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"Weird shit" like trying to resist to American cultural imperialism? Why is it so "weird" that some countries would like to preserve their language? Or not be

by dudul 11y ago

"Weird shit" like trying to resist to American cultural imperialism? Why is it so "weird" that some countries would like to preserve their language? Or not be dependent on America's Internet? Or GPS? It reminds me of the anti-France campaign when they were working on their own nuclear weapons. America couldn't stand to see another nation work on developing their own nuclear power instead of being just happy to be protected by the US and NATO. Americans like to complain that they have to spend big money to be the world's policeman, but when a country tries to emancipate from American influence it is met with derision.

JoeAltmaier 11y ago
I hear a lot about American 'imperialism' in cultural phenomenon. That seems a strong word. It implies a jack-booted dictator forcing something on the world. What I see is, the success of American cultural behaviors is emulated widely. Folks get upset about this and blame America for its success. Instead of, I don't know, blaming folks for emulating America? If you can even argue that they are 'to blame' for anything.
SwellJoe 11y ago
It is a nationalist behavior and I find nationalism weird. I concede that I say that from a place of privilege, in some regards, because I was born and raised in the US, which also has a number of weird and uncomfortable nationalist traits and behaviors. I also find the behavior of the US distasteful, to say the least. But, that's not the subject here. I believe it is wrong-headed to invent new terminology for something that has a universally recognized meaning. "email" is not American cultural imperialism, it is a powerful democratizing force that serves the whole damned planet. I'm not opposed to efforts to distribute the responsibility and decentralize control over Internet resources, in fact I support them. Inventing an OS from scratch, when there are several international and Open Source or Free operating systems already developed in the most democratic/meritocratic fashion imaginable (with occasional flaws due to human fallibility), is nationalist bullshit and should be made fun of. The kind of thinking that leads to that sort of behavior and attitude deserves nothing but scorn and disdain. I make fun of North Korea, too. "Americans like to complain that they have to spend big money to be the world's policeman, but when a country tries to emancipate from American influence it is met with derision." How did we get here in this conversation?

by dudul 11y ago

JoeAltmaier 11y ago

I hear a lot about American 'imperialism' in cultural phenomenon. That seems a strong word. It implies a jack-booted dictator forcing something on the world. What I see is, the success of American cultural behaviors is emulated widely. Folks get upset about this and blame America for its success. Instead of, I don't know, blaming folks for emulating America? If you can even argue that they are 'to blame' for anything.

SwellJoe 11y ago

It is a nationalist behavior and I find nationalism weird. I concede that I say that from a place of privilege, in some regards, because I was born and raised in the US, which also has a number of weird and uncomfortable nationalist traits and behaviors. I also find the behavior of the US distasteful, to say the least. But, that's not the subject here. I believe it is wrong-headed to invent new terminology for something that has a universally recognized meaning. "email" is not American cultural imperialism, it is a powerful democratizing force that serves the whole damned planet. I'm not opposed to efforts to distribute the responsibility and decentralize control over Internet resources, in fact I support them. Inventing an OS from scratch, when there are several international and Open Source or Free operating systems already developed in the most democratic/meritocratic fashion imaginable (with occasional flaws due to human fallibility), is nationalist bullshit and should be made fun of. The kind of thinking that leads to that sort of behavior and attitude deserves nothing but scorn and disdain. I make fun of North Korea, too. "Americans like to complain that they have to spend big money to be the world's policeman, but when a country tries to emancipate from American influence it is met with derision." How did we get here in this conversation?