Globalization of American Culture
Although national and international business expansion has existed for an extended period of time, it is only recently that the globalization phenomenon has received significant critical and academic attention. One main reason for this is the expansion possibilities opened up by the rapid development of communication and computer technology. The world has literally become accessible on a scale that has never been the case before. This has created a platform for ever-increasing expansion of businesses. On the surface, this type of expansion may appear to be positive, since it allows for greater global understanding as cultures meet, learn about each other, and come to understand each other. In fact, however, criticism has been mounting that the globalization phenomenon has been driven by the United States, its culture, its currency, and its rules. Other cultures, some of which include thousands of years of tradition, have been all but trampled under the weight of the financial strength coming with a culture that is no more than 500 years old.
Tay (2010) affirms that, for a significant amount of time, the effect of the American involvement in globalization has been so overriding that the term "Americanization" comes to mind. American mores and culture have invaded almost every part of the globe. The spread of companies such as Coke and McDonald's, for example, have been accompanied by advertisements that promote all things American as the most desirable of lifestyles. Conversely, Americans themselves have done little to adjust to the cultures they entered, or indeed those who came to the United States.
Ssenyonga (2006) notes how the American culture has almost infected or at least become an infestation worldwide. What the author refers to as "cultural imperialism" has caused a destructive or inhibitive element in local cultures worldwide. It has done so not only by means of language, but also by means of creating an artificial sense of need among local populations. This need for material things includes American popular culture items such as hamburgers and Coca Cola. Young people are especially susceptible to these artificially created wants, which tend to be regarded as "cool" and therefore desirable. Rather than a healthy, wholesome interaction between cultures, this means that the American business, because of the power of finance behind it, can communicate in such a way that it appears desirable over and above the traditions of the local culture.
What this amounts to is that globalization has come to mean the imposition of American culture upon the world. American music, food, clothing, language, and the culture in general have become a worldwide phenomenon. Indeed, because…
Behrman holds that it was weak political institutionalization rather than a weak civil society that shackled Weimar Germany. Unfortunately, many scholars of democracy theory and proponents of democratic culture have approached the Weimar Republic already holding the assumption that a democratic culture is necessary for a functioning democracy. With this assumption in place, they then debate whether Weimar Germany really possessed a "democratic culture." A democratic culture is often taken
However, in addition to being part of the Americanization process, this has also sparked hostility and anti-American sentiments as well, for some Canadians who believe Canadian culture is being lost to the United States. Demonstrations in front of American enterprises, boycotts of American iconic products like Coca-Cola, and even vandalizing McDonald's outlets have all been a part of this effort to not succumb to Americanization. Mechanisms Underlying America's Influence on
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Q2. From an American perspective, it is tempting to look out at the world and to assume that American culture now dominates and reigns over all, given the seeming ubiquity of American movies, television, and music. However, a cultural analysis of many regions of the world yields the finding that culture is far more regional and pluralistic in nature. For example, in Mexico, soap operas known as telenovelas captivate almost the
Globalization and National Security While the economic benefits of globalization have been frequently discussed, the very serious national security vulnerabilities which have arisen as a result of increase interconnections, both economically and socially, has garnered much less attention. The current literature on globalization either omits national security discussions entirely, or conducts them from a relatively myopic perspective The 2010 National Security Strategy attempts to rectify this, but its seems to have little effect
The private sector thus becomes the most important factor in the decision making process. Unfortunately, as bad as it sounds the fact that states are losing their powers in front of the private sector, globalization has proved to work, at least in the more developed countries. The weakness of a state is the price to pay for a prosper society. It is true that globalization weakens the state, but this
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