So... economic imperialism is a crime, but cultural imperialism is all righteous and stuff. Let's claim that they have some WMDs squirreled away somewhere and start bombing right now.
Our own family is in desperate trouble, so let's start peering though the blinds and criticizing the neighbors. That'll make us feel better! And let's destroy the environment a little more while we're at it, all in the name of what's good and right.
Have you seen the nonstop flow of ads in our country convincing women that they're somehow fundamentally flawed unless they buy a heap of poisonous, animal-torturing cosmetics, have surgeons carve their bodies up like roasts and rearrange them so that they're in line with fleeting cultural standards, and pay for the latest, trendy weight-loss regimens? Ladies, you're nothing unless you're perpetually in your early twenties.
Some guy long ago said something about he who is without sin casting the first stone. Remember Him? His name is not just a magic word for drawing attention to your political campaign.
Pardon me, but such crass moral posturing deserves no tolerance. As the Buddha would have it, I appreciate the suffering of the perpetrators. That doesn't justify the crime though.
Showing posts with label cultural imperialism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cultural imperialism. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
'Tis the Season to Be Scary in... Hong Kong?
I guess Labor Day is to Halloween what Thanksgiving is to the Christmas season nowadays, since promos are starting to trickle in. This just showed up on Hong Kong Disneyland's Facebook page, and I have to admit, it took me by surprise. I really never thought I'd see or hear anything like Western spookiness in Chinese.
It's the Circle K logo that seems the most unsettling to me. Have we really placed convenience stores there?
Living in the middle of a great empire is an amazing thing, isn't it? Disturbing and fascinating, and yes, since beauty is a morally-neutral business, admittedly attractive. This seems like a tepid and somewhat puzzling interpretation of the holiday to me though. I wish I knew someone who could explain to me to just how much it's been adapted to Eastern culture, if at all. That woman looks kinda J-Horror, I think.
Here's a parade and other stuff from a few years back, with some characters that are perhaps more familiar. It was selected especially for your delectation, you decadent child of empire you.
It's interesting to note that recently-created characters are prominent in their promos. I know little about it, but I'm guessing that Disney's popularity in Asia is directly proportional to the continent's recent financial growth. I can't picture Chairman Mao as a big fan of the Aristocats anyhow.
Someone must love Stitch, or a whole lot of someones, since he's been placed front-and-center more than once. I'll have to get a bit pre-Labor-Day to show you.
If you're an American, you have a part in this somehow. Just amazing, that's all. Now go drink some coffee, eat some refined sugar, drink some rum, meditate on these early symbols of global capitalism, and consider where you sit right now. It won't last forever. Bum bum bum bummmmm!
It's the Circle K logo that seems the most unsettling to me. Have we really placed convenience stores there?
Living in the middle of a great empire is an amazing thing, isn't it? Disturbing and fascinating, and yes, since beauty is a morally-neutral business, admittedly attractive. This seems like a tepid and somewhat puzzling interpretation of the holiday to me though. I wish I knew someone who could explain to me to just how much it's been adapted to Eastern culture, if at all. That woman looks kinda J-Horror, I think.
Here's a parade and other stuff from a few years back, with some characters that are perhaps more familiar. It was selected especially for your delectation, you decadent child of empire you.
It's interesting to note that recently-created characters are prominent in their promos. I know little about it, but I'm guessing that Disney's popularity in Asia is directly proportional to the continent's recent financial growth. I can't picture Chairman Mao as a big fan of the Aristocats anyhow.
Someone must love Stitch, or a whole lot of someones, since he's been placed front-and-center more than once. I'll have to get a bit pre-Labor-Day to show you.
If you're an American, you have a part in this somehow. Just amazing, that's all. Now go drink some coffee, eat some refined sugar, drink some rum, meditate on these early symbols of global capitalism, and consider where you sit right now. It won't last forever. Bum bum bum bummmmm!
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