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Old 04-02-2011, 09:18 AM
 
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American cultural influences are becoming more apparent in other countries, as American television, music, and even restaurant chains are making their way across the globe.
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Old 04-02-2011, 11:58 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
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I guess that influence is not as great as it seems. Actually, I think it is declining, at least in some regions such as Europe.
And I think that is a good development as the world is gradually realizing that the American way of life can't serve as a model for the world.
The US used to be ahead in material terms, but apart from that it lags behind in pretty much every aspect of life.
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Old 04-02-2011, 07:19 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
I guess that influence is not as great as it seems. Actually, I think it is declining, at least in some regions such as Europe.
And I think that is a good development as the world is gradually realizing that the American way of life can't serve as a model for the world.
The US used to be ahead in material terms, but apart from that it lags behind in pretty much every aspect of life.
As an American I can say that American culture is in many ways one of the more superficial and a lot of the things that other countries pride themselves on, such as emphasis on family and traditions, seem to be lacking here. So if American culture is the most influential, will these other countries lose some of the things that make them unique?
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Old 04-03-2011, 07:33 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
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Sure, but at least in Europe and Latin America (and maybe other places as well, dunno) there is kind of an anti-US-American movement. The more people are aware of such developments, the more actively they fight them. France is very active in this sense, for instance by promoting its own language, its own cinema etc.
I guess just like with the old Egyptians cultural influence comes and goes with economical influence. I suppose you know the recent trends in world economics...
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Old 04-03-2011, 08:29 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Sure, but at least in Europe and Latin America (and maybe other places as well, dunno) there is kind of an anti-US-American movement. The more people are aware of such developments, the more actively they fight them. France is very active in this sense, for instance by promoting its own language, its own cinema etc.
I guess just like with the old Egyptians cultural influence comes and goes with economical influence. I suppose you know the recent trends in world economics...
We'll all be Chinese influenced one day or, I suppose more accurately, Hong Kong influenced? Since that's where the bigger budget Asian movies are made. I hope Hollywood loses it's influence one day. That way the world will be less Californicated
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Old 04-03-2011, 08:54 PM
 
Location: Macao
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Originally Posted by virulentpeach View Post
American cultural influences are becoming more apparent in other countries, as American television, music, and even restaurant chains are making their way across the globe.
Lots of manufactured snacks and fastfood types of stuff everywhere. Less and less fresh foods with nutrience, being replaced by sugar-pick-me-ups manufactured by companies.

Another big one is drug influences. The U.S. has a major drug epidemic, and it is constantly reflected in music and movies. Then if students are on exchange programs and trying to get to know American students, they'll generally quickly be introduced to it.

A big problem is the CNN and FOX that are being broadcast all around the world. A lot of it portrays us very poorly, and embarrassingly, in my opinion.

The positives are harder to see. There are certainly a strong awareness of all things american, on an international political level and on a corporate level. But, when you watch american news abroad, it doesn't seem very recipricol. It appears very one-sided, one-dimensional.

For example, large tsunami and earthquakes in Japan with nuclear reactor. The mass majority of the stories are how are people in the U.S. going to be effected by this - economically and otherwise. I mean, if you're going to put your news networks all over the world, would be better if they reflected concerns internationally, and not just that your audience is all local.
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Old 04-04-2011, 02:55 AM
 
Location: western East Roman Empire
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The most positive aspects of US cultural influence are managerial and technological over the past century: US managerial and technological influence has benefitted millions on the north American continent and, in the past 20 years or so and throughout the current century it is benefitting and will benefit billions across the globe (e.g. information & telecommunications technology, medical technology).

The most negative aspects of US cultural influence are its extreme consumerism, inane popular culture, wasteful suburban model, and eating habits.

I have lived in around a dozen countries across three continents and I have never encountered anti-Americanism.

Such perceptions are a reflection of US egocentrisms: the global spread of industrialization is as natural as the global spread of agriculture some 10,000 years ago; the ones who invented agriculture have been long forgotten and the same fate awaits US technological society.

