The Global Reach of American Culture: Media, Trade, and Societal Impact

Assessment Codes

B, D, D, A, C, B, D, D, A, B

Globalization and American Values

Colonial Globalization and Free Trade

Colonial globalization promotes American values through free trade. It represents the dark side of free trade in colonial history, where capitalist countries consistently seek cheap labor and control over resources.

Key Concepts in Media and Entertainment

The Paramount Decision

The Paramount Decision was a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandated film studios sell their theater chains, regulating vertical integration within the industry.

Synergy in Entertainment

Synergy refers to the vertical and horizontal integration of entertainment companies and the products they market. For example, Pepsi's involvement in various entertainment ventures.

Major Media Conglomerates

The 'Big 7' (though the list provided only includes four) include major players like Disney, Sony, Time Warner, and Comcast.

Defining American Public Culture

Core Characteristics of Civic Culture

Characteristics of American public culture include tolerance, liberty, democracy, individualism, and political equality. These characteristics cumulatively constitute a civic culture for Americans, making American culture often termed 'civic'.

Concerns Regarding American Popular Culture

Three Major Concerns

• Cultural Corruption: The belief that people will lose their traditional values, viewing popular culture as anti-enlightenment.
• Cultural Imperialism: The clash of cultures, where one culture pushes back against another, often leading to a 'clash of civilizations'.
• Cultural Homogenization (McDonaldization): A fear that everyone will become part of consumer capitalism, leading to a corporate culture where individuality is diminished.

Common Formulas in American Entertainment

Recurring Themes and Portrayals

• Use of American English: A prevalent feature.
• Happy Endings: A remarkable feature of American entertainment.
• Morality of Violence: American popular culture is remarkably violent, often exploring the morality surrounding it.
• Sex and Sexual Freedom: Portrayal of significant sexual freedom.
• Nuclear Family Forms: Three common forms:
  • Father holds the family together.
  • Dysfunctional families.
  • Strong woman stereotypes (e.g., Latinas often portrayed as sexual objects of men).

The Role of Franchises in Global Culture

Spreading American Brand Identity

Franchises play a significant role in spreading American culture and brand identity, helping it become a global phenomenon. They serve as powerful marketing tools, fostering brand identities and surrounding subcultures.

Understanding Cultural Change

Three Types of Cultural Transformation

These types of cultural change can happen simultaneously within a culture:

• Pattern-Maintaining Change: Occurs when new technologies, ideas, or values enter a culture and are integrated into its existing framework (e.g., the automobile's integration).
• Change Towards Flexibility: May lead society and culture to become more differentiated.
• Cultural Disruption: Undermines established social and cultural structures if changes happen too rapidly.

Historical and Ideological Influences

Brief Mentions

• Ecclesiastical Influence: Latin, influenced by the Catholic Church and Roman Empire.
• Political Ideologies: Marxist-Leninism.