settle for a relationship that does not feel like the right one. when i say opting to live alone there are always of 30 per possibilities. and cheaper options and living alone is expensive. parents, family, and nursing homes, there are many different kinds of living fettered different from having your own fellow apartment and what we see are people who have different choices making this choice. >> host: i had enjoyed the opportunity to talk to you about the book and it makes me think of a lot of different things. >> guest: thank you for joining the conversation

>> good evening thank you

for taking time editor busiest schedule and to support the bookstores we appreciate it. also to take a moment to tell you about our new policy with regard to purchasing the books on the night of the signing. i did not realize that based on the number of books that we sell that people bring their books and from outside and will not continue to receive waterfall authors like this the thing it is mike not bringing your own beer and to the bar. i did want to take a moment to express at and if you'd like to have your book signed please purchase one here. then you will receive resigning tickets to make it is a pleasure to present

barry sanders will discuss his book america can "avatar" the united states and the global imagination. born in philadelphia and a graduate of the university of pennsylvania and the yale law school. in addition to being the adjoint professor at ucla he is also a member of the center of public diplomacy advisory board member of the council foreign relations and a member of the council on international policy and also a renowned international lawyer and additionally he served as the chair of the california bar association and the los angeles bar association and barry sanders is an important leader and monsanto serving on the council the board of commissioners in the city of lost angeles park and recreation the board of

commissioners of the los angeles memorial coliseum and executive commission of the los angeles opera. the praise for his book as when wonderful including a the following the. >> it challenges assumptions and offers a way for word in that area of great importance to our nation. please help me to wellcome barry sanders. [applause] >> it is an honor and privilege to be here brahmans bookstore it. it is an institution in southern california the oldest and largest. the book "american avatar" derives from years of the king of the issue of how people form their ideas it is a book about ideas but i try to write it in a way from the point* of view of human nature and common sense.

what i am asking when i talk about images of america not just why they hate us but you'll find the majority of people have a favorable impression that the question i am asking is how do people come by their ideas? how do they derive any idea? asked about the image of ecuador or finland and they may have some warren nine but it is worth talking about images of america because it is one of the rare concepts that is in the minds and has for over 200 years that makes it a place to where people form their ideas not only today and

there is surprising continuity and what is particularly useful is you start off with the and standing at of how they develop their ideas. that would be a new approach. i set out to do it and in doing it i could face my thinking about nine years of doing international negotiation and as any of you know, try to negotiate with somebody across the table, it is important to know what you want but frankly anybody can know what he or she one's. what is just as important is to know what the other person wants and sometimes you sit there for days or weeks and you think what is it that they want?

and asking to teach a course about 10 years ago said if i could teach about the image of america and this book is not a textbook but could re-read by the intelligent audience such as this. but it is something that contains many ideas from that course. the fundamental idea it is the adr of somebody else's head. beauty in the eye of the beholder. this means when you ask a question you're asking about them and how people think. the concern we have had sense of december 2011 about people's ideas they

typically involve hand-wringing about what have we done and water redoing and what we are and what we do those things are relevant but there the beginning of the question, and not the end for what is in people's head. often unrelated, let me give you examples. recent examples from the last few weeks there is a quote from a "los angeles times" about the folks in libya an august and it is clear that gadaffi was coming down there were demonstrations in here is a quote about a fellow who decided to bring along a flag.

not the ubiquitous rebel flag that floods every rally but the american flag with the stars and stripes on a poll. and numbering in the tens of thousands spans for freedom and democracy and exactly what they 14 libya. first of all,, this is an interesting point* of view and a statement made by somebody since gaddafi had been there 43 years and controlled everything you can imagine praise of america is not something he was weaned on this is not something he learned in school but managed to see through in a closed society. so much of the consent people have had is the annual studies that come out

and they're quite professionally done of global attitude and you read every june image of america went down or up. this is not a study of the images but more of a popularity contest. are you favorable or unfavorable? when i talk about image is bad things like freedom and democracy or the imperialists or land of opportunity or rich or poor. those are images. we have seen the radical chefs in our attitude surveys but they are not necessarily a failure of imagery and that is the important part of what i am studying so here you have a fellow of lifetime indoctrination and with that image in his mind standing

