The Impact of Globalization and Global Culture - Essay Example

Journal Response Question: Western World Our world has become dominated by a single culture, more specifically, the culture of the west. I believe this to be true because in almost all corners of the world – from the most advanced societies, to the developing countries, we can find atleast one sign of the western culture. As illustrated by the essay “Western World,” many Western products have pervaded societies and cultures around the world. There are McDonalds stores in almost all countries; there are also Star Bucks and Wal-Mart stores in countries aside from the United States. And the Western culture often seen in these stores are applied and practiced in other countries, even if the culture violates or is not the norm in the country where the stores are installed. The article mentions how ordering food in a McDonalds’ chain in China has managed to create controversy in a country where children do not usually order food on their own. Ordering coffee on the go in Star Bucks outlets in Italy has also threatened the norm among Italians of lingering over coffee and chatting with friends and family over a cup of coffee. Other Western practices have managed to pervade other countries – from movies to fashion to music. And with these practices seen around the world, I do believe that the world has become dominated by one culture – the western culture. I have also noticed how, in the youth population of some countries, the culture of the West has become very influential. The MTV culture that even Americans thought was peculiarly American has managed to pervade other countries like those in Asia. In the news, we sometimes see images of Chinese or Japanese youth dyeing their hair blond, trying to look like American celebrities they idolize. We hear of hip-hop artists in China, Indonesia, and Japan. And when many of our celebrities visit these countries, the reception is very much like the reception here in the US. Their music and movies are known, are shown, and are patronized in these countries. Just like in the United States, these foreign fans also take on the fanatic attitudes American fans display towards their celebrities – that of trying to look like these celebrities and trying to emulate what they do onscreen and on the stage. Global culture is defined by Robertson (as cited by Franklin, Lury, & Stacy, p. 15) as “the compression of the scale of the world into a more uniform and graspable unit…and the intensification of a consciousness of the world as a whole.” It refers to the symbolic act of having a more common culture shared by different countries. Global culture in this essay also refers to globalization and global consciousness. It refers to a world having a united front, with fewer barriers and boundaries between countries in the cultural sense. The west is playing major roles in influencing the cultures of the world in the sense that it makes its presence known in these countries and it somehow creates the scenario wherein citizens in other countries actually believe that their culture is inferior to the western culture. The West, especially the United States, is still considered the most powerful country in the world and most of their products are often regarded with reverence. The Chinese or Japanese seeing a McDonald’s outlet in their country is certainly one of those revered things. And for those who are in the younger generations, they patronize western products and often discard their own in favor of the ‘cooler’ American culture and products. Globalization operates by pervading all corners of the globe through products and services. The exchange of products is often a mutual thing. Just as western products and services reach other parts of the globe, other products from other countries are also marketed in the Western nations. This implies not just a process of trade and exchange of goods, but an exchange of culture as well. Globalization pervades all corners of the globe by allowing different languages and cultures to be seen and heard in almost all parts of the globe. One Ku (Cool) Language for All I am inclined to believe in the claims of the ‘One Ku (Cool) Language for All.’ There will indeed come a time in the future when we would all be speaking in one tongue; however, this would not mean that we would be sharing one common culture as well. I do believe that as we would be adapting one common language, our inclination for a common culture would not be so extensive. Nevertheless, I do believe that the English language is the language which would most likely gain ground in achieving universality in language. The English language has managed to permeate many countries because of the introduction of computer-based technology and telecommunications considering that these innovations are mostly marketed in the English language. International trade and business is usually carried out in English. Since many of the major players in the global economy are Western and English speaking nations, other countries are making adjustments in their language, trying to assimilate and learn the English language in order to be at par with the other major economies of the world. The English language is also slowly managing to gain the status of a global language because in some countries, many of its words have been incorporated into their native languages. In Japan, “Katakana” words or trendy words are heard among Japan’s youth and these languages have managed to infiltrate their fashion, food, music, and popular culture. English words are borrowed and their pronunciations changed in order to make them sound Japanese or Nihongo. An example is the word hip-hugging, which is ‘Hippu hangu’ in Japanese; the word shado, which translates to eye shadow; raiba intenshiba for labor intensive; negoshiashon for negotiations; sutoresu for stress; ais kiriimu for ice cream; rajio for radio; conputaa for computer; and supootsu for sports. Most of these words are modern and have been formulated based on the modern technologies introduced to the world. It is therefore not very much surprising that there are no native languages which can be used to translate these words. However, even as these words have already infiltrated much of our culture, this does not necessarily mean that the unique culture of the people in different countries is being relinquished. It just means that most people recognize the need for people to learn one common language in which to carry out their transactions. In a way, this is giving birth to the acceptance of a multilingual world which knows how to speak one common language which is English. The Global Policy forum is a unit of the United Nations which sets forth information on the impact of globalization and the global culture on the different citizens of the world. Katakana words, as was previously mentioned are trendy words in Japanese which are used by the younger generations of Japanese. Globalization in most societies translates to Westernization; where products and services which are distinctively from the West are seen and are manifest in different parts of the globe. But it also works vice versa. Globalization is the process of unifying products, trades, and services into one comprehensible whole. Global players refer to the major players in the economy. This includes the Western developed countries and the now emerging nations of Asia, like China and India. Xinxin renlei are the youths in China who are well-versed in the current globalization trends and practices. They are the ‘new human kind’ and are well-schooled in computers and technical knowledge. They are highly competent in the globalized world. The world has become smaller and smaller in terms of how the people have come to share common cultures, economies, businesses, and technology, that the world has practically become one global village. I would use these terms for an essay on the topic: ‘English as a Global Language’ by demonstrating how these terms prove that English has become a global language. In all these terms, there seems to be one common denominator binding them all and making transactions comprehensible, and that is the English language. Works Cited Franklin, S., Lucy, C., Stacey, J. “Global nature, global culture.” (2000) California: Sage Publishers One Ku (Cool) Language for All Western World? Read More