I found it interesting that the Writers Guild's panel decided that Hollywood was not to blame for the negative opinions of America abroad. While the entertainment industry is certainly not the only contributor to our nation's reputation, it is clearly a contributor. As the Newsweek article mentions, movies and television shows often exemplify a "vulgar, violent, vitriolic" America that has a negative effect on our image. A recent Gallup poll proves this point. The poll (which asked individuals whether they approved or disapproved of the leadership of the United states) showed only a 15% approval rating of the U.S. among individuals in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa. A more important question to me is this: does it matter? Maybe this is just a little ethnocentrism speaking, but I feel like the United States is one few countries obsessively trying to export their culture. I get that the industry wants to open foreign markets in order to make more money (hey, Transformers 2 cost over $150 million to make) and I understand- to an extent- that the U.S. wants to improve the image that decades of self-centered foreign policy has created. But maybe these two things don't go together. Maybe the best way to improve our image is not to suffocate our friends (and enemies) overseas with CSI and Batman. Another Gallup poll showed a correlation between the development of communications infrastructure and disapproval of the United States. (Am I addicted to Gallup? The answer is yes.) According to the surveys, the areas that are the most connected to communication infrastructures had the highest disapproval rating- 54%.
Someone at the cultural diplomacy conference emphasized promoting cultures working together. I believe he mentioned artists from different countries working to create a joint project. I think it is this type of cultural diplomacy that the government should be focused on. We have such a culture of convenience in the U.S. that it is only natural for us to expect that sharing (I use this term loosely) our culture with others should follow the same formula. But that is not the case. Of course, the government is a creature of habit and is going to continue beating that dead horse. In the Omnibus Appropriations Act which passed in March, $341 million was given to the Federal Communications Commission to make worldwide communication services available. This is not to say that U.S. shouldn't be providing worldwide communication services, but that maybe we need to alter our approach to "communications".
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Hi, Allison! I really enjoyed what you recounted at the end of your post. An international project would definitely be an interesting way of boosting America's perception. However, you have to wonder how this could actually be accomplished. Knowing the American government, surely a new post and section of the government would have to be created, and billions of dollars would be poured into this project. Who would be in charge? Who would make the final decisions about this project? Who would even decide who was able to participate? As an idea, I think it's brilliant, but in execution, I can only see it being a disaster. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cara-in theory I also agree that your idea is very good. I think that the mixing and cooperation of cultures through the arts/film would be a good way to promote cultural diplomacy, however, this would cost a great deal of money and would involve multiple countries working together to plan this kind of thing. If enough money, effort, and time were put into this idea I think it could work out, but I don't see that happening any time soon.
ReplyDeleteyeah I definitely see the problem in execution. If it were up to me (because obviously I am the reigning queen supreme of the world, didn't you know?) I would start small. The government doesn't even necessarily need to be involved. I was thinking like a small indie movie that showcases multiple cultures, or some kind of art exchange between colleges. I think little things like this could add up to big change. And once the foundation has been built, the government could then create its own projects. But as you both mention, funding would most certainly be a problem.
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