Globalization And Americanization

In this letter I would like to address an issue present in the phenomenon of globalization. This refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows. Globalization also indicates the movement of people (labor) and knowledge (technology) across international borders that bring broader cultural dimensions. However, globalization is often associated with Americanization, which results of bringing a foreign country under the commercial influence of the United States, yet this can be dangerous because Americanization has the potential of infiltrating and marring another country’s culture such as it has in the Middle East.

Americanization advocates might say that free trade and free

This is a scenario that America knows all too well. When the McDonald’s first became a chain nearly 50 years ago, few believed the operation would catch on. Before anyone knew it, those golden arches started to pop up across the nation. First, the outlets hit big cities and catered to large populations. Then, the red and yellow buildings started to appear in small towns, closing those family owned American diners and making way for innovation in the form of burgers. Now, over half the population of America lives within a three minute drive of a McDonald’s and marketing research show that children can recognize the brand logo often before they respond to their own name. Across the nation, unsanitary playgrounds can still be seen connected to the buildings, clearly showcasing the company’s appeal to children. Another example would be the "Wal-Mart effect." When a superstore—or a similar mega-retailer, such as “Home Depot” or “Lowes”—moves into a community and, within a few years, family owned hardware stores, markets and other main street retailers are put out of business. Whether that 's a good or bad thing is up for debate. Some argue that the smaller stores go under because these large corporations offer a bigger selection of goods at low prices, and consumers benefit because they can do all of their shopping at one place, additionally saving money in the process. Still, consumers get less choice because stores like Wal-Mart are national chains that buy goods at a national level. As a result, local producers of goods suffer, and soon entire communities lose their identities to these corporations. Therefore, I encourage, we as American consumers, to see Americanization in a different light, and from the lenses of those in foreign countries; that Americanization can hurt comercial traditions we have developed in our communities, as well on a global scale, mar cultures in non-western countries such