Hi Phillip-
I have a least a little understanding of how galling the spreading
sludge of American cultures is to the rest of the world.... and I
know that it extends "uipward" into the halls of academia not only
in the form of dominance of English on the net, but in what counts
as data or an interesting question, what gets you prestige, etc.
XMCA, like LCHC, has always had as one of its goals the overcoming of
that problem-- to the extent possible.
This note is inspired about a thought I had last night while watching
the evening news on TV. As is my habit, I watch two half hour news
programs, our local national news on a network (often the upscale
public "" system) and BBC World news. I was reminded again of how
solipsistic US News and our public is/are. The BBC, with all of its
shortcomings (I am sure you have a more nuanced critique) is far
more "decentered" than US TV news of even the best kind. Yesterday,
for example, BBC featured Pinochet's homecoming (because it was
acutely embarrasing and personnal for viewers to see him get up
and walk into the waiting arms of his military buddies) and the
floods in Mozambiqu but had not more than 10 out of 30 mins devoted
to matters of special British concern. The US news had short bits
on thbose two stories and the rest was all U.S. news.
Over the past 20 years, when I include issues and examplews in
my lectures from another country, especially a poor country, the
stufdents turn off. And if I tell them, which is true, that our
neighboring (40 kilometer away) "sister" city of Tijuana is among
the richest in Latin America, they get upset and angry with me
(although its ture). The thought of so much poverty so close and
with only a geographical "thought line" (backed by barbed wire and
guns to be sure) separating their lives from those south of that
border is too painful. better not to think about it. right?
I see the two problems-- American cultural imperialism and
solipsism as two manifestations of the same phenomenon.
G'day to you!
mike
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