USA
Walt Hazzard,, New Hope, Pa
The US is a forward looking nation. It has seen manuy ups and downs. Still, it marches ahead confidently.
Not much is lost in Iraq and the only surprise is that it going in a direction that was not anticipated earlier. Even the present civil war between Shias and Sunnis will result in better future in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, the terrorist financier will not be able control the outcomes completely.
As long as the US gives importance to merit and does selective immigration of educated people, the US will continue to innovate in most of the areas of importance.
Krishna R. Kumar, Udupi, India
Krishna R. Kumar, Udupi, India
Many of us in America feel that it was a pretty good year. The Democrats, after all, won control of the Congress and there is every hope that the victory will serve to check some of the worst excesses of the simply awful Bush Administration.
Robert Dare, Clinton, Missouri, USA
Robert Dare, Clinton, Missouri, USA
Is this The Times? Or the New York Times? Good to see Americans engaging in international debate. I would suggest that the reason our ancestors won the Second World War was that men and women across the Western world - and that includes Europe where hundreds of thousands of partisans were killed fighting the Axis powers - put aside their petty ideological disputes. The service men and women and our entire societies refused to be cowed by fear in changing the freedoms our ancestors established, and those are the rights and privileges we enjoy today. In Australia at present, some people seem to confuse bigotry with strength, sneering at other's ideas as courage, these disputes have risen to level of such bile, hatred and unpleasantness that I fear for my country. I think we face an extremely serious problem in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not unpatriotic to question the direction of the war. It is not unpatriotic to support human rights, and the rule of law.
John, Australia
John, , Australia
Dear ken of Decatur, AL USA. We'll stop referring to you as America, when you Americans start calling Iraq "ee-rahk" instead of "eye-rack". Or when you stop pronouncing Bona Fide as "bonified". It astounds me how you can rebuke us for referring to the country as it is (we call you Americans, not USAians, dont we), while you yourselves are so self-centered and ignorant that you butcher the English language (among other things, cough Iraq cough). Oh and stop calling it Soccer. It's football.
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, ,
As a European who has lived in the US for close to 2 decades, I have observed that for most Europeans, the United States means either Washington or New York. Even the better educated Europeans haven't got a clue that New York city and its values (or the media, which are centered in NYC and DC), does not represent the United States, and their values are more often than not miles apart. This is why the Europeans have such a hard time understanding this country. Mr. Baker is a fine writer, but this time he got it wrong.
Daniel, Midland, MI
Daniel, Midland, MI
Mr. Turner and his family have more to fear than US assistance. Sharia law and a Muslim Islamic government is a growing threat to British and European life. When the Mullahs begin to dismantle "her Majesty's" nation, Mr. Turner will be more than happy to have America's help. Hopefully we Americans will say "the pox" to Turner and his kind.
Ed Mendez, San Diego, USA/CA
Ed Mendez, San Diego, USA/CA
"They shared a verbal style that consisted almost entirely of guttural, barely comprehensible utterances." This really shows you have listened to many Gerald Ford speeches.Next, you should show the similarities between Queen Elizabeth and Sid Vicious. I'll help you: Both were British. Both often expressed their views in London. Some would say the height of their power and influence was in the mid-70s. And, of course, "(t)hey shared a verbal style that consisted almost entirely of guttural, barely comprehensible utterances."
Ron E.T.B. Biggs, Earl's Court, London, United Kingdom
Ron E.T.B. Biggs, Earl's Court, London, United Kingdom
How quaint. It amazes me when so-called journalists use 200 year old maps when referencing a nation. "America" hasn't been the name of our country (or region) since before 1776. It's ok for politicians and song writers to use the term periodically. We know what they mean, but is it normal for 21st century journalists to refer to Zimbabwe as Rhodesia, Myanmar as Burma, Sri Lanka as Ceylon? Gentlemen, the name of the country is the United States or if you prefer, the US, or the USA for short. From a reader's perspective, if you can't get the country's name right, what else is wrong?
ken, Decatur, AL USA
ken, Decatur, AL USA
Michael Standard of san francisco, USA. Your misguided ramblings about and "ungrateful European carcass" is totally off base (note the use of American slang). The USA only really joined WW2 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. You Americans acted on your own initiative. We do feel grateful, but no more than we are to our own war dead. On a seperate note, who should we be grateful to? To you? Did you fight in WW2? If we should be grateful to present day Americans for the sacrifices of your senior citizens, shouldnt we also hold you accountable for atrocities against humanity such as slavery? Get off your high horse.
Peter, Coventry,
Peter, Coventry,
Gerard Baker often writes powerfully and he seems like a decent man but more often than not his analysis is wrong (oh boy, recall his confident predictions of President Kerry!). I wonder if he writes what he thinks his readers in the UK want to read, rather than what he really believes.The US is in great shape economically. We are not about to cut and run from Iraq. The Republicans lost congress because they were not Conservative enough, not because the country has suddenly become left wing. If anyone should be gloomy, it’s Europeans, faced with political weakness, economic failure, cultural loss of confidence and extinction demographics.
