One morning in the 1990s, I picked up the tabloid that had been delivered to the door of our apartment in Vienna. The frontpage stated “U.S. President Clinton declares Austrians to possess a love of freedom, a strong work ethic, and a deep reverence for education.” I didn’t have any strong feelings toward America at the time, but I thought that this was condescending. Why would the American president have accurate opinions about our national character, and why would he think that we cared?
Remembering this recently, I was able to trace it back to Bill Clinton’s 1997 proclamation regarding Austrian-American Day. It turns out he wasn’t referring to Austrians as a whole, but to those who emigrated to America because of persecution. I’m sure this wasn’t how it was phrased in the tabloid’s headline, although I can’t prove it, since most Austrian papers from that era haven’t been digitized. My sense of exasperation with the arrogance of the American president probably being what the journalist was aiming for.
Nehaveigur 