for freedom and democracy. interesting. then almost simultaneously, in egypt, where they also had arab spring and where we are quietly providing funding from the non-governmental organizations promoting democracy, america does not want to become the largest democratic country in the region says the chairman of the secular and liberal out nazi party. secular and liberal not religious. funding for egypt's should ngo is to create chaos to overthrow egyptian values and traditions simultaneously a different set of images to the neighboring country. another one from the be at the same time. a few weeks later. and with his stomach and arm

disputed the intervention was primarily humanitarian by the americans and made no. he did it for ol but i love america so much the land of free them. there is the image they're there to create chaos and intervene offer them but for oreo the same man says i love america so much but imagery has a typical quality is that ideas images that accumulate all your life. the product of your perception and the things you see and have been told been visited disney world in florida and went home with a perception. of course, you did not see the south bronx or this year as are the rockies and it is

partial. then would be totally accurate or accurate at all nine would be partial dealing with the subject but you go home with a perception in. maybe your brother-in-law? or he told somebody else it is a game of telephone. even if what they saw is what they experience. when it the images collected is more than that. i don't know who has not had the experience of not really being sure is something they remember or something you imagine.

the source of confusions of real and invented the the imagery is made inaccurate the moment it hits your brain or something that was created or something that is degrading. and not to remember so well are not at all. it is not a perfect stone collection but a big collection and because of the nature of these perceptions they are conflicting with each other

but to have conflicting ideas at the same time, nobody fails to have conflicting ideas at the same time. a magic and a youngster borne toward the end of world war ii in germany with bombs dropping from american bombers only to find the american and occupying troops and american planes with the airlift saving the city from starvation in the demonstrations of the 1960s thinking that maybe we could make germany the '04 ground. so one and so forth and to conflicting images they are all there in one form or another. you have images america collected over 250 years.

a place of fascination especially well before the founding of the republic when the kinky stores arrived santa fe and the 16th century looking for gold. this is the place for those immigrants that move to an 19th century. we see wealth and opportunity and the images of democracy and freedom from 1776 if not earlier the images we promote we don't have to remember being in tiananmen square -- king terrain said demonstrations in my wife and i went down to the square who grew up penitentiary that was hermetically sealed for most

of their lives from outside influence then there was a version of the statue of liberty. somehow that image was there. it got there. images and imperialism and they're against looking at imagery is the beginning of the issue. the real question becomes how in the world people decide which image to an folklore articulate? and if they give you an opinion and an attitude in egypt, they may tell you there is a journalist rising

from afghanistan and pakistan even those who admirer the united states. bree piece to afghanistan is failed and to excuse of americans have talked about pakistan. washington and is giving to the archenemy and the image none of the at numb how do they choose that image? winehouse? >> because something happen now that pulled that off the shelf rather than pulling in other enrich off the shelf even though some of the login had a good images

somewhere in the back of his mind which when you think the real and is hanging together and to more than that, we have some nice images like the russians so the beat of the book has to be added people choose among the multiplicity? they have most everything there and the experiences and movies and visit santa the majority of the buck and the way people's minds work how do their minds were? to ensure the image on a given day and whether those

web browsers can be affected to help the public diplomacy. there are a bunch of predispositions there are plenty of ways to categorize answer in the general xenophobia coming from when we were caveman from strangers. for some people they love the idea the most comely 1/2 to overcome with a lot of predisposition that are minor predispositions. of what are strong and permanent. people find themselves in a crowd and it dissipates as

soon as they leave the crowd. that is the conformity people feel if they are in a proportionate society even and not just america in budget to the media is pro-british remembering years of colonial rule that they don't approve of ben that tendency but conformity matters if you are permanently in the group but attitudes that obtain two traditionalist societies and attitudes matter anti-modern. i don't agree not everybody

