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How American Pop Culture Invaded the World.

Christina Kopka

+The United Nations of America? America’s prominence in the global theater has

expanded beyond trade and economic influence; our culture is everywhere

Advances in technology and transportation have lit the fire that is the spread of Americanization.

The multicultural aspect of American allowed an inclusive culture to develop while spreading throughout the world.

“The promise of a particular form of individualization provides the explanation why American popular culture finds so much resonance in other societies where it has taken hold almost without resistance (mostly carried by a young generation trying to escape tradition).” -Winfried Fluck

+Its easy….

W. Fluck uses the example of music to describe the phenomenon of American cultural spread.

“…the shift to the priority of pictures and music created a “universal” language, not limited to a particular community.”

Thus the American culture stuck its foot in the door of the globe and has been expanding ever since.

+America in the Middle East

Mixed levels of acceptance cause conflict between fundamentalists and “secularists”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DentE2ydnMI

+Cultural Conflict… Teenagers are most influenced the most by American

pop culture through shows on channels like MTV Most teens stray away from their traditional Arabic

clothing and language to adopt American styles and phrases

Jeans and Converse are copied rather than traditional clothing

Middle Eastern culture is traditionally conservative but clashes with the “liberal” culture of American tradition.

Traditions taken from America are not necessarily good ones: copy skanky clothing over American Work ethic

+…

This also causes conflict between the traditional older generation and younger “Western” generation

These older generations view these western influences as “ruining” the traditional Middle Eastern Culture

Traced back to western occupation of Egypt (Britain for 72 years)

US culture is not accepted because of bitterness directed at the Iraq War and Israeli involvement

+How America got into Europe American culture became prominent in Europe after

World War II Specifically we began “exporting” our culture during

the Cold War at a time when the Russians were promoting Communism

The Fulbright Exchange Program allowed for a great number of cultural exchanges

The common knowledge of English throughout Europe allowed American television, music, and literature to be widely accepted

+How about now? European teenagers are renewing their identities and

pulling away from the American traditions Many view the American dream as “stereotypical” and are

working to become distinctly “European” Advances from cable television to digital and satellite

transmissions have diversified culture: “Now, we have satellite television and cable stations and video

rentals that allow us to see more things, from many different places. The result is a kind of fragmentation, with the proliferation of styles and music and fashion that are completely different from what you would see in America.” – Michael Collin

+ Although MTV is still a prevalent American staple in European entertainment, it presents European performers to its public

“Europeanization of MTV underscores what some analysts regard as a kind of new cultural fusion, in which pop cultural trends imported from America are increasingly reworked and recast and then replayed, with a distinctive European spin.” – The New York Times

The underground music scene with European teenagers consists of intense techno and “rave” music not prevalently seen in the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD4aBUv8Cgk

+America in Asia

WWII and America’s involvement in countries like Japan opened the door to American pop culture

The recovering Asia picked up on a new, fresh culture offered by America

• Asian culture is prevalent now within the United States

• Currently America is picking up on trends from Asia, specifically Japan

+How the tables are turning

Japan is now a leader in design and technology This is carrying over into the United States in many

ways Manga is a form of Japanese cartoon that is becoming

increasingly popular in the United States Cultural practices such as Tae Kwon Do or Kung Fu are

becoming American household names

+America.

Many nations are beginning to turn on American culture and way of life to pursue their own identities as individual nations

In such a diverse world, many are looking to identify with their culture of origin in a new modern way

Previously, being “modern” was synonymous with being American but now the young generations are inventing new and fresh cultures for themselves based on their own culture

+Works Cited.

http://www.maaber.org/nineth_issue/lookout_8e.htm http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=3&s

id=6a14a142-bafe-4eaf-af40-bba6b59f351b%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=J0E327118943708

http://www.america.gov/st/econ-english/2008/June/20080608094132xjyrreP0.2717859.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/28/world/in-europe-america-s-grip-on-pop-culture-is-fading.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/28/world/in-europe-america-s-grip-on-pop-culture-is-fading.html?pagewanted=2