Monoculture
Someone made a very good point tonight: In genetics, diversity is considered a strength or even a necessity. If you only have one breed of rat, and it is is susceptible to some disease, then you have the potential to eliminate all rats. This is a major argument against GM crops. Diversity can create strength in both direct and indirect ways.
If we think of culture this way, then Globalization becomes truly frightening. As we develop our Monoculture - a Wal-Mart/McDonald's/Virgin Megastore/Hentai Palace on every corner in every country - we lose a very real defense mechanism. If every human watches the same shows, speaks the same languages, and eats the same foods and so on, then we become susceptible to a cultural "disease" on a global scale. A dangerous idea becomes infinitely moreso when it has the potential to affect all of us in the same way.
We risk massive cultural inbreeding, and all of the attendant defects.
Happy Holidays!
If we think of culture this way, then Globalization becomes truly frightening. As we develop our Monoculture - a Wal-Mart/McDonald's/Virgin Megastore/Hentai Palace on every corner in every country - we lose a very real defense mechanism. If every human watches the same shows, speaks the same languages, and eats the same foods and so on, then we become susceptible to a cultural "disease" on a global scale. A dangerous idea becomes infinitely moreso when it has the potential to affect all of us in the same way.
We risk massive cultural inbreeding, and all of the attendant defects.
Happy Holidays!
2 Comments:
Should we also support diversity in government's though? Where we effectively say that a dictatorship isn't any worse than a democracy, it's just different?
I agree with the monoculture thesis with regard to consumerdom and cultural space, but I think it can easily be corrupted to defend anti-progress and anti-liberty.
"We can't pass judgment on ROGUE STATE X, that's just who they are! And besides, their 'kill all the Irish' beliefs just add to the wonderful diversity of our planet!"
Yeah, true. But anything can be corrupted. In fact, I think you could make a good argument that a functioning Democracy is the best way to promote just this sort of diversity, because people can vote in a government that's as authoritarian or as liberal as they want. Theoretically these would be different across the globe.
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