65. Although global homogeneity in a broader sense may not be as inexorable as the
speaker here suggests, I agree that multinational corporations are indeed creating global
sameness in consumer preferences. This homogeneity is manifested in two concurrent
megatrends: (1) the embracing of American popular culture throughout the world, and
(2) a synthesis of cultures, as reflected in consumer preferences.
      The first trend is toward Americanization of popular culture throughout the world.
In food and fashion, once a nation's denizens "fall into the Gap" or get a taste of a Coke
or Big Mac, their preferences are forever Westernized. The ubiquitous Nike "swoosh,"
which nearly every soccer player in the world will soon don, epitomizes this
phenomenon. In media, the cultural agendas of giants such as Time-Warner now drive
the world's entertainment preferences. The Rolling Stones and the stars of America's
prime-time television shows are revered among young people worldwide, while
Mozart's music, Shakespeare's prose, and Ghandi's ideology are largely ignored.
      A second megatrend is toward a synthesis of cultures into a homogenous stew.
The popularity of "world music" and of the "New Age" health care and leisure-time
activities aptly illustrate this blending of Eastern, Western and third-world cultures.
Perhaps nowhere is the cultural-stew paradigm more striking, and more bland, than at
the international "food courts" now featured in malls throughout the developed world.
      These trends appear inexorable. Counter-attacks, such as Ebonies, rap music, and
bilingual education, promote the distinct culture of minority groups, but not of nations.
Further homogenization of consumer preferences is all but ensured by failing trade
barriers, coupled with the global billboard that satellite communications and the Internet
provide.
      In sum, American multinationals have indeed instigated a homogeneous global,
yet American-style, consumerism—one which in all likelihood will grow in extent
along with free-market capitalism and global connectivity.