The disappearance of other cultures in the world is gradually going up due to overcoming domination of corporate and cultural America. The United States has a big influence on other cultures around the world, in so many aspects, they created and still today maintain a power toward other civilizations, and that is what you call cultural imperialism.
Jonathan Gray wrote in his article Imagining America: The Simpsons Go Global a quote from George Ritzer who is worried that “America will become everyone’s ‘second culture'” and Gray continued by adding ” as we all become citizens of “McDonaldized” planet.
In the images above, we see two different McDonalds’ locations; one is located in China and the other one in Russia. McDonalds is one of the world’s most successful American fast-food exports. McDonalds has more than 32,000 locations in more than 100 countries around the world and serves more than 60 million people around the world per day, according to McDonalds’ website. They have a big audience around the world. Even though they receive so many negative critiques, they remain extremely popular and successful worldwide.
Now, let’s be clear on one thing, the local culture itself may not change completely even with McDonalds’ message, “If you eat like us, you are going to be like us.” The message expressed is that having McDonalds in your country means you are like the Americans: big, successful and powerful. Another example about the message is their famous ad campaign “I’m Lovin It”. This slogan is known worldwide. Behind that ad, McDonalds was trying to persuade its public about how people live in America and their love for McDonalds.
Another example about how people see American influence around the world is Walt Disney. Large American corporations like Walt Disney has become the portrait of American cultural power and essence of Americanization. Walt Disney company enterprises with five business segments, media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interaction media. In all of those aspects, they are known worldwide. Like you can see in the images below you can find Disney parks, resorts, stores and many more everywhere.
(Park in Paris, France)
Gray said “American products were killing other cultures”, and still is. According to Walt Disney’s website, the Disney Store retail chain operates across North America, Europe and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide well-known for their high-quality and exclusive products as they are the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and magazines with over 700 million products sold each year.
I am going to leave you guys with this: can you name one well-known international cartoons/dolls from somewhere else other than America?
References:
Gray, J. (Imagining America: The Simpsons Go Global,) page 129-148
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com
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