A
thing which
everyone fears but cannot get enough of.
Case in point: While living in
Rome,
Italy several years ago, every once in a while I would go to the local
movie theater and try to see a movie. Generally the theater, which had four screens, would show three
American movies and one
Italian film, all in
Italian. However,
9 times out of
10 the American movies would sell out within minutes of the opening of the
box office while the Italian film would maybe sell ten seats total. It was not uncommon to not get a ticket to the American films if you didn't arrive at least an hour in advance.
One is forced to ask oneself why this situation occurs. Perhaps, the Italian
government subsidizes tickets for American movies. Or maybe there were
armed men outside forcing people into the theaters showing American films at
gunpoint, ignoring their cries and attempts to
escape into the theaters showing the Italian films. Believe it or not, none of these things occurred. The Italians all wanted to see the American films of their own free will.
This, of course, begs the natural question. Why did all these Romans flock to American films and pass on the Italian ones? Everyone knows that
Americans completely lack the type of
culture Europeans are afforded through their possession of a vast and distinguished
history. Why would any self respecting European disgrace themselves by forgoing the fruits of their own
magnificent civilization with films produced out of the cultural void of America?
Now, I understand that this may be a difficult thing for many of you to fathom, but it just may be that America produces things (films, music, foods, clothing, or whatever) that many people throughout the
world really like. People of all
races and
nationalities buy American goods because they satisfy some basic
need or
want that exists in every
human, not just a small selection of the population. This, I believe, is one of the strengths of the American system. We are a nation comprised almost entirely of
immigrants, some voluntary, some
not. Here the many different
cultures and
customs of the world come together and influence each other, creating a
synthesized population that has learned to overcome the barriers placed upon it by the shackles of history and "cultural purity".
Do not be so quick to deride American culture just because more people desire it than your own. There is a reason why American
music,
fashions,
food, and
lifestyles are so fascinating to the rest of the world. Our culture is accessible in a way that few others are. If you find a system of culture to be
lesser merely because it appeals to a more
diverse set of people, then I suggest you take a second look at the way you
think.
Our
diversity is our
strength. What is yours?
And, no, I'm not writing all this just because it's Independence Day...