Guy Langley, Los Angeles, California
Guy Langley, Los Angeles, California
I couldn't agree more with Mr. Standard. Mr. Turner's comment perfectly illustrates the disconnect between the United States and Western Europe. After two world wars and the cold war, Europe seems content to forget America's friendship now that it is not in danger from Germany or Russia. Perhaps our critics overseas would be better served to review their history and come to grips with the fact that their very existence is the result of "cancerous assistance" from the United States. As an American, I can tell you that the fact of the matter is that America's morale and confidence remain high.
James H., Fairfax, Va. U.S.A
James H., Fairfax, Va. U.S.A
What a great article Mr Baker, especially on the US, which many of my trusted friends in Massachusetts and New York would I believe agree with. As for the shooting, there was a bumper sticker that read: "I’d rather ride with Ted Kennedy than hunt with Dick Cheney". You could reverse that if you were a Republican, I guess. Worth exploring (and a little more positively) is the unique situation in Connecticut when 'people power' (aka 'bloggers') managed to over-turn the long serving democrat, who it was believed was getting too close to Bush, in policy and other ways too (he was seen getting a 'kiss', much publicized by bloggers, from Bush Jnr at GWII's inauguration ceremony). Although Lieberman did retain his seat as an Independent, it perhaps gave a taste of what is to come. Right-wingers tend to hog the airwaves, whilst left-wingers use the internet. Perhaps that demonstrates a preference for thought over noise?
Rudy Parker, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Rudy Parker, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ross Firestone, Winnetka, Illinois, USA:
The Chicago Bears are a pro football team; the Rose Bowl is reserved strictly for college teams.
T. J. Cassidy, Arlington, Va., USA
T. J. Cassidy, Arlington, Va., U.S.A.
Beneath all the bitter comments about the misdeeds of the USA and the noble acts of the UK, the underlying current is this: Britain has suffered decline and humiliation over the last 50 years. Her erstwhile ally (who, lets face it, rescued her from a terrible fate at the hands of Nazi Germany) has powered ahead to be the leading nation in the world, culturally vigorous, economically booming and militarily omnipitent. Many of Britain's chattering class are still smarting over this ignominy and have lapsed into a sulk.
In trying to deal with the embarassment of her decline, Britain tried to demonstrate that it was something she sought as all along as liberation from the past. Now, politicians struggle to define"Britishness" and patriotism, Christianity and duty are snickered at in embarassment. How different from the self-confidence and tradition embodied in the phrase "God Bless America".
America is not in a funk, Britain is, and has been for 50 years.
Guy Langley, Los Angeles, California
Guy Langley, Los Angeles, California
Dear Marie, Washington DC, USA. There is a Hawaiian sumo champion in Japan. I remember seeing a documentary about it several years back. Try googling it.
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, ,
A curious historical footnote: in the 1968 Presidential election James Brown endorsed Richard Nixon, to the dismay of many of his followers. It was Nixon of couse who made Ford his Vice-President a few years later. The rest is the history being recounted now.
Candadai Tirumalai, Washington D.C., United States
Candadai Tirumalai, Washington D.C., United States
Stuart Turner's comment that he wishes to confront the future without the cancerous assistance and guidance of the USA shows no foresight and a particular lack of gratitude to the country he so sublimely ridicules with his insults. Why, just today Britain made the final payment on the US loan given to Britain after WW II when Mr. Turner's country was bankrupt. The loan carried an interest rate of 1.25% - hardly a handling fee....I'll restrain myself from mentioning the human capital expended by America in the defence of Europe and the world against the Axis of Evil of days past and present. When and if I am ever in Mr. Turner's hometown of Bristol I'll be sure to stop by his "local" and buy a pint of beer to help his little economy along.And as for the rest of Gerard Baker's article we don't feel the least bit miserable in the good ol' US of A and we are not thinking of moving to anywhere in Britain or Europe anytime soon!
Derek Geldenhuys, Bellevue, WA, USA
Derek Geldenhuys, Bellevue, WA, USA
Another important consideration is that crime and other social pathologies are still low. That's a big part of what was wrong with the 70s -- people were afraid of their own neighborhoods. Iraq and Afghanistan are problems, but they don't affect daily life at home the same way.
And I'd bet that Scotland WOULD lose to Sri Lanka at caber tossing if some of their top players sat out the tournament and others ended up playing for the teams of other nations. (And if Sri Lanka had spent several generations developing its own program, of course.) It all just goes to show that the game has become international, which counts as a good thing. Now, if Japan starts beating us at American football, that might be a problem. (It might also be very funny, the way it is when guys from Hawaii win sumo wrestling competitions.) But baseball stopped being unique to us a long time ago.
