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: However, the idea that other local beliefs need to change may threaten people of other cultures. Freedom, Democracy, and Rock ’n’ Roll
The spread of culture works in mysterious ways. Hollywood probably does not actually have a master plan to export the American way of life around the globe and displace local culture, just as American music may not necessarily be a progenitor of democratic government and economic cooperation. Rather, local cultures respond to the outside culture of U.S. media and democracy in many different ways. First of all, media are often much more flexible than believed; the successful exportation of the film Titanic was not an accident in which everyone in the world suddenly wanted to experience movies like an American. Rather, the film’s producers had judged that it would succeed on a world stage just as on a domestic stage. Therefore, in some ways U.S. media have become more widespread, and also more worldwide in focus. It could even be argued that American cultural exports promote intercultural understanding; after all, to sell to a culture, a business must first understand that culture.