If the U.S. Won't Stop the Mediapocalypse, Maybe Europe Can

It’s no surprise that Europe (mostly) are the grown-ups in the room. Spend a little time outside of the U.S., and it becomes glaringly apparent how screwed up our country’s priorities are. Sure, things are supercharged right now in their stupidity, shortsightedness, and cruelty under our current government, but really, it’s been this way for a while.

Given the twin evils of American capitalism and American imperialism (are they one and the same?) aren’t going to help our culture, and in fact, are probably going to drive it headlong into oblivion (thanks Brian Newman for your latest screed), I wanted to take a moment to look at what Europe is doing, or trying to do, and how this can provide models for what creative communities and progressive leaders in the U.S. might aspire to.

After writing my recent article in Documentary (At CPH:DOX 2026, the creative doc industry bands together for a “European Netflix” and more coproductions), it seemed to me from my little time in Copenhagen that …