Is Globalization really just "Americanization?" Is Americanization just an imposition of free market capitalism and consumerism? Is consumerism making the rich richer and the poor poorer?
Consider this: "Consider a mug of American coffee. It is found everywhere. It can be made by anyone. It is cheap -- and refills are free. Being largely without flavor it can be diluted to taste. What it lacks in allure it makes up in size. It is the most democratic method ever devised for introducing caffeine into human beings. Now take a cup of Italian espresso. It requires expensive equipment. Price-to-volume ratio is outrageous, suggesting indifference to the consumer and ignorance of the market. The aesthetic satisfaction accessory to the beverage far outweighs its metabolic impact. It is not a drink; it is an artifact."
Perhaps democracy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Maybe Americans should stop all this Americanizing they're doing around the globe.
SAVE THE ARTIFACTS!!
2 years ago
6 comments:
I'm not sure that coffee is the best example. Perhaps it exemplifies the values of American culture more than globalization. Really, the basic problem I see with globalization is that jobs can be moved all over the globe, but people are mostly unable to follow them. The people who do the job-moving are almost completely unaccountable to those whom they affect.
Now, the question may be, are we exporting American culture along with our economic system? I think many people in the world simply see American materialism as a question of having something versus having nothing, and it is an easier choice for them. Once they are in a better material position, maybe they will be able to choose nicer coffee.
Culture is an expensive thing.
- Will
Welcome Will! :)
Well put. Culture is an expensive thing, but to many, even Americans, it's worth it. Perhaps America does make and consume much of this bland, second-rate material, but this consumption has given many the option of having something over having nothing. I believe we under-estimate Americans' willingness to spend a little more for true quality. Take ice cream for instance. I have splurged on many a scrumptious "Gotta Have Its" at Coldstone, reducing the demand for generic paper cartons of vanilla ice milk. Just doing my part to help the economy and increase the standards of globalization!
Now I am no scholar as Mary or Will seem to be, but I can say that I enjoy the quality things in life. One of them is service. I am willing to pay more for my pictures to be developed by an expert, with knowledge than a guy at Wal-mart trying to get through his eight hours (no offense to the guy). I enjoy the helpfulness, the knowledge and the idea that I am valued as a customer much more than 58 cents in my pocket. This is why I think, and hope in the end, small specialty stores will never get run out of town by the big corporations, because of those that might just think like I do. I do have to make an addendum to my comment: I do ascribe to these ideas, but currently as a poor college student, I do not always abide by them. I try to as often as I can though
The savings may add up over time -- Wal-Mart saves me a nickel here, two dollars there, etc. But I too like to look at that money as payment for better service. I just hate it when the savings are significant, like $100 for the same TV.
Solution: kill your television. Don't buy things.
It would be nice, but I'm afraid these opposable thumbs (or religion or mathematics or...) have put us past the point of no return.
By the way, are dolphins almost as smart as humans? I've often liked to point out that they are, and that the main difference is our civilization (which is also our criterion for judging ourselves smarter, making it a circular and therefore invalid claim).
But it just occurred to me that "almost as smart as humans" would probably mean that they are, at best, as smart as severely mentally retarded humans. So I guess they could be as advanced as us in some ways (maybe they love each other as much or avoid americanization and mass consumerism better than us), but we would probably agree that they just aren't as smart.
Maybe dolphins are happier than us.
Easy to proclaim now that happiness is all that really matters, and so dolphins just might be better off than us. But I know two participants in this blog who are classically trained violinists standing on a long human tradition of European composition. Not always a very happy one. Certainly more complex and often stuffier than it need be. A tradition that I myself love, by the way.
Some soundbytes and replies that come to mind:
"The pain is part of the happiness now." (wow, out terms are really getting fuzzy here)
"I don't want to think, I want to feel." (sure they're different?)
"All you need is love." (and then you get so hungry you die)
Damn these opposable thumbs and all the mess they've gotten me into! Damn this massive neural cortex and all the rational and emotional complexity it has opened up for me!
And damn Wal-Mart!
LOL! =) uh... I have nothing to say. That was great =)
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