Marie, Washington DC, USA
Marie, Washington DC, USA
I remember the 70's in the US well. The segment of segment of society that was "in a funk" then is the same bunch that are now. And always have been--at least in my life--born in 1944. Media, Academics, left of center polticians. The rest of us weren't then, nor are now. We just go about our lives, making things happen. Producing the goods and services and paying the taxes. Fighting the wars.
Reagan won in a landslide because he also didn't believe it, and communciated that well. "Shining City on a Hill"
Richard McClellan, Ramona, CA
Richard McClellan, Ramona, CA
Steve D of Texas, have you ever thought about asking the Australians what they think? I don't presume to speak for Americans, I respect and admire many Americans, but it is not a blank cheque. I think people should be a little humbler and cautious before sneering at allies for expressing concerns.
John, Australia
john, , Australia
I do not know which country you’re referring to but, the US I live in (and my son is in the military) is at an all time high with respect to the economy, low poverty rates, shrinking deficit, highest level of home ownership in our history, low unemployment, a good batch of presidential candidates on the horizon, low crime rates and last but not least, we have not had a terror attack in five years. I think it is maybe those of you in Western Europe that are in a funk. Not understanding how the U.S. could be doing so well and still performing exceptionally well while at war, you need to spend more time out in my neck of the woods. Things could not be better!
gwe, , Connecticut,USA
gwe, , Connecticut,USA
We might be in happy denial but we're not in a funk. WIth the economy booming away and new houses being painted and furnished who has time to seriously address threats of radical Islam or the upcoming trials and tribulations of a Nancy Pelosi-run Congress? Like a teenager blissfully slumbering through an early alarm we refuse to awake. As Scarlett O'Hara once said: "There is always tomorrow..." But funk?
Patty, Los Angeles, California
Patty, Los Angeles, California
I'd like to offer Mr. Stuart Turner from Bristol the chance to do without American assistance and guidance. Pity we could not make this offer retrospectively. Mr. Turner would be more European than he thinks. His German would be vastly improved and America would not have lost hundreds of thousands of our fine men to save his ungrateful carcass.Like many Americans, I am disgusted by the ingratitude and hypocrisy of the Turners of Europe. Happy to deride us when the chips are down, but the first to demand that we send troops in to solve problems they cannot solve- witness Bosnia. The criteria for them and their cousins here in America is that they commend the use of American military power only when America has no strategic interest in the situation. Then they are quite happy to spill our blood and treasure. Otherwise, we are simply bumbling fools and imperialists. Mr. Baker is uncharacteristically wrong- American morale is in great shape as is our economy.
Michael Standard, san francisco, USA
Michael Standard, san francisco, USA
It's pretty simple to explain. The various Middle Eastern adventures have shown the limits of U.S. policy, and the rest of the world has wised up to U.S. double standards. U.S. citizens are starting to understand this shift as well. I am English, British and European in that order. I served in the R.A.F. as a younger man. Whatever the future holds for my family, I wish to confront it without the cancerous assistance and guidance of the U.S.A.
Stuart Turner, Bristol,
stuart turner, Bristol,
I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this. It is the absolutely worse thought-out commentary on the american mood I've ever read. If Mr. Baker is representitive of your thinking, then you all should learn French and leave the English Speaking world to Australia and the USA.
Steve D., Richardson, Texas
Steve D., Richardson, Texas
What a bloated doomsday article of alarmist tripe. My main problem with articles such as this one is that it's like the kids who stand against the wall at the dance and quietly insult everyone else without getting in there and making it a go of it themselves. While I anxiously await the day that W will be gone, that is an insulting article.
Trey, Washington, DC
Trey, Washington, DC
Well, like Scarlett O'Hara says, there's always tomorrow....
M. Fernandez, San Francisco, California
M. Fernandez, San Francisco, California
Hey, the Latin Americans play some damned good baseball.
Ben Moten, Piermont, NY USA
Ben Moten, Piermont, NY USA
If not eloquent, Ford was clear in both articulation and thought. (Unfortunately, his best remembered public utterance obliterated the postwar history of Eastern Europe.) And he did less to launch Cheney and Rumsfeld than did his immediate predecessor.
Stephen Schultz, Crestwood, Kentucky
Stephen Schultz, Crestwood, Kentucky
Maybe the chattering classes who live on the Left Coasts of the USA are in a funk but life is good here in Chicagoland. Unemployment is around 3%. The stockmarket is at a record high. The Chicago Bears are in the playoffs and may go to the Rose Bowl. And the last governor of Illinois is on his way to jail.
Ross Firestone, Winnetka, Illinois, USA
Ross Firestone, Winnetka, Illinois, USA