What I have encountered is people who for the most part mind their own business and nation-state societies, or groups thereof (e.g. EU), concerned about their own development, including cultural development, influenced or not by any number of aspects of US culture, by chance or not, and at the same time influenced or not, by chance or not, by any number of aspects of other external cultures.

To directly answer the question, then, advantageous is US-invented information & telecommunications technology and medical technology and economically (managerial) efficient application thereof, disadvantageous is imitation of the worst of US culture, including the short list above and all that it implies.

We could go into any level of detail for each aspect, but this is the synthesis, Bertinotti.

Good Luck!

Last edited by bale002; 04-04-2011 at 03:46 AM..
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Old 04-04-2011, 07:37 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
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Interesting that you mention American-style management. I find that a very negative thing. That is why backstabbing is so common in the US. It is all about career and job titles and promotion and efficiency. I don't like that at all, and I am quite happy this is not the norm in most countries, especially where most companies are family-run. I would not even say that the US invented that way of management and enterprise philosophy, some say it was the Czech shoemaker Bata, who was obsessed with efficiency and profits.
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Old 04-04-2011, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Yorkshire, England
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bale002 View Post
The most positive aspects of US cultural influence are managerial and technological over the past century: US managerial and technological influence has benefitted millions on the north American continent and, in the past 20 years or so and throughout the current century it is benefitting and will benefit billions across the globe (e.g. information & telecommunications technology, medical technology).

To directly answer the question, then, advantageous is US-invented information & telecommunications technology and medical technology and economically (managerial) efficient application thereof, disadvantageous is imitation of the worst of US culture, including the short list above and all that it implies.

Good Luck!
If by managerial influence you mean American business culture/management styles then I very much disagree it's a positive influence in other countries. I used to work for a travel agency which got bought out by an American firm who sent somebody over to show us American customer service techniques. We had to watch some hyperactive, effusive, punchable in-your-face Billy Graham type go on about corporate integrity and stupid buzzwords and some weird theories which might make perfect sense in America but are alien to us and did nothing to help the running of the business, as well as insulting and demeaning in how he was speaking to us as if we were five year olds. When I left that company I even had to do a goodbye interview with pointless questions about how I identified with corporate aims and whether I shared their core values etc and the person interviewing me could read the "Wtf this is just a summer job who cares about this nonsense?" look on my face and told me he thought it was a load of meaningless bullsh1t as well and he thought it was a waste of time too. If that's normal for American companies then I'd be reluctant to work for one again.

I've got a friend of mine who works in IT who said he didn't like American working culture while on a business trip over there, and said he would hate to have to put up with longer hours, people pretending to be hyper-enthusiastic about stuff, backstabbing, office politics etc. What works and seems normal to you doesn't necessarily transfer over here.
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Old 04-04-2011, 09:16 AM
 
Location: Boston, MA
14,460 posts, read 11,201,830 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ben86 View Post
If by managerial influence you mean American business culture/management styles then I very much disagree it's a positive influence in other countries. I used to work for a travel agency which got bought out by an American firm who sent somebody over to show us American customer service techniques. We had to watch some hyperactive, effusive, punchable in-your-face Billy Graham type go on about corporate integrity and stupid buzzwords and some weird theories which might make perfect sense in America but are alien to us and did nothing to help the running of the business, as well as insulting and demeaning in how he was speaking to us as if we were five year olds. When I left that company I even had to do a goodbye interview with pointless questions about how I identified with corporate aims and whether I shared their core values etc and the person interviewing me could read the "Wtf this is just a summer job who cares about this nonsense?" look on my face and told me he thought it was a load of meaningless bullsh1t as well and he thought it was a waste of time too. If that's normal for American companies then I'd be reluctant to work for one again.

I've got a friend of mine who works in IT who said he didn't like American working culture while on a business trip over there, and said he would hate to have to put up with longer hours, people pretending to be hyper-enthusiastic about stuff, backstabbing, office politics etc. What works and seems normal to you doesn't necessarily transfer over here.
So what is European business management style?

BTW mentioning Billy Graham reflects poorly on your answer. It shows your bias against America. I, as an American, am almost completely unfamiliar with the man, but somehow you see him in any enthusiastic American.
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