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In lugnet.loc.au, Lindsay Frederick Braun writes:
>
>
> Bruce Schlickbernd wrote:
>
> > In lugnet.loc.au, David Low writes:
> > > In lugnet.loc.au, Benjamin Whytcross writes:
> > > > Strange isn't it how 'international' now seems to mean 'US and maybe
> > > > elsewhere if you're lucky', isnt it.
> > > >
> > > > [Maybe it's the way I was brought up, but I can't stand the way that
> > > > american spelling [and culture (or lack of :) )] is replacing the • Australian
> > > > [and probably most other nations]].
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > <snip>
> > > > > As a whinging pom, I don't feel particularly 'alienated' by US • references
> > > > > though, how about you Aussies? :)
> > >
> > >
> > > The main reason we don't feel alienated by US cultural dominance is because
> > > we're raised on it. When 75% of our world view comes from America, and has
> > > done so for the past couple of generations, it's not surprising that we are
> > > fairly comfortable with their culture -- even if our own perspective is
> > > narrowed as a consequence. For a brilliant exposition of the Australian
> > > postcolonial predicament read "The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith" by Peter
> > > Carey (the guy who wrote "Oscar and Lucinda").
> > >
> > > On the other hand America gives us:
> > > a) some measure of military security (allegedly)
> > > b) technology like Lugnet
> > > c) some worthwhile entertainment
> > >
> > > Still, I'm not sure how deeply we want to go into geopolitics, when we can • be
> > > distracted by a cool (non-American) toy.
> >
> > Ahhhhh! Cultural imperialism. It's good to be king! Now forgive me while • I
> > drive home in my Mazda and play Nintendo games on my Panasonic TV and play
> > Pokemon cards with my son. :-O
>
> That's the root of my rant about Americanism--it's actually a hybrid culture
> that's gravitated towards the US because of economic power and demographic
> strength. The insidious part of Americanism is actually its functioning--its
> corporatist nature. 'Tis not the Americanisation to me, 'tis the • Disneyfication
> that's new. Americanisation has been around since the 1890s, after all--the • idea
> that the new and odd is American, but the traditional and wholesome is • entirely
> home-grown. The equations both that American=New/Alien and
> American=Degenerate/Inferior is a venerable bugaboo.
Ummmmm, I was indicating that while the rest of the world screams about
Americanization and Cultural Imperialism (Don't Buy Our Stuff if that's a
problem, so kindly blame yourselves - gosh, it's enough to turn me into a
Libertarian) other cultures affect us (U.S.), too. America is perhaps the
weirdest country on the planet since it's mostly borrowings from other
cultures.
>
> And, of course, calling it "Americanization" makes it an easy target for local
> conservative nationalists (witness France). It's much harder to admit one's • own
> people's complicity in its creation and advancement.
Penis envy. :-)
I love the french: great food, great painters, great thinkers, great scientists
but what a nation of whiners! Ah, gotta add that: great wine.
>
> By the way, for the .au folks, have you heard any of these awful "Outback
> Steakhouse" commercials they have up here in the eastern US? The supposed
> "essence" of Australia--Paul Hogan, wallabies, and Men at Work, mostly--has • been
> canned and parleyed into a good-sized STOW-restaurant (STOW=Stuff* Tacked On
> Walls) empire up here. It's depressing, and IIRC it was started by an • Australian
> emigre catering to US myths about Australia. Perhaps it's indicative that • there
> aren't any in Australia, but there's one in Guam and a bunch on the Pacific
> Rim--and they have a partnership with NASCAR, a US stock-car racing syndicate
> usually associated with country bumpkins.
Outback is Out West, too.
>
> http://www.outback.com
>
> I weep for the future.
Why? This is annoying stuff, hardly something to weep over.
Bruce
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Pax Americana
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| (...) The dominant economic power of the time will be subject to 'osmosis',the flow is always both ways. People of surrounding/less economically strong countries will always attempt to migrate to the stronger culture, while the goods flow out. The (...) (25 years ago, 4-May-00, to lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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