The socialist definition is, and I quote, "The process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces." So, from what I can gather from this, it basically means every culture applying their social, economical and political standards into one sustainable global culture. This is a very ambitious... no... naive idea. There are far too many things to consider and to eliminate in order for this idea to be successful. I mean there's the ethics of each culture for starters, because different cultures will find some things unethical whereas others won't, causing far more chaos than order. There's also the fact that different cultures succeed in terms of economical stability. Some have a very stable, and even beneficial system as opposed to others which effectively screw over the country, but there are still people that will find reasons to support their bad economy. There's also factoring in political forces, which, again, there are still people that will hold onto their political views very strongly, so expecting everyone to follow one imaginary global view is asking far too much. This goal of globalisation basically forgets that people are not only each unique individuals but also animals that will fight if there is any disharmony, whether that's regarding their views, their economy, or pretty much anything that contradicts what they stand for. That's the reason their are wars and crime in the world, and bringing all these people together would be like mixing the wrong kinds of acids, causing a lab to explode.
The capitalist definition is, "The elimination of state-enforced restrictions on exchanges across borders and the increasingly integrated and complex global system of production and exchange that has emerged as a result". This seems to be the definition people tend to focus on, since it relates to westernisation/americanisation. It basically eliminates any borders that block economical negotiation and exchanges between different cultures, essentially benefitting from their better economy. It's a system which has benefitted the country and its industries for years, but at what cost? Well there's advantages and disadvantages to this system. Firstly, let's just say there's a reason people here "globalisation" and immediately think of the terms "westernisation/americanisation". American culture has become the most dominant and well-known one in the world and it is because of how capitalist the country is.
One thing that brings my piss to a boil is when people start going on about "Mcdonaldsisation". It's basically a term that interprets McDonalds as a dominant symbol of America, as it's probably the most popular food chain of all time and it just happens to be from America, and it's considered a symbol of American society that often finds its way into other countries. They appear in countries all around Europe, Africa, Asia, pretty much every where, really. I still don't see what the problem is, though. I mean I'll accept the complaint that they often buy out smaller independent businesses, as does as Starbucks too, but how is McDonalds affecting society exactly? They aren't taking over every country, they're just there to give people a taste of American culture, much like how places in Briatin like Yo Sushi give people a taste of food from a different culture, and you always have the option of simply not going to one too. It's not affecting other local restaurants because they make a decent wage from tourists, and locals anyway. It's just a god damn fast food restaurant at the end of the day!
American culture has become considered by many as the ideal way of life, and it is because of the way it is portrayed by the global media. The ideal lifestyle by many different cultures is usually what american culture has deemed ideal. And I mean everything. The way they speak, the stereotypical patriotism (not just for your own country but even for America), and the typical portrayal of family life. That's not all, the television shows, movies, journalists, and video games are usually the american too, hence their global success; their portrayals of American life influences society in different cultures. Just listen to what Craig Ferguson says here:
He basically explains that being young, and stupid is considered the most ideal lifestyle, and I would add wealthy to that as well because it supports his theory on "why everything sucks". American youth is portrayed very often in the form of reality shows such as Jersey Shore, My Super Sweet 16, and America's Next Top Model, and the appeal of these shows is that idea of wealth among young people, and it glorifies the notion that young people can be successful without really doing anything of worth or benefit, and just being stupid all the time. This notion has been carried over to UK culture too, with shows like Big Brother, X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent. Not only that but many countries around the world have their own versions of these shows, because American media's glorification of success has had that strong an effect on society around the world.
There are advantages to Americanisation, though. The ideals that they often go on about but never really follow are great. Freedom of speech is one I adore, as well as equal rights to all races and genders. There is also the lesson of working hard to follow your dreams, which really contradicts the glorification of young wealthy idiots from the last paragraph (no wonder this concept if often forgotten). In terms of animation, key area I've been meaning to focus on but just sort of procrastinated, the American style of this, and hell even filmmaking, is probably the best around. Cartoons like Loony Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Disney all have positive influences on animation around the world. Just look at how anime is often influenced by American media. Cowboy Bebop is one of the best anime series ever and it has very western connotations, within the soundtrack, the western and film noir influences, and the action. The same goes for live action cinema and its influence over there. John Woo, director of Hard Boiled, The Killer, and even went on to make Hollywood films Face/Off and Broken Arrow, is influenced by the western style of action films, and pays tribute to them constantly, while arguably ding what American action films do even better! There are times when Japanese and American styles are combined and work incredibly well together. Pacific Rim and Godzilla are two of the best kaiju movies of the past two years and they were both Hollywood films, but they were mainly influenced by Japanese movies, like Pacific Rim was influenced not just by other kaiju movies but also mecha animes, like Gurren Lagann and Evangeleon. There are also cartoons like the Avatar franchise, Samurai Jack, Boondocks, etc. that are often called "American Anime", since their art styles are that similar to Japan's however, they still incorporate the animation style of the west, following the 12 principles of animation, being animated at 24 fps, and being able to do very exaggerated poses and facial expressions. One thing I will say is that the portrayal of Americans in Japan always brings a smile to my face.
