Americanization

Gitlin is essentially stating that rhetoric is pouring out of America because the attitude of that rhetoric is one conducive to being spread, as well as the fact that the rhetoric is the spawn of ideas taken from all of the countries it is being spread to. Because American rhetoric is all in the idea of "fun," because it pursues elements that cross cultures because it gives everyone the sense that they have a right to be entertained, it can easily jump national boundaries. It allows everyone to be a part of a global identity without any effort except to buy a product or listen to a set of music. It gives belonging without sacrifice. It is also the spawn of African, Jamaican, European and other ideas because America is the bastard child of the rest of the world. We take ideas from our "parents," change them to make them accessible to everyone due to the already diverse culture of America, and spit them back out in a form everyone can relate to. I agree with many of Gitlin's points, and agree that the departure from old cultural standards occur as people give in to selfish tendencies of quick and easy pleasure, although I disagree that our "diverse" culture leads to acceptable material for everyone. Hollywood makes its money perpetuating stereotypes and we have already disproved the myth of the melting pot, so I cannot see how the two can both hold true simultaneously.