The Permeation of American Culture All over the World - Essay Example

Today, one of the most controversial topics related to globalization is the permeation of American culture all over the world through the exponential growth in communication transport, and mass media as well as visitors to and from America. In my country, and indeed many other countries in the world, aspects of American culture have been and continue to be acquired and get integrated as parts of our own culture mostly this is through mass media in music and movies, as well as social networks. These include positive philosophies like the belief in their rights, and patriotism as well as negative aspects such as popular drug and substance abuse and certain hedonistic elements, especially about youths and sex. In this paper, I will discuss aspects of American culture that I would like to have acquired in my country as well as those I hope will never become part of my country's culture.

World over, Americans are known for agitating for their rights, and I believe that having citizens aware and understanding their rights is something from which my country can benefit. The nationalism of the American people is another admirable attribute of the American culture they are very patriotic, and this is evident in their music and from the mass media, especially through political campaigns. The success of songs like Springsteen’s Born in the USA and Kanye’s American Boy is a tribute to the high levels of patriotism in the USA (Hilker). The political campaigns are the embodiment of nationalism and the leaders often deal with people-centered issues such as health and economic growth.

Nonetheless, I consider some negative aspects of American culture undesirable, and I would hope they do not become a part of my country's culture. One of these is the casual way in which the youth seem to treat the subject of drugs, especially Marijuana in many American movies such as American, pie, and more recently, “Harold and Kumar”. Some of the characters are seen smoking weed “as a matter of course and despite the underlying awareness that it is illegal, people rarely seem to get punished for doing this.
The sexual themes and nudity in many American movies are a representation of a level of hedonism that is also embodied in many of the teen-targeting movies and pop songs. Often, the main and popular characters are depicted as sexually active and at times with many partners who appear to contribute to their popularity. These, and other related aspects of American culture are already causing a myriad of problems in America and I hope they do not also permeate my country’s culture.

Ultimately, bearing in mind that a considerable amount of information from the internet and mass media is from or about America as well as the number of tourist vesting to and from the world’s greatest democracy it is unequivocal that the spread of America’s culture is rapidly spreading further afield every day. However, I find it crucial that other cultures, such as my own, be wary so that they welcome the good aspects and discourage the negative ones. Read More