So while globalisation can have its disadvantages, there are still reasons why it can have a positive impact on the world. You just have to know where to look. It's also worthwhile to know what's actually positive and negative about what's being brought over to your culture. I mean Americanisation has its place in history as possibly the most negative lifestyle to influence yourself but it's not all bad. You can still enjoy a McDonalds quarter pounder with cheese while enjoying other people's food, I mean they're a heart attack in a bun but still pretty damn good. I wonder why I talked about America the whole time, though. I guess it's because it's all I was taught about regarding globalisation, like it's the most negative aspect of it, and people have a tendency of only focusing on that. Maybe someday we'll actually talk about the impact other cultures have had on us, and maybe look at the positive impact americanisation has had, while not forgetting the negative ones. Screw that though! They just built a new Starbucks down the street! Time to whine and complain about America ruling the world and poisoning our drinking water with their presence! Us brits are far too PERFECT for american things!
The capitalist definition is, "The elimination of state-enforced restrictions on exchanges across borders and the increasingly integrated and complex global system of production and exchange that has emerged as a result". This seems to be the definition people tend to focus on, since it relates to westernisation/americanisation. It basically eliminates any borders that block economical negotiation and exchanges between different cultures, essentially benefitting from their better economy. It's a system which has benefitted the country and its industries for years, but at what cost? Well there's advantages and disadvantages to this system. Firstly, let's just say there's a reason people here "globalisation" and immediately think of the terms "westernisation/americanisation". American culture has become the most dominant and well-known one in the world and it is because of how capitalist the country is.
One thing that brings my piss to a boil is when people start going on about "Mcdonaldsisation". It's basically a term that interprets McDonalds as a dominant symbol of America, as it's probably the most popular food chain of all time and it just happens to be from America, and it's considered a symbol of American society that often finds its way into other countries. They appear in countries all around Europe, Africa, Asia, pretty much every where, really. I still don't see what the problem is, though. I mean I'll accept the complaint that they often buy out smaller independent businesses, as does as Starbucks too, but how is McDonalds affecting society exactly? They aren't taking over every country, they're just there to give people a taste of American culture, much like how places in Briatin like Yo Sushi give people a taste of food from a different culture, and you always have the option of simply not going to one too. It's not affecting other local restaurants because they make a decent wage from tourists, and locals anyway. It's just a god damn fast food restaurant at the end of the day!
American culture has become considered by many as the ideal way of life, and it is because of the way it is portrayed by the global media. The ideal lifestyle by many different cultures is usually what american culture has deemed ideal. And I mean everything. The way they speak, the stereotypical patriotism (not just for your own country but even for America), and the typical portrayal of family life. That's not all, the television shows, movies, journalists, and video games are usually the american too, hence their global success; their portrayals of American life influences society in different cultures. Just listen to what Craig Ferguson says here:
He basically explains that being young, and stupid is considered the most ideal lifestyle, and I would add wealthy to that as well because it supports his theory on "why everything sucks". American youth is portrayed very often in the form of reality shows such as Jersey Shore, My Super Sweet 16, and America's Next Top Model, and the appeal of these shows is that idea of wealth among young people, and it glorifies the notion that young people can be successful without really doing anything of worth or benefit, and just being stupid all the time. This notion has been carried over to UK culture too, with shows like Big Brother, X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent. Not only that but many countries around the world have their own versions of these shows, because American media's glorification of success has had that strong an effect on society around the world.
There are advantages to Americanisation, though. The ideals that they often go on about but never really follow are great. Freedom of speech is one I adore, as well as equal rights to all races and genders. There is also the lesson of working hard to follow your dreams, which really contradicts the glorification of young wealthy idiots from the last paragraph (no wonder this concept if often forgotten). In terms of animation, key area I've been meaning to focus on but just sort of procrastinated, the American style of this, and hell even filmmaking, is probably the best around. Cartoons like Loony Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Disney all have positive influences on animation around the world. Just look at how anime is often influenced by American media. Cowboy Bebop is one of the best anime series ever and it has very western connotations, within the soundtrack, the western and film noir influences, and the action. The same goes for live action cinema and its influence over there. John Woo, director of Hard Boiled, The Killer, and even went on to make Hollywood films Face/Off and Broken Arrow, is influenced by the western style of action films, and pays tribute to them constantly, while arguably ding what American action films do even better! There are times when Japanese and American styles are combined and work incredibly well together. Pacific Rim and Godzilla are two of the best kaiju movies of the past two years and they were both Hollywood films, but they were mainly influenced by Japanese movies, like Pacific Rim was influenced not just by other kaiju movies but also mecha animes, like Gurren Lagann and Evangeleon. There are also cartoons like the Avatar franchise, Samurai Jack, Boondocks, etc. that are often called "American Anime", since their art styles are that similar to Japan's however, they still incorporate the animation style of the west, following the 12 principles of animation, being animated at 24 fps, and being able to do very exaggerated poses and facial expressions. One thing I will say is that the portrayal of Americans in Japan always brings a smile to my face.
"AMERICA!"
So while globalisation can have its disadvantages, there are still reasons why it can have a positive impact on the world. You just have to know where to look. It's also worthwhile to know what's actually positive and negative about what's being brought over to your culture. I mean Americanisation has its place in history as possibly the most negative lifestyle to influence yourself but it's not all bad. You can still enjoy a McDonalds quarter pounder with cheese while enjoying other people's food, I mean they're a heart attack in a bun but still pretty damn good. I wonder why I talked about America the whole time, though. I guess it's because it's all I was taught about regarding globalisation, like it's the most negative aspect of it, and people have a tendency of only focusing on that. Maybe someday we'll actually talk about the impact other cultures have had on us, and maybe look at the positive impact americanisation has had, while not forgetting the negative ones. Screw that though! They just built a new Starbucks down the street! Time to whine and complain about America ruling the world and poisoning our drinking water with their presence! Us brits are far too PERFECT for american things!
No comments:
Post a Comment