Title: 13.7 Cultural Imperialism – Understanding Media and Culture
Headings: 13.7 Cultural Imperialism
13.7 Cultural Imperialism
Learning Objectives
Cultural Hegemony
Spreading American Tastes Through McDonaldization
McDonaldizing Media
Cultural Imperialism, Resentment, and Terrorism
Freedom, Democracy, and Rock ’n’ Roll
Key Takeaways
Exercises
End-of-Chapter Assessment
Critical Thinking Questions
Career Connection
References

Content: Western styles—“newfangled delights like nylon stockings, pierced ears and eye shadow”—also began to replace the austere blue tunics of Mao-era China. The pervasiveness of cultural influence is difficult to track, however, as the young Chinese woman says that she wanted to have the surgery not because of Western looks but because “she thinks they are pretty (Kristof, 1987).” Cultural Imperialism, Resentment, and Terrorism
Figure 13.7
After September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush framed the issue of terrorism as a cultural conflict as much as a military one. Wikimedia Commons – public domain. Not everyone views the spread of American tastes as a negative occurrence. During the early 21st century, much of the United States’s foreign policy stemmed from the idea that spreading freedom, democracy, and free-market capitalism through cultural influence around the world could cause hostile countries such as Iraq to adopt American ways of living and join the United States in the fight against global terrorism and tyranny. Although this plan did not succeed as hoped, it raises the question of whether Americans should truly be concerned about spreading their cultural system if they believe that it is an ideal one. Speaking after the attacks of September 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush presented two simple ideas to the U.S. populace: “ They [terrorists] hate our freedoms,” and “Go shopping (Bush, 2001).” These twin ideals of personal freedom and economic activity are often held up as the prime exports of American culture.