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Global Pecuniary Emulation: A Case Against Americanization Global Pecuniary Emulation: A Case Against Americanization International affairs, globalization, and economics
Submitted by mchester on November 8, 2005
Category: Social Issues
Words: 1734 | Pages: 7
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Global Pecuniary Emulation: A Case Against Americanization
International affairs, globalization, and economics literature often speaks of a concept of "Americanization." By this the authors generally attempt to portray that globalization in the 21st century has consistently been an example of the rest of the world adopting American culture instead of a true global exchange between all nations. Often, the advocates of this position view the perpetrators of Americanization as multinational corporations, the United States government, or other multilateral organizations that the United States plays a large role in, such as the IMF or World Bank. Even Thomas Friedman, a staunch advocate of Globalization, argues that there is a connection between the two processes:
Globalization is in so many ways Americanization: globalization wears Mickey Mouse ears, it drinks Pepsi and Coke, eats Big Macs, does its computing on an IBM laptop with Windows 98. Many societies around the world can't get enough of it, but others see it as a fundamental threat.
Yet, Thomas Friedman also seems to suggest, unlike others, that the societies are to blame for this Americanization, not just the United States. One could say then that the debate between Americanization and Globalization hinges not on the effects of such a transformation, but rather on the actors who create this transformation. Focusing on this critical aspect, the author contends that the theories of the early 20th century economist, Thorstein Veblen, help to elucidate proof that Globalization inherently consists of a process of global pecuniary emulation entirely separate from any sinister concept of Americanization.
In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen details his theories behind what he terms so eloquently the leisure class, but what most would think today of as the upper class. He chronicles the historical formation of such a class and outlines the various effects...
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