Thursday, January 21, 2010
America's Dominance, America's Downfall
The dominance of America could be stapled to any element of international public affairs. From having a military that occupies more countries than any other in the world, to the dominance of Hollywood's international influence, America influences the rest of the world and spreads its culture, trends, and indeas, for the rest of the world's indulgence. American personalities from Megan Fox to Jerry Springer are viewed by millions of non-Americans. But I wonder if the blasting of America's culture is a good thing? Some of the biggest trend epidemics in the world such as Pokemon was spread through television. The growth and amount of capital generated by the colorful playing cards is unheard of, but Americans fueled the Pokemon epidemic by buying more cards and watching its show. Though we look back and see the Pokemon era as a simple trend that is laughable today, it is questionable to believe that behavior displayed by America during that era is a healthy characteristic to relay to other countries by television and the internet.
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I agree that for the most part, American culture has dominated the world. And it's not just music, movies, and TV. I was amazed to see outside of Beijing the exact same kind of American-style gated golf-course communities that we see around Dallas. But I have to question one thing in your post: Isn't Pokemon an example of Japanese culture invading America?
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ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think Pokemon is a very good example for the reason that cec said above me. But it is unquestionable that America has a strong influence throughout the world. However, I think it should be said that much of what America is known for today, it has created by borrowing elements from other countries and cultures. Take movies for example. One of our only major contributions to film is the Western. Everything else you see in Hollywood today was adapted from either Japanese cinema, or the French New Wave, or the period of Italian Neo-Realism, etc. America's film industry certainly knows how to capitalize on the works of others. Not a bad thing at all, but just food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I was once a Pokemaster although now I have given up my title to focus on other aspects of American culture. It does not seem too hard to realize why American culture spreads all over the world. While we are a materialistic and vain society, in general, we also live a life style that others can only imagine and envy. As Kenny Powers once said, "Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism."
ReplyDeleteI too trained Pokemon watched the show. I think that a better example for the spread of American culture would be "The Simpsons" t.v. show. It has been translated into many different languages and is shown all around the world. I didn't see much about America's downfall, but I don't think we need to worry much about that happening anytime soon, because, as you mentioned, we still have Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first post that maybe Pokemon wasn't the best examply for this arguement, but I do understand your point and where you're headed. I was a victim of Pokemon invading my life when I was in about first or second grade. My sister and I were the only girls that lived on our street so we always played with the other boys on our street. That is, until Pokemon was introduced to America. Suddenly, our daily games of tag and horse were put on hold for trading Pokemon cards and see who had the best ones. I felt completely cast aside for a game of cards that just came into my life and stole my friends, Because of this, I can somewhat understand the feeling of those who see America as being far too overbearing on their culture, Change is never an easy thing, and when it's forced, the response isn't always positive.
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