Why does globalization of popular culture cause problems? Chapter 4 Section 4

Threat to Folk Culture As pop culture spreads, folk cultures are influenced Very few people are completely isolated today Economics drives most of this Other reasons: curiosity, humanitarian aid, etc… People fear culture loss- it has been a renewed campaign to preserve these groups in the past 50 years Most of the time, it is very one-sided: within MDCs and from MDCs to LDCs, although it is sometimes trendy to study/acquire parts of folk culture

Problems Loss of traditional values (geisha in Japan) Clothing (western wear in the Middle East) Language (the Bo in India, spread of English) Religion (Jihad to preserve Islam) Way of living (TV in Bhutan) Livelihood (fewer farmers in America) Changing roles (women in other countries- women in Afghanistan after the removal of the Taliban)

Problems Media imperialism (US media dominates) Art (Japanese artist singing “Welcome to the Jungle” News/Knowledge control Environmental impact (destruction of Amazon rainforest) Uniform landscapes (concrete jungle) Health problems? (fast food) Loss of morals? (Baywatch morality?) Increased demand for resources/land

Problems Pollution Run-off Inequality in access MDC dominance Blending Is this all bad? Is this all good? Should we care? What has changed over your lifespan so far?

Problems Golf courses- very popular, spread from Great Britain to the rest of the world, require lots of land, special grass, manipulation of the lay of land, lots of pesticides and maintenance) Good stuff? Bad stuff?