Homogenous World Culture
By Roadjunky, Posted Mar 08, 2007
 |
Just about anywhere these days it seems is within reach of a package flight company. There are guides to every destination that hype up all the cute cultural ideosyncrasies whilst not failing to mention the location of the nearest Amex, McDonald’s or store to buy the latest Gucci designs.
Fashion worldwide is almost exclusively western now, with people abbandoning their traditional clothes to wear western trousers and shirts, there’s a common global celebrity vocabulary (Shakira, Mariah Crey, David Beckham) and even the fucking tv shows (big brother) spread like a virus with media collaboration.
The same products are on the shelves worldwide (Mars, Heinz, Sony) and if you can’t speak English then you’re unlikely to earn much money.
The airwaves, newspapers and tv channels across the planet are owned by the same 7 or 8 families, the same companies are employing people across the world on the same shit contracts (McDonald’s is the single largest employer in Brazil for instance) and there are only a handful of currencies that mean anything.
And every year a whole new generation of bright eyed travelers are off to discover what the world has to offer. Sadly, thanks to television the the economic policies of the West, the world is becoming increasingly the same.
Or have we just been drinking too much black coffee this morning?
Let us know here
Want to meet other road junkies?
Come to the Road Junky Sahara Retreat Feb 6-11 2012 to hang out with 30 other travelers to meditate, make yoga, tell stories and dance under the full moon in the desert.
Follow Road Junky on Twitter for live updates @roadjunky
Read More
World Anthropology at the Crossroads
Go! Go! Damnit!
When anthropologists approach a foreign culture in the hope of gaining some understanding of the values and nature of the people who live there, they generally consider a ...
South Sudan is the World's Newest Nation, but Who Will be Next?
On Saturday South Sudan became the world’s newest nation, seceding from the other Sudan, hoisting a new flag, singing a new anthem, celebrating in a new capital.
The South Sudanese ...
Overland Through the Ex-Soviet Republics in an Old Army Truck?
Neither had we. Then we bumped into the guys at Soviet Truck and they got us thinking about this vast tract of land which for most travelers is an unknown ...
