Globalization of Latin American Media

Starting this section, I was a bit confused because I didn't know really anything about Latin American media. I found it interesting that throughout South America there are so many diverse countries with their own media. I also found it interesting how each country had diverse histories that shaped the way their media functions.

No Sinterklaas this year

I found this story about how a cocoa processing plant near Amsterdam was banned from having their Sinterklaas party by their US head office. They chose to ban the party because because they didn't want to be accused of racism. All because Sinterklaas is accompanied by Zwarte Piet, Black Pete. Which is people with black painted faces.

From the way I understood the tradition, Zwarte Piet is black because of the soot, not necessarily because of his race. I think that this is a bit unnecessary, it is a tradition, just like our Santa Claus and I don't see why the head office, from another country, felt the need to change it. I think that this is a negative aspect of globalization. Executives from other countries are making decisions about places that they don't really understand. They make decisions for "the good of the company" but not for the good of the people living there. even though their are real people with real lives living there that they may not understand.

Cultural Globalization and Imperialism

I think that cultural imperialism and globalization is turning into simply the "Americanization" of the world. People and countries are becoming more and more American with the integration of American and Western Media.

Maybe it isn't that it is all Americanization in the sense that that is how we are in America, and that is the American culture, but that this is the American image that the corporate media is presenting to us and we are buying it just as much as the rest of the world. It was just less steps for us to take to get there than other cultures.

Cats and Dogs are fat in Holland

This just in, 40% of Dutch dogs and 35% of cats are overweight.

Shocker, I know. At first I didn't get why this is in anyway important, but when I mentioned it to my boyfriend, he wasn't shocked at all. I think that is has a lot to do with that not many people in Holland have a back yard. I would be willing to bet that the majority of the overweight animals are in the city because not many people have yards or it is really hard to get your animal out there to exercise.

Trains attacked in Madrid

On Wednesday, the Spanish National Court said that they will finish the hearings of the 28 people suspected to be involved in the train attacks in 2004. The attacks were said to be Muslims acting on behalf of Al-Qaida, 191 people died and 1,841 were wounded. For the eight head suspects, some think that they should be charged with 191 counts of murder and 1,841 attempts at murder.

I found it interesting that this was such a big story in the Netherlands, even though it is about Spain. I am noticing that there is more international news in the Netherlands, as compared to the U.S. I think that it has to do a lot to do with the fact that there are so many countries in a closer proximity. They are all connected because of the Euro as well, which keeps the countries dependent and connected to each other.

Media in MENA

After reading the chapter and watching the movie in class, I have a new view about news in MENA. It is developing and growing into a strong entity that other countries are noticing. If a free press is essential to a true democracy, than the fact that they are striving for a free press is a huge step in the right direction. Hopefully they can keep out of the pit falls that corporate media and keep going in the direction of a free democracy.