likes the culture the other elements of materialism and rationality of the culture and individuality that can be a totally permit an attitude. and dead tenure history beginning in europe that spending quite a bit of time with the am i demint and of the 18th century and late 17th century where be implemented and pretty much it does not matter your political stripes there is unanimity excepting that tenants of the jeffersonian democracy the society built up from the individual in progress with the

rationality there's not much debate here and after the french revolution that was accepted. in europe by the majority of people but not by everybody after the french revolution and did, a considerable disappointment and anchor in the old aristocracy and the poor's components of society that rejected the idea of the am i and and i spend quite a bit of time talking about to this day the attitudes among european intellectuals love pushrod see that term that because of their attitude

if they don't love their own that it tends to control attitudes by some in europe and the especially giving a nobel prize acceptance speech and not for peace our politics but literature the acceptance speech for americans. maybe he is right for the maybe he is wrong. this is a fixation of anti-american ends you find culturally in europe and elsewhere in then i turned to another example. that interest be the most

the most importance of the book led cultural attitude. it is anti-american and if you look at the attitude of religious indoctrination coming in a primitive village and the maternity and t-shirts with mickey mouse and sell funds and a threat and your position you will never accept it. maybe the rest of the village wants to change but you don't. that threatens the life position usually and another attitude that is very pro america and in one that has the greatest danger.

and those doing things of which they don't approve is the american and they see no particular shock than the world has the majority spending in admiration of what the country has come a what it does and what it stands for and what they think it could and should be for them. some is their own self-promotion some is in their own imagination. and then all over the world tantalizing and taunting them in the refuge is on

hopes of redemption in those far outweigh the risks to the worst expectations in america you have people out there with high expectations we talk about the american team and has to do with several of the images of land of opportunity. people wanting a visa to come to this country where they can change their life. of the most famous living in the 1996 is called american visa a man who was several picture in bolivia who obsessively trying to get on

the set to go to the nine states to visit his fund in florida finding the room finding his money and working around the american embassy afraid to we interviewed fearful of what might happen. and to destroy the life without ever look king and it was such a "moby dick" way all in if fact it was the obsession in this book stirred minds. and if you read the book you don't know the man actually had it in a florida. this is something that is true in many places. this is just one of the

biases but it is important the concept that is almost never written about. that it is envy. in addition ask the question the largest economy in the world? and americans. about 50% or slightly above western europeans said china had the biggest economy. now has. this was in me published in june. americans in february said the same thing but the americans thought it was china at rugrats of the most recent numbers the end of

2010 the american gdp was almost three times the gdp before you look at questions of her capita and come no question china has been growing faster but no time soon for ago and the image we have as well as europeans of a shrunk in ameritech to the fight of the largest economy is one of the disconnect between reality some have this reality in their mind and the rest of the west lead over their lives is enormous. and for that matter the relative lack of chaos in our society and many

different reasons to look at this place and not only can it be envied for its reality the images said shane orloff, and they cherished these images that is what is important the emotion of envy that we don't talk about. n.v. is something this universal. we have all felt it. don't tell me you have not. people may have envy do. they may not know you or look at you but think you look wonderful. they don't have to envy you for your money or looks or maybe you are tall. but there are ways to be envied and it has been tried

in many places all of the quality is one could wish that they had but a resentment of people to see that that person as a group of people has something they would like to have but they are blocked from getting it. and b is different from jealousy when i want something and i can i get it. jealousy is i have something and i am afraid to lose it. i am jealous of my girlfriend. i speak about anything narrowly defined most of the time people say envy they don't think about that but coveting. if you have that wonderful car, the toyota prius and i want it to and i think i can

get, i covet your car. if there is no way to get your car i don't just covet your car i resent you for having it. it is the fact i compare myself to you with a car that i love inouye to get it. it is not between me in the car but me and you and it feels bad. reinforce the seven deadly sins people don't mention the kiss you want to that person and you guilty for resenting them then you feel angry at them so with the bad case of fenty to get to the point* you want to bring

the building down on yourself the model sense of slashing her face. and an american an example the woman in the 1990's third daughter doesn't make it on the high school cheerleading squad. so she hires the hit man the tissue was not so clever to not kill the end neighbor's daughter to open up the spot on the team but to kill the mother it is the resentment against the person who has the daughter of the team. societies know that it is a universal a motion to

