The third Food for Thought of the semester will be Friday, 11/12 from 12-1PM. Join Professor Feigenbaum in the UHP Townhouse Club Room to discuss cultural imperialism and the role of American media over a UHP-provided lunch. To reserve your spot (and your lunch!) RSVP here by Monday 11/8. 

Title: “Cultural Imperialism and the Hollywood Business Model”

Description:

Over the course of the Twentieth Century American pop culture has influenced citizens around the world. This is especially true of films and television shows. There is an international demand for American products, which are lavishly produced and often universal in theme. American television shows are less universal, but they are less expensive to purchase because they are amortized over many markets.    Consequently, people around the world are becoming Americanized.

The result for the world overall is a loss of cultural diversity. This in turn, reduces opportunities for cross-cultural fertilization, which in the past encouraged new ideas and innovation in a wide variety of human activity. 

 The advent of digital streaming in the 21st Century, however, may be reversing the causal arrows.