Is American Culture Being Overwhelmed By Foreign Cultures?

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by Velociryx
Neither is TV, Patty Cakes. Neither is TV.

-=Vel=-

TV = the box, sure...

[Bereta_Eder]

BTw, versomething, this is not to "discard" everything american BY ANY MEANS!


Just the mass culture products.

[Velociryx]

So...if a group of Germans identify themselves heavily with the fine autos they make, then that would be acceptable (I mean, to "culturally protect" the auto industry, yes?).

The problem is, you can easily make excuses for ANYTHING and protect it as a "cultural treasure."

How 'bout just competing? It's not hard....

-=Vel=-

[Adalbertus]

Maybe, but we'd never admit it.

Neither the Dutch (except in their national anthem)

[Bereta_Eder]

to compete you have to have fair ground, if it's not, you make it so.

And that's not hard either.

I'd think you understood it by now.

[Bereta_Eder]

also i think what France did is or should be the last resort.

Not that it was "bad" but it was drastic.

greek radio plays 80% greek music, there isnt even a question of doing what france did.

i myself like other kinds of music though. and i love many of the american bands.


on a side note but relevant,

I like the french institution of accomodation of foreign technological terms though, i think it belongs tot he french academy?

puts some order into things.

i'd like to see that in greece too.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Velociryx
So...if a group of Germans identify themselves heavily with the fine autos they make, then that would be acceptable (I mean, to "culturally protect" the auto industry, yes?).

Nope because "big autos" can be made anywhere, even though the best originate obviously from Germany OTOH, German speaking programs, which use references very specific to the German culture (the same way "banana" is a reference very specific to the Apolyton culture), are only productible in Germany. As such, culture isn't an industrial good like the others. That's what the Yanks never manage to understand in trade negociations.

The problem is, you can easily make excuses for ANYTHING and protect it as a "cultural treasure."

Indeed, it can be misused. It doesn't mean that it should be used when it is right to do so. In the case of French music, it is perfectly legitimate to talk about a cultural thing.

How 'bout just competing? It's not hard....

Same as before: Cultural goods and services do not follow a purely economic logic and should not be dealt with in a purely economic fashion
Gosh, how many times should I repeat it ?

[Velociryx]

Big companies have weaknesses that can be easily exploited by smaller, nimbler, indigenous companies.

We see it every day in action here. Is it so different there that this could not work for you as well?

Big, monolithic agencies move like sloths. I still say that if you want to support local artists, then support local artists! A Federally mandated law which blocks other forms of entertainment and FORCES you to look locally is certainly one solution, but it is not the best solution, for reasons that should be painfully obvious.

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Spiff, I'm not ignoring you, I just don't agree.

If there's local musical talent available, and "american imports" available at the same time, and everybody in France CHOOSES to pay money for the American stuff, leaving the French artists to wither, then....I would say that's because the French people are voting with their wallets and choosing what they would rather hear.

If they wanted to, they could just as easily go support the local music scene. We do that here, and our countries are not so different. Yet, we are in no danger of having our music be "washed away" by French music, or German, or the music of any other nation (and yes, even in the heart of Dixie I can put my hands on any number of CD's from Europe)

-=Vel=-

[Bereta_Eder]

to make a local TV program you need 100 euros.

To rent one from the US you need 10 euros.

Do the math, the chanels choose based on this primarily.



now the WHY american program is 10 euros?

beause the US has most of the mass media outlets. = unfair competition, remedy just around the corner


and of course this wouldnt be a problem if the reasons i explained didnt exist.


but mass culture producst will alwways be blunt and harmful and in order to have global "penetration" yopu need to be a mass cultureprogram.


it's a vicious circle really, so there isnt even a questionof what must be done

[Adalbertus]

There is a somewhat different problem for culture in a free market. Free market exaggerates. So if the demand in a given country is 60% American, 30% French, and 10% German music, market will produce 90% American, 9% French, and 1% German music, because every vendor tries to get something of the big cake. (As an example: To get at least some attention, most German pop bands sing English, with all the horrible consequences regarding pronounciation. If you can't beat a language, corrupt it .)

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by Velociryx
If they wanted to, they could just as easily go support the local music scene. We do that here, and our countries are not so different. Yet, we are in no danger of having our music be "washed away" by French music, or German, or the music of any other nation (and yes, even in the heart of Dixie I can put my hands on any number of CD's from Europe)

-=Vel=-

and how many german or french songs do you hear a day on your radio?


germany and france dont possess the same amoutn of mass cultural outlets and networks that you do, hence the unfair competition which renders your "voting by the wallet" argument void.

[Velociryx]

:: shrug:: have it your way. If that is what you believe, then am obviously not the one to convince you otherwise.

(still doesn't make you right tho)

-=Vel=-

[Bereta_Eder]

I'm afraid that's just the way it is.

[Velociryx]

Spiff: I disagree. True, I don't hear any French/German bands on the radio (tho a fair number of Latino ones....proximity, I guess). However, if I want to hear a local band, it's as easy as a trip to a local nightclub.

You guys have local nightclubs, I assume? And there, local bands play? (it'd be a bit expensive for American bands to make the trip).

Thus...the beginnings of a grass roots support for local musicians.

With current technology, it would NOT be hard (nor overly expensive) to set up a sound studio (of which, I assume there are some in France already), and anybody with a decent CD burner can mass produce the albums.

And *surely* with anti-american sentiment running fairly high in Europe, it'd be a snap to take these CD's to any number of local shops and sell them, touting them as an alternative to the evils of American music.

-=Vel=-