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(3/3) Media Imperialism

Reactions and responses to media imperialism

1. Bollywood

in the 1930s, Mani Ratnam, a man of the indian moviemaking industry, combined aspects of hollywood’s success, western commercialism, and indian film experimentalism to create what would become the media giant of bollywood. based on the interactions of imperialist and imperialized, Homi Bhabha in his work “The Location of Culture,” would consider this an act of hybridity: a combination of imperial and local techniques done in order to thrive under new systems

2. Political Cartoons

widely believed to have gotten their start in paris in the 1800s, political cartoons quickly became an avenue of protest and anti-imperialism in the nations the medium spread to through through colonialism. satire, another method of media-making intrinsic to anti-imperialism, is often, though not always, an element of political cartoons, and communicates the artist’s dislike, disagreement with, or hatred of a thing by giving it the worst possible connotation an imperial force could have: silly. something silly or stupid or pesky is much easier to rally against than something looming and all-consuming with no perceivable escape or overthrow

Chrisman, R. (1983) “The role of mass media in U.S. imperialism,” The Black Scholar, 14(3-4), pp. 13–17. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.1983.11414272.

Mani Ratnam (2023) Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mani-Ratnam (Accessed: April 8, 2023).

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(2/3) Media Imperialism

Ideas, standards, and beliefs communicated through

1. propaganda - media that intends, directly or indirectly, to instill pride, patriotism, or a sense of respect for the US’s military prowess through the coolness factor - common indicators include nameless, faceless, or two dimensional enemies and villains, glorification of war and violence, and glorification of military

2. imposed childhood - the perpetuation of false and romanticized narratives and expectations surrounding childhood and adolescence which are then projected to external societies without context or elaboration - indicators include stories that work to avoid deeper meaning or self criticism, the curation of characters and stories to fit set, accepted narratives, consumerism, and the perpetuation of expected beauty standards even on young audiences, actors, and characters

3. concept of beauty -  the perpetuation of the US’s standards of beauty imposed upon external nations and societies through media, most often visual, completely disconnected from context and reality, often edited into impossibility - think critically about who is and who is not meant to be beautiful in media. what does the love interest look like? what is expected of beauty from different groups of people? is there an imbalance of who is and is not expected to be attractive?

Chrisman, R. (1983) “The role of mass media in U.S. imperialism,” The Black Scholar, 14(3-4), pp. 13–17. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.1983.11414272.

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(1/3) Media Imperialism

What is Media Imperialism???

media imperialism is the infiltration of a culture or cultures by external sources via its media, and the imposition of the infiltrator’s methodologies, purposeful or not, unto the imposed upon entities.

media imperialism is an understudied vein of modern imperialism that is utilized by the US in its constant outflow of media and culture

Things the US loves to push through its media :

     Tenants of American Business -

          Efficiency             Calculability             Predictability             Control

     Maintaining the perceived roll of US media :

          Inform           Propagandize           Bolster consumerism

Is it actually harmful? Y e a h

“U.S mass media is a goliath of frightening proportions, and a powerful instrument in the process of suppressing the sovereignty of peoples throughout their nations. In this process, of course, it also violates one of the most fundamental of human rights---the right to a clear and informed consciousness, the right to develop and enhance cultural life… Art and culture are viewed as commodities, and the human being is an object that is deliberately, willfully and scientifically stimulated to perform in certain ways. Such an approach ignores the reality of events, it ignores the social cohesion of people and their values of their communities and nations, values that derive from shared real experience -such as working together, building families and communities and basic elements of life.”       -- The Role of Mass Media in U.S. Imperialism, The Black Scholar

media imperialism is a little-studied and underestimated method of modern imperialism; nevertheless, it is a powerful and dangerous tool for the perpetuation of contemporary empires

Chrisman, R. (1983) “The role of mass media in U.S. imperialism,” The Black Scholar, 14(3-4), pp. 13–17. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.1983.11414272.

Schiller, H.I. (1978) “Media and Imperialism,” Revue française d’études américaines, 6(1), pp. 269–281. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3406/rfea.1978.1008.

Cultural imperialism (no date) Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-imperialism (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

[Author removed at request of original publisher] (2016) 13.7 cultural imperialism, Understanding Media and Culture. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing edition, 2016. This edition adapted from a work originally produced in 2010 by a publisher who has requested that it not receive attribution. Available at: https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/13-7-cultural-imperialism/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

[joe-shalmaneser]

off to battle the honorable dacians

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🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡🗡

Hey everybody take one for tomorrow

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unrelated, but you are also julius caesar

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merry ides of march

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Internet: What have you got there?

Tumblr:

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Tumblr on March 15th.

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hanging with my boys in the senate on wednesday the 15th, cant wait to see what theyve got planned, i hope its a suprise party

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the 2006 film One Night With a King is a genuinely impressive adaptation of the book of esther and, despite its romance-heavy marketing, it successfully communicates the story in a way that is both compelling and surprisingly competent for its medium and genre. the depiction of the persian court, specifically, was as dramatic as is expected of hollywood depictions of the empire, but widely less reductionist than other western films dealing with similar periods and topics; the members of the court are driven by complex motives and ideals, allowing the story to breathe and fully communicate with its viewers; In This Essay I Will—

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ancient egypt: yeah so i’m a living breathing empire that expands and contracts as time passes; my rulers change and my people’s manor of worship and favored deities have ebbed and flowed with new and old influence. within me, belief systems and ideas of morality have evolved with altered context and time, and stagnation is unfamiliar to me and mine, as it is with all—hey. what. no–what are you doing—

elementary schools in the us: KING TUT TUT KING TUT TUT KING TUT TUT

[joe-shalmaneser]

when the emperor commissions another freestanding pillar carved with reliefs of my uncle’s great defeat, the uncle whose army i fled for fear of death by spear and shield