From Americanization to Globalization
Reading
“Before Elvis there was nothing.”
John Lennon
FROM AMERICANIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION
I
The USA, the country which had been an importer of influences has become in the twentieth century a major exporter of them. The whole world imports products and services from the USA. The majority of the world’s best known celebrities are from the USA. In many areas of life, American popular tastes and attitudes have conquered the world. The United States became the first nation in history to build its way of life. Culturally, Americans are in between “affective” and “neutral” cultures – in some ways they are more open and in other ways they are more reserved. However, the Americans tend to show feelings more, they show how they feel quite openly – when they are happy, or when they are angry. Over 60% would express anger openly in a work or formal situations. The USA is a big democratic country, where the way of life is fast, the food is fast, and thus, the trade mark features of America are the Statue of Liberty, McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Most people spend their holiday in the USA, because it’s so big, and there are so many spectacular places to visit. Besides, the Americans go to the movies a lot. In the 1920s American movies filled the cinema screens of the world. Most were made in Hollywood. By the 1920s it had become the film-making capital of the world. Hollywood movies were made by large companies called studios. The men who ran these studios were businessmen and their main aim was to make as much money as possible. They soon found that one way to do this was to standardize their films. The actors were turned into “stars”. A famous star could make any movie a certain success, so the studios went to great legends to make their actors into stars. They encouraged fan magazines. The movies of the 1920s were silent. They spoke in pictures, not words, and so their language was international. All over the world, from Berlin to Tokyo, from London to Buenos
“Before Elvis there was nothing.”
John Lennon
FROM AMERICANIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION
I
The USA, the country which had been an importer of influences has become in the twentieth century a major exporter of them. The whole world imports products and services from the USA. The majority of the world’s best known celebrities are from the USA. In many areas of life, American popular tastes and attitudes have conquered the world. The United States became the first nation in history to build its way of life. Culturally, Americans are in between “affective” and “neutral” cultures – in some ways they are more open and in other ways they are more reserved. However, the Americans tend to show feelings more, they show how they feel quite openly – when they are happy, or when they are angry. Over 60% would express anger openly in a work or formal situations. The USA is a big democratic country, where the way of life is fast, the food is fast, and thus, the trade mark features of America are the Statue of Liberty, McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Most people spend their holiday in the USA, because it’s so big, and there are so many spectacular places to visit. Besides, the Americans go to the movies a lot. In the 1920s American movies filled the cinema screens of the world. Most were made in Hollywood. By the 1920s it had become the film-making capital of the world. Hollywood movies were made by large companies called studios. The men who ran these studios were businessmen and their main aim was to make as much money as possible. They soon found that one way to do this was to standardize their films. The actors were turned into “stars”. A famous star could make any movie a certain success, so the studios went to great legends to make their actors into stars. They encouraged fan magazines. The movies of the 1920s were silent. They spoke in pictures, not words, and so their language was international. All over the world, from Berlin to Tokyo, from London to Buenos