| A strange loop.
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| A strange loop.
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Cultural ImperialismI thought that "cultural imperialism" had lost its currency long since, but of course the term has been resurrected in the wake of 9/11. I suspect that for most of the people concerned about this, the model that they'd really like to follow is multiculturalism, where each culture is theoretically seen as equally useful and valid. For as many areas as I disagree with the Objectivists, though, they have a point: multiculturalism is just dressed-up, politically-correct racism. Sure, it sounds good, but what the ethos of multiculturalism really boils down to, is devaluing majority cultures as non-authentic, because they are not "pure" in some way. Worse, there is a very exclusionary element, too: we don't want you to be soiled by our culture is not functionally different from we don't want to be soiled by your culture.
People who rail against "cultural imperialism" have missed two very big points: the United States did not steal its culture from anyone, and the people trying to adopt our culture are doing so willingly. Both of these points follow from one apparently not-so-obvious feature of America: our population is drawn from all the peoples of the world. Under the melting pot theory, which was commonly accepted until the late 1970s, the premise was that everyone who comes here could become American. The best parts of each culture - French cooking, English political philosophy, German technical ability, Spanish music - would become part of the American culture, while the worst parts of each - English cooking, French political philosophy, German music and Spanish technical ability - would be left behind. The result was a culture that was universal, because it drew from the best parts of all others, and therefore the American culture also took on a universal appeal.
This is something that for some reason the Leftists simply don't get, and neither do the various reactionaries fighting against the influx of American culture, from France to the Middle East to Africa to Southeast Asia: American culture is the emerging culture of the world, because American culture is the merger of all world cultures. And in fact, this process continues in a feedback loop, despite the attempts of multiculturalists to break it down, with imports from other cultures and with other cultures importing and changing the American culture. This is why in an American arcade you can find a Japanese "dance dance" machine, and in an American bar you can find karaoke, and in Baghdad you can find American movies.
Frankly, I think that this kind of cultural exchange and melding should be celebrated. It may not preserve "pure" cultures, but it certainly makes for a robust and valuable human culture.
Posted by Jeff at July 23, 2003 12:22 AM | Link CosmosActually, what *I* have always said about multiculturalism is that it is GROSSLY corrupted Anthropological Principles. The germ of intent in the 'multi-culti' was to stop the armchair anthropology that was prevalent in the 19th century, bolstered by the view that some so-called races were the way they were because of their skin-color/adaptations etc. Science has since proven that there is nothing differentiating a black man's blood from a white man's, aside from a proclivity to certain diseases, and the adaptation of the melanin to absorb more UV rays. Culture itself is hard to define, but the multi-culti Cult have taken the objective observations of anthropology and twisted them to support their version of Social Darwinism. Instead of saying culture has nothing at all to do with skin-color, the Multi-culties have muddied the waters by saying skin-color defines culture, and if your skin-color is Caucasian, then your culture must be ravenous and intolerant. Never mind that the defense of different cultures was developed in "white-skin" societies like...oh, say...AMERICA. One need only take a look at what Franz Boaz has to say about the subject, and you can see just how far off base the Multi-culties are.
Posted by: Sharon Ferguson on July 23, 2003 12:39 PMas a high school student my perspective of multiculturism differs from other comments.
being mexican american not only means being american but mexican.
when i go out and see how my mexican culture is being portray in america is sickens me. certain traditions are taken out of context; and are therefore an insult to my tradition. i believe that when an idividual wears someting from another culture they should know what it stands for and wear it with respect, not for fashion.
Posted by: mayra mart on October 31, 2003 03:16 PMEver stop to think that some of these countries are being forced into our truly western way of life? We disdain those countries that won't except our culture because any culture that isn't a blend like ours is "backwards" and "uncivilized." For example, we have feminist groups here in the US, like FMF, that are supposedly trying to open the eyes of Afghani women in the Middle East. Half our world, the western world, doesn't take the time to understand the standpoint of these women and others. The head covering is a part of their religion, and so, ok, maybe they shouldn't be forced to wear it if they don't want to, but calling them opressed when it is THEIR DECISION to observe what their religion asks of them isn't right. It's the same as Muslim women here in the US who wear the hijab. No one is forcing them to do it. It's not the law here, and yet we still say that they are being opressed becasue they won't dress like we do. We don't even know what we are talking about half the time. If you think about it a little, the women who dress skimpily are the ones reallt being opressed. They are submitting themselves to be judged by their bodies to the men they are trying to impress. I thought we were all for the idea of intelligence and personality. At least the middle easter women do't have to worry about being excepted if they are ugly. Besides, do yout think that countries based on the idea of keeping good morale really wants American culture to dominate? You talk about all the good stuff we pull from diffrent cultures. We are a melting pot, ok, but it's not all good. I find it sickening how indiffrent we all are to things like sex and nudity. Cultures don't want to be contaminated with our ideas about alcohol and rebellion and sex.
Posted by: Tas on March 22, 2004 01:10 PM