Shriram | Week 6 | Questions Posed by Mr. Brightside
Since the very beginning of the Revolutionary War, we as Americans have seemed unbelievably persistent in our efforts to stray far from the British. In fact, basic aspects of our society, such as the side of the road we drive on and the way we spell certain words, have been intentionally selected to create a distinctive American identity. Undeniably, the very origin of America was a rejection of the British—one which has blossomed into something bold enough to significantly shape the newly emerging global society.
This increasing global unity, however, has had the opposite effect of making cultures more homogeneous, to the point where it becomes difficult to make distinctions. Take, for example, The Killers. Their biggest song, “Mr. Brightside,” has become an instantly recognizable classic, popular to this day (from 2004!) in British pubs and on popular radio stations. Additionally, despite their wavering international popularity after their first two albums, they have had seven consecutive chart-topping albums on the U.K. albums chart. Clearly, they must be popular domestically.
The Killers are from Las Vegas.
And yet, it’s difficult to tell. Music artists are one of the more benign examples of cultural globalization, but they pose an interesting question regarding national identity: does such exchange enhance or diminish the cultural identity of a country? Clearly, the answer is… complicated. It brings up another question—what even is a country??
By definition, a country is an area of land with its own borders and government. Thus, the identity of a country would rely on its geographic landscape and form of government. America’s identity would be in its vast natural beauty and its democratic nature. However, many borders originally formed and still do exist based on cultural or ethnic differences. For example, even (relatively) recently, the Indian subcontinent was forcibly partitioned into India and Pakistan to account for the religious divide between Hindus and Muslims. Consequently, the identity of a nation has become synonymous with the customs of the dominant ethnic group. When the prevalence of these customs is reduced or they are replaced by new ones, many lament the change as cultural loss. The cultures of many indigenous groups, including Native Americans, have been all but wiped out by colonialism.
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| Diwari is an Indian—and now American—holiday marked with celebrations of light. |
On the other hand, America is supposed to be a new type of country—one where all groups live in peace and all cultures are accepted. While it may seem these very ideals inherently limit American national identity, I believe that they actually strengthen it. The United States defines itself through beliefs that anybody can adopt, such as believing in the benefits of a free market and of giving power to the people, not through a narrow lifestyle that everyone must comply with. As a result, American identity cannot be wiped out by the introduction of more groups and cultures; this inclusion is a testament to the identity’s strength. It isn’t dependent on who specifically holds American values, but simply the fact that they do.
Hi Shriram! I definitely agree. American identity wouldn’t be the same if all cultures were accepted, but I think it would be for the better to learn and be exposed to different cultures other than one’s own to add variety to our identity. It may ultimately depend on whether they clash culturally (or religiously) or not though. As you said with India’s partition, these differences caused such conflict that a border was needed to divide these groups, but there are some positive factors which arose from the blending of these cultures, such as Sikhism.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s hard to achieve equal cultural representation without the cultures fighting for dominance because past history has shown that many factors such as motive and contrast in religion can drastically change the goal outcome. As you mentioned with Native Americans, the colonists’ ultimate motive was stronger than the desire to live with these groups. Especially with the wars that are happening today, most notably the conflict between Palestine and Israel, the risks of having two cultures mix together can outweigh the benefits.
In an ideal world, the dream of having two different cultures live peacefully could ultimately be what America needs. But based on the state of the world today and from prior knowledge, we can acknowledge that it will be a challenge.
Hi Shriram! I found “Mr. Brightside” to be such an interesting phenomenon of our generation’s increased globalization. Of course, there is no shortage of non-American music artists taking a hold of American culture—The Beatles, Daft Punk, and Justin Bieber, to name a few—but the fact that a 20 year old song from a band in Nevada is still billboard-topping to this day all the way in the UK is undoubtedly evidence of how interconnected the world is today. But even though the knowledge that much of the culture we enjoy today such as music artists are from so many places across the globe might change its literal meaning, it doesn’t take away from its effect on us.
ReplyDeleteThe United States is a country built on the basis that anyone from any background and any culture can get situated here and make a positive impact on the communities around them, which is why it’s often so disheartening to see xenophobia’s rampage over much of our country’s citizens, often unknowingly or subconsciously.
Your mention of The Killers reminds me of another artist—one that is British but has become very popular in the United States because of her recently-released lime-green album. Charli XCX, to me, is a perfect example of globalization. Perhaps due to America’s dominance on the world stage, our culture ultimately distills into what we can collectively hallucinate as the “global culture” mentioned in your blog.
ReplyDeleteIn nature, diversity is celebrated as a strength; it supports the survival of a species, as a more diverse DNA is necessarily conducive to adaptation and ultimately evolution. Why should it be any different for us? I completely agree with your assertion that diversity is a strength, and even though conflict may arise due to the presence of so many different cultures, our biodiversity (culturally speaking) is something to be proud of.