tate -- taylor themselves we in america probably have the way to express to let anybody flaunt what they have got. we consider it because it is still considerable to this day social mobility the mobility compared to other places. and proceed to have it 43 men grew up to be president at a 600 million? but we believe it and that attitude of pope is the expression of 90 you can

compare that to the recent occupy issues this down age people mundane village after village when not at all our the economy is based if you provide for the wedding and every few years they get together for a festival all the villages in the region of the interview their p.i.g.s. to the pot and each what was the surplus. they do within the now i

don't know what they do with those we weren't doing with leveling for hundreds of years we have lots of strips of land and small families with fewer strips of land. of course, a small family could only work small strips of land and they would distribute based on family size and every few years of families become big families and they do the repartition in. and the success of the russian revolution in the rural areas where it was not expected to succeed is it had not been repartition over 100 years. people were breaking their resentment and envy of one

surf to the next two had more in me and was going to a boiling point* and stalling game of the old met 110 years later by taking all the land and starting sell many of them. the other thing they're russians did is to avoid problems among the surface also to the owner that was done by the enormous gulf but for envy you have to compare self. was a lot of londoners they may not like the queen of they don't envy her. she is from outer space. you go through a small village with your camera and your car the local people may envy the two water

buffaloes but they will not envy your life from outer space. nine comparison is the other solution and it works. the indian practice for a number of reasons but one was to separate from the phenomenon of nb common this is eroding people can see the electronic media the lives of people that don't consider comparable. there are satellite issues in every mud hut in the valley in southern morocco. surgeon man stopped working in russia. another thing you can do is hide. you see a great assumption that people will be envious.

with uc the amulet that keeps a way that evo i that is the blue button on a rug in turkey to keep away the evil eye. people in the middle east will tell you good news. my son got into the university and spit. that is to keep away the evil eye. you cannot tell good news without spending. instead of suppressing and the, they are aware the differences are there comment to do what they can to get hot hot the and year to go away and the solution in the middle east did you go to saudi arabia and go through residential there

are walls made of stucco say and the same is true and sicily. placard sam political stickers to hide you have got. to be that the fee of 500 and the europeans not quite so americanized are much more a concern of fontaine wealth. the prescriptions against flaunting wealth they system large parts of the world they know the danger of the evil eye. that is the solution. everybody has a solution. built for in closed societies and we think of

the saudis and the men and almost identical white robes. they look identical so people have the enormous wealth at least to the naked eye. no richer than the next man. the wind in their gowns covering everything but their eyes, not only doing this for religious reasons that are described to them or the reasons of modesty which is true, but so it is the finest possession prepare he does not want to show his wife's beauty to

others in fontaine the wealth is not done. and has received a greater ability of the world to watch on their tv show we have to confront the fact the year and add this in a culture where we are exposed to disappointments to the extent the opportunity to the extent in the 19th century to have the streets paved with gold but it was not in the but ambition. people diamandis -- participated in sometimes disappointed. we solve the problem with the sense of hope from your son daughter a.

my students and class is at ucla at least half of them are people who they themselves or their parents moved from another country often with nothing of 10 -- often the first person to go to college. we still have a remarkable number of people. not those of this but we also have the land of opportunity but we don't have it for people abroad. so presumably our greatest friends end that blockage

and then real matters that is a real anger. it is a disappointment. bolivia does not tell people what it stands for. it does not have to stand for anything. this an issue we have to run policies to run and conflict with the principles and the things that we do, the way that they see them and when they come to the aid levying

the expectation of. it does not mean we have to do with others expect of us but we should not be surprised remind into the segment and anger that comes from disappointment because we were held to a standard even if we tried better we could not as chief. there are others i do spend some time at the end of the bookmaking suggestions how to make changes of what we do many are unchangeable you should not spend your time

anybody who dead as the election campaign to persuade the same people with a favorable view where it runs into something solid. they are subject to change but what we've tried to do is they know this that to be one of the reasons they're angry. they've seen queer richer than we are. we don't need to tell them opportunity. famous we're not sure of at all. when we stick to it, we will withdraw from afghanistan. those in helmand province to

have signed up with us to come to our side if we leave them in the lurch with the image around the world people claim the skid marks of helicopters from saigon that comes from not being steadfast. we have to worry of can i get a visa? we're not spending five months examining the application. people who want to come here to visit our people who are natural friends creating an anchor and that comes back and bites.

