One of the effects of what is called Globalization, despite earlier wishful thinking about increasing cultural diversity, is the creation of a homogenous culture globally. It is the standardization of values and perspectives, and even personal habits, in line with the culture of the dominant player in the Globalization process. As American companies expand into foreign lands, they bring with them American values and lifestyles and attitudes; and to some extent, American religion. That is why, for example, a Starbucks in Istanbul plays English Christmas music between at least November and January, even though the staff and almost all of the customers are Muslims who don’t understand English.
Because the United States is such a powerful, indeed, pivotal force in the world, its influence is inescapable, even when it is subtle. People all around the world watch American films; American television programs, and listens to American music.
This creates a unified American frame of reference that spans diverse countries and cultures. Films and popular media, of course, express the particular attitudes and perspectives of the culture from which they emanate; wide consumption of this media, therefore inevitably influences the attitudes and perspectives of its audiences.
Cultural sovereignty, if you will, is compromised, as young people begin to contrast their own traditional cultures with what they are exposed to by American media. That does not necessarily mean that they will adopt American culture wholesale, or at all; but it does mean that their relationship to, and understanding of their own cultures will be permanently altered by the cultural competition posed by permeation of the American presence.
This also gives the United States immense power, and that is a power that will only increase over the next 100 years.
This issue of cultural influence, in fact, is going to become increasingly important as American power continues to grow; important and extremely dangerous. Because, from what we have seen, and are seeing today, the rise in American power has been accompanied by a symbiotic decline in that country’s culture, and a gradual abandonment of the values upon which it was founded
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