I'm aware that I come at this with a different perspective than most, and I'm trying very hard to respond to items that are posted here as if, to use Anthony's words, I was working at a Starbucks in Wyoming. I have my own very personal feelings about this, but I'm not going to keep on putting them out here. If anyone feels that I'm overstepping my bounds with what I do post, email me privately and let me know. This post also includes language that I usually deplore - I am using it to express my conviction on the subject. The argument that there's a "cultural war" is well-established in international relations literature - the two works I can think of off the top of my head are Thomas Friedman's "The Lexus and The Olive Tree" and Samuel Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations". In a single sentence, the coming of McDonald's and the establishment of a more global culture present significant challenges to people and organizations that define themselves by their culture. The United States, since it is the host of many items that contribute to that culture, gets generic stereotyping in many instances no matter what (although there are many cultures within the US that are engaged in a similar struggle with globalization). Now, I can understand conflict when a culture that is less popular goes up against one that is more popular. I can imagine protests. But killing thousands of people because your views are in conflict? I think that justifying a repulsive action as part of a "cultural war" is naive beyond belief. What's more is that any argument about diversity seems to favor a global culture - French children eating McDonald's because they like it. It's nice to argue that a little part of people are dying when they watch MTV and wear Levi's and drink Coke and speak English rather than going to church and speak Catalan - I've been in the debates and can argue both sides. But it entirely astounds me that you can take the above and make the leap to even beginning to justify such horrific violence. An action based on that logic did occur and the results of that action still haven't been fully recovered from the Pentagon, Pennsylvania, or Manhattan. I can see fighting over US policy that supported the Shah or Saddam or forces in Afghanistan. Raise the debate if you want to, but don't trivialize those who died or were injured by giving me some ivory tower bullshit argument about how Nike's marketing department in any way whatsoever legitimizes what occurred this week or mandates discussing it. Hayden Hurst hurstrh_at_...
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