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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

u.s.a world pop


I traveled more than 10,000 miles away from home and I run into American pop culture on every corner. I have to wonder if American culture is global culture? In a taxi, Rhianna and Lil Wayne buzz through the airwaves. In a school, kids tell me their favorite films are Twilight and the Fast and the Furious. In a restaurant, coca-cola and hamburgers can be ordered.  In the homes of the locals, American television shows, posters, and books swarm their homes.
            Most surprisingly, when I was talking about celebrating the 4th of July with a friend, I asked him, “Do you know what that is?” and he applied with great annoyance, “Are you serious? Everyone does.” Everyone knows about our Independence Day? Where is this taught? The movies, school, television? George Bush, Obama and Fox News come up in conversations frequently. It is unreal to me, because I am not very educated on other country’s pop culture, much less their politics. Am I culturally limited because I am an American? South Africa has American culture and their own, as well as being fairly educated on other African countries.
            I recently read an article about South Africa’s search for its national identity. Eleven languages, many different ethnic groups, the largest income gap in the world, and diverse cultural influences make it hard to identify themselves as one. South Africa does have its own scene. It is uniquely South Africa’s culture, and when you visit the country, you taste something you never have before. South Africa’s culture has not been processed all over the world like America’s. While the sounds and pictures of American pop culture can be seen, aside from that culture there is something that has stayed within South Africa.
            It isn’t just the pop music that I hear buzzing through the airwaves, but the American underground music as well has channeled it’s way to the radios of students and all those seeking it. Websites like Hypem and SoundCloud are even frequently used.  The internet age has made globalization not only easy, but inevitable. Is American culture so easily duplicated and available that it is the culture you will run into? Without a doubt, I believe that American pop culture is the most recognizable culture in the world, and the most integrated into other cultures. I am not especially proud of this, because with that, bad stereotypes and misrepresentations are generated through out the world. Yet, also it is a common thread you share with someone you have never met when you find something you both enjoy, such as a similar music artist. 




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