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FeedMcNeutralisation and the Origins of Global Culture
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 → by DanieruThese days I tend to get a confused, neutral feeling in most matters of global culture. For instance, being British to me means no more than talking English (a conglomeration of, arguably, the majority of old world languages), watching Neighbours (an Australian TV soap), drinking tea (of Indian origin), and avoiding the shadow cast by American culture (something the rest of the world tends to feel the British are immune to). Yet, none of these activities are distinctly British, and those aspects of my culture which foreigners see as British symbols, mean little or nothing to me.Despite its vaunted reputation as a juggernaut of American culture, McDonald's has come to function as an ecumenical refuge for travelers of all stripes. This is not because McDonald's creates an American sense of place and culture, but because it creates a smoothly standardized absence of place and culture a neutral environment that allows travelers to take a psychic time-out from the din of their real surroundings. This phenomenon is roundly international: I've witnessed Japanese taking this psychic breather in the McDonald's of Santiago de Chile; Chileans seeking refuge in the McDonald's of Venice; and Italians lolling blissfully in the McDonald's of Tokyo. - link
As cultures become more homogeneous, and what little remains of our countries' distinctiveness becomes symbolic, stereotypical and voided by its own simulacra, nationality is inevitably losing its meaning. What then of the McDonalds of this world? Here a neutrality has arisen which makes a laughing stock of any distinctiveness you care to mention. The Big-Mac belongs to everyone, because American culture has been the devastating virus which the US has used to infect the world; and nobody is immune.Part of me loathes this continued homogeny, but to focus my perspective only here would be to miss the bigger, wider reaching truth. Since the days of colonialism cultures have been seen to meet, exchange via osmosis their identities, and re-emerge in symbiotic union. Many of the details of these mergers have been largely forgotten. When we think of a country, food often comes first in our mind. The Italians and their sun dried tomatoes, the Irish and their potatoes, the Indians and their chillies, yet none of these foods found there way into that country earlier than 600 years ago.
Potatoes, tomatoes and chillies all came from South American civilisations. Ask most people what country they associate with coffee and they will probably say somewhere in South America, yet it was Ethiopia which first cultivated the bean. Cultures we now protect from over-homogenisation; symbols of our nationality we have projected to simulacra status, are recent acquisitions to our heritage. All culture is change. Let's take a closer look at that Big-Mac and fries.Talk about a Global Meal:
| McFood (Composition) | Origination | 1st left continent of origin |
| McTomato Sauce (Tomato) | South America | C 16th-17th - Spanish Conquest |
| McFries (Potato) | Peru / Bolivia | C 15th-16th - Spanish Conquest |
| McBun (Wheat) | Fertile Crescent | Around 8,000 BCE |
| McBurger (Cow) | Europe | Around 10,000 BCE |
| McCheese (Fermented Milk) | Central Asia / Middle East | Around 8,000 BCE |
| McSpicy Sauce (Chili) | Americas | Around 1493 - Columbus Voyage |
| McCoke (Sugar Cane) | Americas | Around 1493 - Columbus Voyage |
| McGherkin (Baby Cucumber) | Ancient Mesopotamia | Before 3rd Century BCE |
As you can see from this McTable, nothing cultural is truly unique. It never has been.
Before you bemoan the passing of individuality or fear the uprising of the neutral McFranchise take a moment or two to really examine what is it you are trying to protect. The cultural symbols which have made you who you are, and will continue to do so, are as vaguely nationalistic as any domesticated crop you care to mention. I'm no great fan of globalisation, but neither too do I like to see symbolism worshipped almost for the sake of it. In avoiding the over simulation of our societies' greatest commodities we tread a dangerous path towards simulacra in the name of simulacra. Culture is an ever evolving interplay of forces, stretched at every boundary by the loves, fears and wants of society. The McFranchise, in all its neutrality, is here because it satisfies the needs of a global-ready world. Perhaps it is the nature of those needs we should first be attempting to address.UPDATE:
Categories: Food, Weird, Humour, Culture, History, Society, World, Future, Time, Simulacrum, Ideas, McDonalds, Human, Earth
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We can argue all day about what that need is and whether it is waranted, etc. but like you say this process is anything but new. Where I would disagree is where you draw a historical line to colonialism and use that to show that cultural homogeneity is... like an entropic process. Constantly changing, but towards some generic model. I think that cultures actually retain most of their perspectives and become in a lot of ways even more distinct as they come into contact with each other. This is why the "melting pot" model has been dismissed in practicality time and time again. Assimilation and force often incite more homogeneity than ambient cultural exchange can foster (although perhaps that is just a natural process in itself). Even in terms of foods, while we can say that many nations cultivate and consume non-native foods, they are often used differently (spaghetti versus udon), and this sort of creates a new cultural niche rather than an identical copy. Damn I just made myself really hungry. Good posts man, keep it up!
June 29, 2006 2:19 AM
The udon vs spaghetti example is precisely the kind of thing I was trying to say, i.e. what we perceive as our native symbols are mere genes in the evolution of new and exotic forms of cultural commodity.
There has been a recent spate of companies in the UK claiming patents on certian traditional foods which 'originated' within their county's boundaries. Self preservation is also self destruction in this respect, applying lock down on symbols for their mere economic value is tantamount to stopping evolution in its tracks.
Another good example of a cultural genotype, other than food, would be language. I recently read an article which warned of the restriction of language. The French for instance have constantly attempted to keep their language pure, an elite panel deciding which new words get in and which are too non-French for inclusion to the language. The outcome of this restriction is that it takes an exra fifty pages every thousand page novel to tell the exact same story.
If words are the genes and language the species does that mean that English is the top of the food chain? Let the genes multiply, conjoin and evolve in their own way I say.
June 29, 2006 4:36 AM
this person mentioned a few neat points: cultural preservation
that I'd agree are often not considered. Talking about cultural exchange and language also reminds me of how futile my job is... anyways, have a good one!
June 30, 2006 1:00 AM
You should check out this McDonald's video game. http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=18123
July 01, 2006 10:00 AM
July 02, 2006 5:19 AM
Mmmmm... Fructose
July 02, 2006 3:04 PM
If you're travelling and i a rush, you go where you KNOW you can be in and out without spending TOO much. That's all there is to it!
Way to make something out of nothing!
October 24, 2006 5:22 PM
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