American Cultural Imperialism

Introduction

As a country moves up the global ladder to become a superpower, other developing countries begin to closely observe the culture and values of the developed country in an attempt to understand the characteristics of the successful country that paved the way for its success. In such cases, Cultural Imperialism becomes a common element. American cultural imperialism is perhaps the most dominant of all Cultural Imperialisms in the present day. This is because of the fact that the look towards America to ensure peace and justice. It therefore comes as no surprise that American cultural imperialism is a common subject of discussion in discussions of cultural imperialism. This paper will attempt to present a brief analysis of American cultural imperialism in order to highlight the manner in which three major elements of obesity, media and loss of uniqueness have negatively impacted American cultural imperialism. In order to do so adequately, each of these three elements will be discussed individually in order to develop a clear and comprehensive understanding of the role and relevance of these elements in the development of negativity in American cultural imperialism.

Obesity

Obesity is a problem that plagues the modern day American generation. It is not only a threat to the American way of life but also a threat to the development of the nation. It causes health risks and diseases that disable people from functioning adequately. As a result, people fail to function with their full potential; making them a liability to the state. Obesity may be a problem that is internal to America, however, the scale of the problem has made it a part of modern American culture; thereby making it a component of American cultural imperialism. The role and relevance of obesity in American cultural imperialism is essentially negative because (in layman terms), it shocks the remaining world to see a nation in which people are becoming sick because they are over eating; at a time when over half the rest of the world is below the poverty line and most are struggling to survive through the day (Hirko). The problem of obesity paints a picture of the American society in which no relevance is given to health and fitness; where decisions are made to cater to the here-and-now instead of thinking about long term implications of choices and selections. The fact that the general stereotype perceives over-weight people to be selfish does not help in any manner.

There is no doubt in the fact that the active and aggressive attempts that are being made by the American society to counter the implications of obesity. These measures are mainly visible through the American electronic and print media. However, this only serves to support a positive image of American healthcare services. In essence, obesity, to the foreigner, is a problem that America has not been able to successfully resolve and is a byproduct of the famous American way of life (Lustyik). As a result, any inductive frame of mind can be expected to infer that ...