h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is something that has pissed me off for a long time and I just had to vent...
Anyone got any comments?

My goodness... Put that way, it does sound like a conspiracy! I don't really think that there's an attempt to drown out Australian culture. I think this is happening all over the world. We're all losing our regionalism. When was the last time you heard a newscaster with an accent?

The way I see it is that Americans, like anybody else that's grown up in a capitalist society, are out to make money. If they could "sell refrigerators to the Eskimoes" they would. If they could get Australian aborigines to purchase Sony Walkmans and satellite dishes and CK jeans and Polo t-shirts, you know they'd be ecstatic with joy.

Americans sell things by announcing that only the cool people drink Coca-Cola, wear Levis, etc. I think it's up to Australian (and American) parents to make sure their children understand that status is not dependent on material possessions. (I personally refuse to wear Nike or Polo brand products - not because I hate either of them - I just don't want to spend the money for the status symbol. I think it's ridiculous to pay a hundred dollars (US) for a pair of shoes!)

Rob: BTW, this is a well-written article, and I enjoyed reading it. I think you already know this isn't really a Guide entry, but more of an opinion piece. I wish we had an opinions page!

Yeah, you're right, it is only an opinion - but it's hard to get people to read it until it gets approved.

Still, I think the problem is bigger than just a 'capitalist' thing, because at the moment governments are owned by big business -- even the supposedly leftist governments need money from somewhere.

So there's little we can do except jump up and down and say "exploiting third world countries is NOT cool!" or "I like saying MATE and not DUDE" and hope that other people see our point - and have the guts to do something about it...

Glad you liked it though...

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum by the author's request.