we need the openness of mind people like to be listened to. usually learn something if you listen. talk about the bear mind and then we have to worry about remember that man that i quoted you? even now world prices. and in fact, no country in history and unique in your power or philosophy people expect us to. we have to worry about that most people, almost

everybody in the road, in 99% are concerned of their lives and compassion when bill clinton used to say i feel your pain he was on something of political power. they still think they have paid even if they don't. to show compassion and we are engaged as we necessarily will become understand people get hurt we have done much better than we ever could have with collateral damage but never well enough. compassion there as always the first responders, we are the world's first responders with the only blue lotion neighbor and the survey of favor vault 2011 through 22 off find of 19% in japan. obviously compassion from the earthquake. the same line here went down

14% in china and nothing happened. number three burbles are where they were at the end of the clinton administration in. we are right back there. sometimes we have to be aware that they will be an act with that awareness to address themselves and if we do that you could have a greater acceptance marrow is the lack of the acceptance for those or not persuade double i will be delighted to take your questions and answer anything i can or

rather hear your comments instead of answer questions. thank you. [applause] >> [inaudible] but american music? you mentioned bonanza and in dallas, a tv has been very important and american movies introduce the world in a way and do you have a comment on that? veba the hof of soleil the spreading of culture and the nervous way that is

disruptive so low that sheaf not be happy with the new music that comes but they're not happy in particular because how desirable it is for the vast majority of the population. the american brand is the strongest brand in the world especially when it comes to mass culture. europeans will stand strongly on their claim to high culture but they stand without total justification. look at the record as a producer of pop culture as europe even when it comes to that nobel prize for literature french ship one the most every year to behind them and we won the highest number of nobel in every single category.

ken to get an attack see you here american music. now is one of the reasons for that it is has been observed as holliday. and it has music from every where in performers in the movies from everywhere. it was the canadian who made it it is still called the hollywood product. america as the "avatar" all that is modern and to new that they americanize the town that is where stealing glass got started.

and because of what williams or with technology that is americans who the message is important but the thing you don't know what it is? parts may be made in china and japan but probably something sinister. probably something designed here. probably apple. the device tells you it is a mayor can. historical a historical you had to get lonesome thing boeing. of the music that does not require language another reason why it is so important, it creates longing that you could neither satisfied or not satisfy.

>> one of those favorites i took it to be a puerto rico effort to in then disappeared into the end of this. has there been this at zero or is there a proper function and other government to new manage these issues that we talk about? should that be a department of public relations? >> is directly we have been allergic to it. we have the reputation and of own without trying and sometime was negative and we have that over effort of

propaganda from world war i than they dismantled. it did not start again until world war ii but starting after talk about dismantling, something not american about promoting itself. united states information agency after the cold war was dismantled during the clinton administration would never functions it had the cia was dismantled and then after september 11 why do they hate us? turnaround there is a whole new push to try to do something about the image of america. and the under secretary of state was established and this position had a number of people of those who did a

good job. the four per very easy respected the first person to director crowd the bush administration appointee did an excellent job then may have the appointee by the obama administration and the seat is now empty and as they await confirmation with the beginning of the effort was not promising pro it amounted to the highlight to continue that broadcasting to put together a series of television ads people in the

middle east the arabs americans who are happy here that doctor or pharmacist would be shown and in dearborn or southern california and in with some land of opportunity. they did not want to show them because they were propaganda. also they were shown and then rang the wrong bell. you don't have to persuade people. the people on that and say it is the opportunity for those people. all you have done is rubs salt in my wound. more than that, people don't always like to emigrate. it is a long letter sure of people