We do tend to reflect American cultural dominance - for understandable reasons - its politics gets massive coverage - in the OT. Apart from the relative neglect of France and Europe, when did you ever see Latin America discussed in the OT - it's quite a big area :-) I did try dragging it in too. If you do look for stories about it, guess what, they mostly have a US link. But then I don't speak Spanish :-) Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
Normally, however, a discussion as long as the one in this thread should be in a dedicated diary or front-page story, where there's room for it to develop and that can be more easily found later for reference.
"Cultural globalization, driven by communication technology and the worldwide marketing of Western cultural industries, was understood at first as a process of homogenization, as the global domination of American culture at the expense of traditional diversity. However, a contrasting trend soon became evident in the emergence of movements protesting against globalization and giving new momentum to the defense of local uniqueness, individuality, and identity. These movements used the same new technologies to pursue their own goals more efficiently and to appeal for support from world opinion. http://wapedia.mobi/en/Globalization?t=2.
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Globalization?t=2.
The domination is also more specific, it's not just American, Americans suffer too; it's US mainstream media agenda - the horse-race dominates attention. When that's over it's: "Will he pick Hillary?" "What will Palin do now?" etc. Maybe we can break out of CNN's "Situation Room" :-) Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
As for US domination of world discourse, when you've got a solution, write a diary about it ;)
We'll find stuff to grumble about in due course ;-)
There was no overload of US election diaries for me, it was a paradigm-shifting global event. You can't be me, I'm taken
So that US oriented themes have dominated the OT doesn't surprise me terribly, especially over the past couple of months during the run-up to the presidential election.
By contrast, when the Salon was started early in the morning EU time, it was invariably dominated by EU and other non-US themes -- still is, BTW.
So that's my explanation == time zones; back in the spring of 2007, the OT was all about the French elections and French stuff (another occasion for Brit moaning:-)) Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
The OT is started late afternoon, EU time, and this is the time when US-based ETribbers drop by and we start a chat around the water cooler.
Most europeans have then finished work so you might expect them to dominate, if we're thinking about time zones.
Believe it or not it's not the only significant thing happening in the world, and, as I said, the chat often follows the US media horse-race focus - there's more to politics. Also the outcome isn't likely to fundamentally change things - cf. Nader article.
The Salon has a healthier balance because it has sections specifically for: "Europe", "world" - but often it doesn't get a lot of comment.
So that's my explanation == time zones; back in the spring of 2007, the OT was all about the French elections and French stuff (another occasion for Brit moaning:-))
IF it really was all about French elections and French stuff it would have been a rather unusual change - and living in France I wouldn't have such a problem :-)
As I said it is related to the discussion of ideology in ValentinD's diary; the fact that you see US cultural domination (widely acknowledged) as just due to phenomena like time-zones - "it's natural" - is another example of the obfuscating nature of ideology. Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
As for the US cultural domination, I'll just say: guilty as charged. I've been living in the USA for a number of years and I've been following US politics since then. So I may have a skewed view of what the right balance "should" be on ET.
For what it's worth, I too would like to see more coverage on European issues and countries -- outside France, that is. Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
This from a Brit in Finland - who might be expected to have a bit of perspective on things of global significance :-) Not even all Americans see it that way:
Changing With Retreads: The Third Clinton Administration By RALPH NADER November 21, 2008 "Counterpunch" -- While the liberal intelligentsia was swooning over Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, I counseled "prepare to be disappointed." His record as a Illinois state and U.S. Senator, together with the many progressive and long overdue courses of action he opposed during his campaign, rendered such a prediction unfortunate but obvious. Now this same intelligentsia is beginning to howl over Obama's transition team and early choices to run his Administration. Having defeated Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries, he now is busily installing Bill Clinton's old guard. Thirty one out of forty seven people that he has named so far for transition or appointments have ties to the Clinton Administration, according to Politico. One Clintonite is quoted in the Washington Post as saying - "This isn't lightly flavored with Clintons. This is all Clintons, all the time." Obama's "foreign policy team is now dominated by the Hawkish, old-guard Democrats of the 1990," writes Jeremy Scahill. Obama's transition team reviewing intelligence agencies and recommending appointments is headed by John Brennan and Jami Miscik, who worked under George Tenet when the CIA was involved in politicizing intelligence for, among other officials, Secretary of State Colin Powell's erroneous address before the United Nations calling for war against Iraq. Mr. Brennan, as a government official, supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition to torturing countries. National Public Radio reported that Obama's reversal when he voted for the revised FISA this year relied on John Brennan's advise. For more detail on these two advisers and others recruited by Obama from the dark old days, see Democracy Now, November 17, 2008 and Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet, Nov. 20, 2008 "This is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama's White House." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21297.htm
By RALPH NADER
November 21, 2008 "Counterpunch" -- While the liberal intelligentsia was swooning over Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, I counseled "prepare to be disappointed." His record as a Illinois state and U.S. Senator, together with the many progressive and long overdue courses of action he opposed during his campaign, rendered such a prediction unfortunate but obvious.
Now this same intelligentsia is beginning to howl over Obama's transition team and early choices to run his Administration. Having defeated Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries, he now is busily installing Bill Clinton's old guard. Thirty one out of forty seven people that he has named so far for transition or appointments have ties to the Clinton Administration, according to Politico. One Clintonite is quoted in the Washington Post as saying - "This isn't lightly flavored with Clintons. This is all Clintons, all the time."
Obama's "foreign policy team is now dominated by the Hawkish, old-guard Democrats of the 1990," writes Jeremy Scahill. Obama's transition team reviewing intelligence agencies and recommending appointments is headed by John Brennan and Jami Miscik, who worked under George Tenet when the CIA was involved in politicizing intelligence for, among other officials, Secretary of State Colin Powell's erroneous address before the United Nations calling for war against Iraq.
Mr. Brennan, as a government official, supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition to torturing countries. National Public Radio reported that Obama's reversal when he voted for the revised FISA this year relied on John Brennan's advise.
For more detail on these two advisers and others recruited by Obama from the dark old days, see Democracy Now, November 17, 2008 and Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet, Nov. 20, 2008 "This is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama's White House."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21297.htm
THIS is a global paradigm shift?! Maybe you've been reading too much US media sourced election stuff :-) Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
