In some ways, the free trade economy allows different countries to learn customs from other countries and this can make way for interesting new subcultures, trends and forms of art and entertainment. I'm all for that.
However, it seems like the only countries that have this kind of influence throughout the world are the industrial giants and biggest exporters. Namely Japan, China, UK and the US.
There's no reason for underdeveloped countries to be so exposed to American culture without learning as many things about the rest of the world. Media tends to project the image that the more economically powerful a country is, the more cultural significance it should have and will have throughout the rest of the world.
Obviously it's very unfair, and I do agree that it should be a primary objective for every nation to preserve their culture. I'm not saying it's a terrible thing that there are Burger Kings in Bombai, because that's really no different from having foreign restaurants in America... well maybe that's not entirely true, for one foreign restuarants tend to be small businesses and usually run by people who are actually part of the culture, which isn't quite the same as a mega fast food chain.
But anyway, the concern begins when elements of our culture actually starts to replace a countries own traditions, and there's no denying that this is happening right now. There's no real way of stopping it either.
Still, America embraces so many cultures from around the world (despite all the bigoted dumbsh*t politicians and exploitive corporations who have earned us our bad reputation with foreign nations) it's a land of immigrants after all, our culture is just one big clusterf*ck of all the other cultures in the world, and with free trade on the rise it only makes sense that eventually the whole world will be like this.
Anyway, I personally don't think anyone is capable of truly understanding what it's like to live in another country unless they have been there, but even then they would only have a vague understanding of the lives of those who live there.
So I don't claim to know anything about any country outside of America, hell, I don't claim to really know anything that goes on outside of my f*cking state. I would love to travel the world someday.
