←back to thread

231 points rntn | 7 comments | | HN request time: 0.904s | source | bottom
Show context
ghusto ◴[] No.35413937[source]
On the one hand: If your culture needs a preservation movement, it's not a culture, but a relic. Culture is defined by people, not some sacred thing that needs to be preserved. How much of the Italian cuisine they're trying to protect would exist if they had the same attitude in the 1500s, when the tomato was introduced to Italy?

On the other hand: I think countries should resist global cultural homogenisation. No offence meant to the Americans here, but I detest the exportation of American culture to Europe. I don't mean music and films, but rather the way of thinking about the world. I suspect this is where things like these proposals are coming from; it's the pendulum swing reaching too far before it settles in the middle.

replies(32): >>35414043 #>>35414075 #>>35414127 #>>35414167 #>>35414291 #>>35414385 #>>35414431 #>>35414591 #>>35414663 #>>35415031 #>>35415085 #>>35415093 #>>35415238 #>>35415252 #>>35415290 #>>35415487 #>>35415830 #>>35416551 #>>35416584 #>>35416958 #>>35417161 #>>35417310 #>>35417602 #>>35417643 #>>35418726 #>>35418735 #>>35418854 #>>35419182 #>>35419235 #>>35419782 #>>35419908 #>>35421649 #
1. wizofaus ◴[] No.35415093[source]
The music and films are a big part of what conveys the American way of thinking about the world surely? I'll only genuinely start worrying about the Americanisation of world if the US somehow starts successfully exporting its insane attitudes towards guns, women's bodies and universal healthcare. Oh, and imperial units...
replies(2): >>35415136 #>>35416981 #
2. mihaic ◴[] No.35415136[source]
The US has managed to export significant parts of its political discourse in places where it makes no sense to have those discussions, simply by controlling global news. I think you underestimate how much this is.
replies(1): >>35420587 #
3. rrrrrrrrrrrryan ◴[] No.35416981[source]
It's hard for me to imagine guns or imperial units catching on any time soon (to be fair, we didn't invent imperial units!), but I would not be too surprised if some European nations start slowly privatizing bits of their healthcare systems. The profit motive is sneaky and creeps in slowly. Usually it starts by capturing the hearts and minds of those in power.

And regarding attitudes toward women's bodies, one only needs to visit any beach in southern Spain and count up the topless women to notice those values are already Americanizing.

replies(1): >>35419400 #
4. wizofaus ◴[] No.35419400[source]
Not sure I understand your last point at all - aside from the fact I was purely referring to women's rights to make medical decisions involving their own bodies (even life saving ones), I would have thought toplessness was typically considered far less acceptable in the US than in most of Europe...
replies(1): >>35420283 #
5. rrrrrrrrrrrryan ◴[] No.35420283{3}[source]
Yes, much fewer Spanish women go topless on the beach today compared to just 20 years ago.
6. revelio ◴[] No.35420587[source]
They don't control global news. How many people watch Fox or CNN outside the USA?

The actual way this gets exported is via the HR firms and executive picks of American corporations. That then affects the funding of movies, TV shows, video games and everything downstream of that.

replies(1): >>35421227 #
7. GoblinSlayer ◴[] No.35421227{3}[source]
Facebook is global news.