The Dark Side of Globalization | 91 comments (91 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Well, Tibet has been unique cultural centre centuries before Columbus has discovered America?

Yes, but many other areas have been, as well. I have nothing against Tibet, and I'd love for its culture to be preserved, but these are people -- not Smithsonian artifacts.

The heritage doesn't disappear because of McDonald's and Levi's. That's just "rubbish" (practicing my Britishisms ;-). People don't have to buy Levi's jeans or McDonald's Big Macs. I don't know why people shop with those two companies, anyway. The latter is sewage on a bun, and the former is over-priced clothing that falls apart within a year.

Further, I don't understand why it's taken as a given that consumerism cannot be coupled with a maintenance of one's heritage.

Is it fair to ask that the people of Tibet maintain their traditional culture without giving them all of the available choices?

It's just as ridiculous as the claim that Wal-Mart is destroying "small-town America," which brings up images of the pretty, little Main Street stores and the local Methodist church and the harmonious community and all of that other bullshit. (For me, it brings up images of anti-abortion protests, religious nutjobs, segregation, hunters shooting furry woodland creatures, and pseudo-patriotism.) If people stopped shopping at Wal-Mart (or McDonald's or whatever other chain), it wouldn't be an issue.

If the traditional culture of Tibet is held to be so important among its people, it will remain important. But people deserve to make their own choices.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 03:46:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Cultural imperialism (4.00 / 3)

well yes and no, Drew... remember that Mall-Wart, B&N and similar chains often run a new store at a loss for 1 to 3 years in order to undercut all local retailer prices and drive the smaller retailers out of biz, then restores prices to their national average. and that the cheapness of their goods is predicated on near-slave labour in estremely undemocratic China...

so the "fairness" with which they compete for the dollars of consumers (who may themselves have been impoverished by the foldup of American manufacturing and the rise of monopoly ag) is dubious. yes, it's short sighted of the locals to cooperate in the pithing of their own state and county and town economies; but the poker game is somewhat rigged as well.

The difference between theory and practise in practise ...

by DeAnander (de_at_daclarke_dot_org) on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:49:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Cultural imperialism (none / 0)

and this reminds me of what, I am told, all con artists understand (a secret of the trade): the sucker wants to be deceived. we know the prices at WalMart are "too good to be true". people commonly collude to some extent in their own deception, which imho doesn't really make grifters and flimflam men any less culpable.

The difference between theory and practise in practise ...

by DeAnander (de_at_daclarke_dot_org) on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:55:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Cultural imperialism (none / 0)

I think it's more of a sign of financial desperation, in many cases, than wanting to be suckered in a con game. People from rural areas, in my admittedly-limited experience, are taking the biggest hit in today's "booming" (hahaha) economy. The coastal cities are doing fine, despite being ground zero for the housing bubble, and they always will, because they're always going to have something to offer the world economy -- if nothing else, a lot of consumers with high levels of education and diversified economies. Life is not so easy for the rural areas of the country.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Wed Mar 1st, 2006 at 08:38:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Cultural imperialism (none / 1)

Much of that is true. I don't disagree, and we desperately need to strengthen our anti-trust laws -- and, more importantly, we need to enforce them, because, after all, laws don't mean anything if they're not enforced -- in small-town and rural areas, because I think it's fairly clear that small markets are much more vulnerable to monopolistic practices.

However, in many cases, Wal-Mart has moved into areas where the manufacturing jobs had already left and the small retailers were not making any money because of the local economy being crippled by the plant moving to China or Mexico.

You'll get no argument from me about the Chinese Communist Party being a brutal regime that promotes slave labor and steals peasants' property. And any group that brags about being the "Heir to Mao" will win no brownie points from me.

But we're just as guilty on that issue, because we're the ones who have promoted trade without promoting worker rights, too. As I said, we shouldn't trade with countries that force children to work and that don't enshrine, for example, the right to organize. (I think "Mall-Wart" -- I love that, by the way; well said -- employees in China recently gained this right by lobbying the managers and the local party official(s), but I may be thinking of another company. Correct me if I'm wrong. If so, at least it's a start, but we need to back them up. If Americans really want the world to love them, as they say they do, they'll start rebuilding their relations by pounding the table on human rights -- starting with China.)

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Wed Mar 1st, 2006 at 08:27:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The Dark Side of Globalization | 91 comments (91 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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