Todd Gitlin's Under The Sign Of Mickey Mouse & Co.

The rise in entertainment has been present since the 1920s, giving people film, toys, franchises, and so much more. However, even with the positive impact it has had on entertainment. I disagree and believe industries, specifically American, have been taking advantage of the people around the world. They are leaving a negative impact, rather than a positive one. Todd Gitlin discloses this statement in his writing, “Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.” Yes, these industries that spread internationally, give nations with language barriers something to connect to. On the other hand, it gives America a doorway to control the knowledge of the people, eventually gaining cultural capitalism. Slithering their way into the people’s pockets. For starters,

Nonetheless, as entertainment has come to fruition this past century, it has risen exponentially thanks to media such as amusement parks, food franchises, and films. This growth leads to “colonialization” so to speak, as these industries dominate the media seeping into other nations. Gitlin conveys this in “Under the Sign of Mickey & Co.” “Over the past twenty years American culture has been infiltrating nations all over the world, homogenizing traditional cultures into the kind of global “fun" culture that Disney is famous for. (824)” The dominance of American cultural capitalism can lead to cultural homogenization, where traditions and identities are overshadowed. This “colonialization” through entertainment is called cultural imperialism. This imperialism marches into foreign lands, taking them over and implanting their money grabbers, these money grabbers are things such as Disney with its magical rides; food franchises, like McDonald’s fast appetizing meals that are oh-so-cheap; and sports, such as baseball and soccer. Sports people love internationally, which can be pretty pricey if you want to watch it in

Nonetheless, the problem with this is not just the loss of other nations' characteristics. With Global Village and Lingua Franca, eliminating the beauty of diversity. Cultural Capitalism affects other countries, but the Nation of America is additionally affected, too. With the change in cultural capitalism (knowledge in pop culture), replacing symbolic capitalism (academic knowledge) with physical capitalism (wealth) there are also the effects on the social class system. “wear jeans, drinks Coke, eats at the golden arches, walks on swooshed shoes, plays electric guitars, recognizes Mickey Mouse, James Dean, KT., Bart Simpson, R2-D2, and Pamela Anderson.” (825). What does this have to do with the Social Class? Well, all that has to do with designer brands, expensive trips, and going out spending on food, respectively. Without wealth to have access to these heavy-impact cultural topics. It divides the socio-economic