How American Pop Culture Invaded the World.

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&sid=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

How American Pop Culture Invaded the World.