Allow Us to Explain

I regularly read explanations of American politics--of America in general--from persons not resident here, and not apparently well acquainted with American conditions. It is only fair to say that I read explanations of the same quality from native-born Americans with half a century of residence, but somehow not a lot of acquaintance with the US outside their neighborhoods. Still, it is curious to read explanations of the Georgia election returns from persons I suspect of not knowing Athens from Atlanta.

 Over the last several months, as I have read some of these explanations, I have thought of a passage from Scoop:

Upstairs in his room, Mr. Wenlock Jakes was spending his afternoon at work on his forthcoming book Under the Ermine. It was to be a survey of the undercurrents of English political and social life. I shall never forget, he typed, the evening of King Edward's abdication. I was dining at the Savoy Grill as the guest of Silas Shock of the New York Guardian. His guests were well chosen, six of the most influential men and women in England; men and women such as only exist in England, who are seldom in the news but who control the strings of the national pulse. On my left was Mrs. Hogbaum the wife of the famous publisher; on the other side was Prudence Blank, who has been described to me as "the Mary Selena Wilmark of Britain"; opposite was John Titmuss whose desk at the News Chronicle holds more secrets of state than any ambassadors . . . big business was represented by John Nought, agent of the Credential Assurance Co. . . . I at once raised the question of the hour. Not one of that brilliant company expressed any opinion. There, in a nutshell, you have England, her greatness--and her littleness.

(The true fans of Waugh will remember that a bit later on Wenlock Jakes let us in on the Archbishop of Canterbury's control of Imperial Chemicals.)

I do not complain. In fact, it flatters my patriotic vanity to see the world explain America so tirelessly. Yet I think many of the explainers could do with a bit more information.