--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the cultural elite has its way, the…" description: "\"If the cultural elite has its way, the U.S. will be much more like Europe\" — Peter L. Berger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/peter-l-berger-8474_cultural_if-the-cultural-elite-has-its-way-the-u_2580901.png" --- # If the cultural elite has its way, the U.S. will be much… ![“If the cultural elite has its way, the U.S. will be much more like Europe” quote by Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/peter-l-berger-8474_cultural_if-the-cultural-elite-has-its-way-the-u_2580901.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/peter-l-berger-8474_cultural_if-the-cultural-elite-has-its-way-the-u_2580901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/peter-l-berger-8474_cultural_if-the-cultural-elite-has-its-way-the-u_2580901.png) > “If the cultural elite has its way, the U.S. will be much more like Europe” [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Predicts that if cultural elites dominate, the U.S. will become more European in character. **In simple terms:** Elite cultural influence may make the U.S. resemble Europe. Key Takeaway Consider impacts of cultural leadership on society. Themes culture elite societal change Mood analytical critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - policy making - media influence - public discourse Key Concepts sociology political theory Questions to Reflect On - What defines “European” culture? - How does elite influence shape national identity? A Different Perspective Europeanization may clash with American values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) ## Related quotes > [I came to the conclusion that most people in America would really like to be able to get a job where they think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/i-came-to-the-conclusion-that-most-people-in-america-would-really/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Our culture will become like it was during the medieval times when there truly was a cultural elite. The rest of the people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-culture-will-become-like-it-was-during-the-medieval-times-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To be sure, many cultural elite pastimes are easily mocked and annoying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/to-be-sure-many-cultural-elite-pastimes-are-easily-mocked-and-annoying/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [I would never call myself cultural elite, but you might be cultural elite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-would-never-call-myself-cultural-elite-but-you-might-be-cultural/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [I'm not part of the cultural elite. I'm a down-home girl. Always have been, always will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-hutton/i-m-not-part-of-the-cultural-elite-i-m-a-down-home-girl-always-have/) [Lauren Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-hutton/) > [There are more than a few people, especially among the cultural élite, who still publicly regret the fact that Germany sent Einstein packing, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-more-than-a-few-people-especially-among-the-cultural-lite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...this midlevel cultural-capital audience is not as far from the average white pop critic as we might have expected. We usually make middling incomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-wilson/this-midlevel-cultural-capital-audience-is-not-as-far-from-the/) [Carl Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-wilson/) > [The idea that one might use art for 'instrumental' reasons tends to set off alarm bells at the heart of the cultural elite, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-idea-that-one-might-use-art-for-instrumental-reasons-tends-to-set/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Why on Earth would the United States ever want to be more like Europe? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we left, did we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/why-on-earth-would-the-united-states-ever-want-to-be-more-like-europe/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [It's hard to explain why I like Europe so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broderick-crawford/it-s-hard-to-explain-why-i-like-europe-so-much/) [Broderick Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/broderick-crawford/) > [The world is full of negativity and scary news, terrible things happening. And then we have Eurovision, which is like the whole of Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saara-aalto/the-world-is-full-of-negativity-and-scary-news-terrible-things/) [Saara Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saara-aalto/) > [I think increasingly WWE is a global company - as much as they can they want to push out into new markets like Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-barrett/i-think-increasingly-wwe-is-a-global-company-as-much-as-they-can-they/) [Wade Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-barrett/) > [I recall us selling out L.A.'s 5,000-capacity Gibson Amphitheatre and flying straight to Germany to play a 300-capacity room where we'd only sold 120…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-shadows/i-recall-us-selling-out-l-a-s-5-000-capacity-gibson-amphitheatre-and/) [M. Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-shadows/) > [India is like Europe. This means there isone currency and numerous languages andcultures. And this is a 'Europe' made up ofvarious cultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-thackeray/india-is-like-europe-this-means-there-isone-currency-and-numerous/) [Raj Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-thackeray/) > [Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe: Well developed and open to trade, especially for someone of real value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/between-23-and-30-a-woman-is-like-europe-well-developed-and-open-to/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## More by Peter L. Berger > [“In sum, the actor identifies with the socially objectivated typifications of conduct in actu, but re-establishes distance from them as he reflects about his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-sum-the-actor-identifies-with-the-socially-objectivated/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [In acute suffering the need for meaning is as strong or stronger than the need for happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-acute-suffering-the-need-for-meaning-is-as-strong-or-stronger-than/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [In all advanced industrial societies, education has become the single most important vehicle of upward mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-all-advanced-industrial-societies-education-has-become-the-single/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“Different objects present themselves to consciousness as constituents of different spheres of reality. I recognize the fellowmen I must deal with in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/different-objects-present-themselves-to-consciousness-as-constituents/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [F. A. Hayek is probably the most prominent advocate of capitalism in the present period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/f-a-hayek-is-probably-the-most-prominent-advocate-of-capitalism-in/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [India is the most religious country in the world, Sweden is the most secular country in the world, and America is a country of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/india-is-the-most-religious-country-in-the-world-sweden-is-the-most/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“It is in the legitimation of death that the transcending potency of symbolic universes manifests itself most clearly, and the fundamental terror-assuaging character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/it-is-in-the-legitimation-of-death-that-the-transcending-potency-of/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [An economy oriented toward production for market exchange provides the optimal conditions for long-lasting and ever-expanding productive capacity based on modern technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/an-economy-oriented-toward-production-for-market-exchange-provides/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [It has been true in Western societies and it seems to be true elsewhere that you do not find democratic systems apart from capitalism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/it-has-been-true-in-western-societies-and-it-seems-to-be-true/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [On the one hand, man is a body, in the same way that this may be said of every other animal organism. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/on-the-one-hand-man-is-a-body-in-the-same-way-that-this-may-be-said/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“One of the traits of sophistication is the capacity to cross borders between different cultural relevancies. Humor is often, intentionally or not, the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/one-of-the-traits-of-sophistication-is-the-capacity-to-cross-borders/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“All human activity is subject to habitualization. Any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern, which can then be reproduced with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/all-human-activity-is-subject-to-habitualization-any-action-that-is/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [Language is capable of becoming the objective repository of vast accumulations of meaning and experience, which it can then preserve in time and transmit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/language-is-capable-of-becoming-the-objective-repository-of-vast/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“Activity becomes process. Choices become destiny. Men then live in the world they themselves have made as if they were fated to do so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/activity-becomes-process-choices-become-destiny-men-then-live-in-the/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) > [“...his consuming interest remains in the world of men, their institutions, their history, their passions. And because he is interested in men, nothing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/his-consuming-interest-remains-in-the-world-of-men-their-institutions/) [Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) [Explore all 80 Peter L. Berger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/) ## More Cultural quotes > [We have never escaped a certain male cultural desire for women's silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/we-have-never-escaped-a-certain-male-cultural-desire-for-women-s/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The world is getting more connected through technology and travel. Cuisines are evolving. Some people are scared of globalization, but I think people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/the-world-is-getting-more-connected-through-technology-and-travel/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) > [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [“It has become a cultural norm in Jewish families for parents to bring up their children to value wealth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-charles/it-has-become-a-cultural-norm-in-jewish-families-for-parents-to-bring/) [H.W. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-charles/) > [When the 2008 victory of Barack Obama and the defeat of grumpy old John McCain began looking, um, inevitable, I started fielding inquiries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-the-2008-victory-of-barack-obama-and-the-defeat-of-grumpy-old/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [While we welcome people of all faiths in America we cannot be so naive as to expect all countries to do the same. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/while-we-welcome-people-of-all-faiths-in-america-we-cannot-be-so/) [Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/) > [K-pop itself is not just a music genre, but a whole cultural phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-tae-min/k-pop-itself-is-not-just-a-music-genre-but-a-whole-cultural-phenomenon/) [Lee Tae-min](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-tae-min/) > [I feel that there are a few things in the world without cultural barriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/i-feel-that-there-are-a-few-things-in-the-world-without-cultural/) [Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/) > [“So, drenched and downing champagne, I danced a rather demented waltz-cum-jig with a young bride I'd never met before in a place I'd never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-irwin/so-drenched-and-downing-champagne-i-danced-a-rather-demented-waltz/) Colin Irwin > [I make it my business to see or do something cultural in every place I go to. If you don't, you'll get into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-reynor/i-make-it-my-business-to-see-or-do-something-cultural-in-every-place/) [Jack Reynor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-reynor/) > [There are various kinds of savagery: emotional, spiritual, economic, and cultural savagery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/there-are-various-kinds-of-savagery-emotional-spiritual-economic-and/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. 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