What comes into your mind when you think about Macdonalds? My first guess would be the burgers, hashbrowns and hot cakes drowned in maple syrup? Well other than food lets take a step back and see how has America dominated our Asian cultures.
In the late 1960s , cultural imperialism was very apparent and the US dominated the main stream international media. The era where fast food and western dining was integrating itself rapidly into our asian diet. The macdonalism of many asian countries were soon obvious as many branches of macdonalds cafes started sprouting all over the south east asia penisular like weeds in a garden. The rapid rate of expansion of the M- cafe was alramingly fast and within a decade it completely assimilated into part of our asian culture despite the food being served is not even close in terms of taste to our asian delecacies. Why is this so?
In the late 1960s , cultural imperialism was very apparent and the US dominated the main stream international media. The era where fast food and western dining was integrating itself rapidly into our asian diet. The macdonalism of many asian countries were soon obvious as many branches of macdonalds cafes started sprouting all over the south east asia penisular like weeds in a garden. The rapid rate of expansion of the M- cafe was alramingly fast and within a decade it completely assimilated into part of our asian culture despite the food being served is not even close in terms of taste to our asian delecacies. Why is this so?
Firstly, the US mass media industry has been a dominant figure in the global mass media industry and has been the biggest supplier of motion pictures and tv programmes. This too resulted in many asian countries depending on the US to meet programming needs. Unavoildably, many ideologies and believes get sent to such asian countries indirectly westernizing them too. Take for example of the picture above, isnt that the M-sign but with a foreinge language next to it? Macdonalds have been so integrated into most asian countries that we accept and embrace western culture as our own. Futher more with imported communication hardware from the west, electronic colonalism is bound to occur as such foreign technologies comes with its own set of foreign norms, values and expectations.
All in all, in this globalised world, many asian countries tend to lose their national and cultural autonomy and prefer to embrace the west. Whatever the case maybe, embracing other peoples culture is good but we have to ensure not to lose ours even for a delicious succulent cheese burger!
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