How real is cultural imperalism?

That question isn't limited to imported media. If we use the domination of culture by some actors, "cultural imperialism" happens inside a culture just as much as between them. I would even argue that we have more freedom now in what kind of media we consume than ever before. If you're just limited to stuff from your own culture you cannot decide at all.

I'm a Chinese-Malaysian as well, however I do believe cultural imperialism exists in some way or another. The mechanism of such isn't exactly simple.

First, there's UN's various charters and the like. Most of them are based on western values and seldom takes eastern values into account. When they are passed, most nations would ratify them. With that, western values would certainly replace local ones at one extent or another. This is one way of cultural imperialism can be done directly by governments.

Second, commercial cultural exports does not export only goods, but also values that carried within them. However, in this case, it only works if the people are affected.

Finally, foreign exposure of foreign culture. When it comes to tourists, students, foreign workers and the like, they will get exposed with foreign culture and likely to blend into it. When they return, they will bring said culture back and influence others. Again, this only works if there are people affected this way.

These mechanisms are reasons some "public figures" are advocating to be critical to foreign stuff. While this is true, I'd say that local material is not so different.

Care to elaborate with the 'western and eastern values'? I'm curious.

I'm baaaaaaack

From what I know, the west tends to value individualism, getting things done yourself and equality, while the east tends to value humility, the greater good and being a part of a group where everyone helps everyone else.

Well, there's a lot more overlap than you'd think.

The West, for example, isn't as individualistic as most people would believe. The main difference is that we outwardly reject a hierarchy while subconsciously believing in one, and our closest equivalent to the Asian concept of "losing face" is "dependability", which serves roughly the same purpose.

edited 20th Mar '14 1:39:36 PM by KingZeal

Yea, I really don't think we're as different as people like to say. While western culture is sometimes more individualistic, we readily form factions and groups. Ands I'd say we still follow the whole losing face thing. People always want to have the last word, and being proven wrong often seen as a insult. No one wants to admit they were wrong ever.

I'm baaaaaaack

I'd be a lot more sympathetic to the view that Western conceptions of human rights pervade the UDHR and UN Charter if it wasn't an argument very often used by repressive governments to justify their policies. China, for instance, loves it, as does North Korea. It sees to me that - say - freedom from torture or the right to vote are pretty universal.

Also, there's quite a few economic rights in the UDHR; most notably Article 23 (the right to work), Article 25 (the right to "a standard of living adequate for one's health"), and Article 26 (the right to free elementary education). What are economic rights if not rubrics for assessing the performance of a given society?

Schild und Schwert der Partei

Thank you for summarizing why I'm disillusioned with "eastern values". I suppose hearing that women are at fault for getting raped, that liberalism is the Anti-Prophet (even when creating a liberal society is part of Vision 2020) and a holier-than-thou by the day society tends to do that to a person. Whenever there's Values Dissonance, it's always "West wrong, East right" when we have anything but the moral high ground. If anyone does.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot

And it's not like all people in the West (or all in the East) agree on one set of values either. Libertarianism and Communism are both Western ideas. As are Fascism and Anarchism. There's no such thing as a fixed set of Western values because "the West" isn't a monolithic block.

These would also be Christian values, for example.

While officially following an ideology that originated in Europe.

It's just an easy way to discredit an idea you don't like by associating it with filthy foreigners.

I would add there are differences of values within each of those philosophies — there are several forms of each, which vary according to time and location and faction, and that's without even getting into Anarchism.

The "not made here" view?

edited 21st Mar '14 6:44:52 AM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On

Never heard of that before.

But it's not restricted to eastern nations. Right wingers from everywhere like to do that. The Swiss Peoples Party likes to discredit the European Human Rights Court (of which we're a member) decisions as foreign meddlers. The Republicans discredit Obamacare as "European Socialism". Not to mention that every leftwing party and movement was discredited as Soviet puppets during the Cold War. It's a tactic used to deflect criticism without engaging it. And it's always done by those with power who like to keep inequalities. If your only cricicsm about an idea is, that it's foreign it means you have no arguments against it.

If I may backtrack the conversation a bit, I'd like to address morals for a bit. Here's the post I'm referencing.

I think that that's kinda an instinctual thing. People argue whether it's the will of god, or just favored by nature, but I can't think of a single culture where that wasn't the majority view(they just have different opinion on who is people). There are certainly people who don't follow the "helping is good" view, but at the same time there are also people who think murder is good, and i don't think anyone would say we don't have an anti murder instinct.

Steering back on topic, there is of course the question of how sacred different values are. For example, foreign powers often suppress a lot of decent or morally ambiguous cultural practices, yet on the other hand,I think that many suppressed aspects of certain cultures that no sane man would defend.

the issue in the past century or two, and sometimes even today was what is the difference between cultural imperialism and regular law enforcement.

edited 21st Apr '14 8:34:11 PM by iamnotausername

In regards to Japan and it's cultural values, I refer you to these two posts on a particular blog:

http://swirlymuffins.blogspot.com/2012/09/conformity-in-japan-good-bad-and-ugly.html?m=1

http://swirlymuffins.blogspot.com/2012/09/conformity-in-japan-good-bad-and-ugly_25.html?m=1

If you read that, you'll see a lot of overlap: in particular, the second link gives a good example of blame-shifting and tone argument, which I see a lot in America as well. But what makes it interesting is how it relates to the overall context of Japan and their desire to maintain a uniform society and culture.

I don't know, I've seen those arguments put forward plenty of times by Internet Atheists.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

I have been on the bus with enough drunk bogans yelling at the Chinese/Indian/Arab/Afghani bus driver to know that the second one most certainly exists.

I'm having to learn to pay the price

Here in America I constantly hear the second part.

The American Exceptionalism bullshit is alive and well

Oh really when?

Most, if not all, cultures have that notion to some extent.