Neo-neo-colonialism

“The sun never sets on the British Empire” remained a true statement for centuries thanks mostly to the use of brute force. Each conventional colonization since then has employed the same tactic. However, a new modus operandi has been adopted that is far more subtle, yet permeates boundaries that canons and swords could only dream of. No representatives from the invading nation need even be present to ensure the efficacy of the agenda. In fact, the citizens of the colonizing nation tend to be entirely oblivious of the magnitude of the invasion, and those under the proverbial fire are either painfully aware or peacefully ignorant of the changes. This situation is not some faraway dream or unwritten Ray Bradbury novel - on the contrary, it is the reality today. After finally having the opportunity to really immerse myself in a number of different cultures (albeit all European), I have found that America has become the everyman’s culture.

The most obvious indicator is the language. As English is currently the lingua franca, with no foreseeable end to its reign, most people in major cities speak either a smattering of English or are approaching fluency. They expect us as Americans to be monolingual, and we rarely disappoint. But the point here is not the experience of the American in Paris. Language is merely the first step of a rampant colonization process, creeping across the ocean in unorthodox vessels.

I have spent a number of weeks now in a small town in northern Italy, and cannot help but notice that the stores all sell - and the children all wear - t-shirts with American locations or phrases. My 11-year-old cousin wore a shirt that said “Yale University,” which he confessed he had never heard of. The other’s had a picture of a porcupine that made a pun with the word “hair”: a joke that you would only understand if you spoke English, which they did not. Nonetheless, all of the children and many young adults sported, not American brands of clothes, but apparel with what felt like hollowed out mantras about Los Angeles, New York, etc. The list goes on.

The television shows overseas also tend to be dubbed American sitcoms. I found myself watching a Law and Order re-run with Jack McCoy delivering his summation in German, while his lips moved to form English words. Listening to American music almost goes without saying, but again many of the lyrics are lost on the listeners. Others sing along with poignantly American rap, folk or rock n’ roll songs without understanding its lyrics or cultural context. Of course, in the United States, we rarely have the inclination to delve into foreign cultures and understand their intricacies and pressure points. However, we are also quite open to admitting this ignorance. It seems that a great deal of Western Europe feels perfectly willing and eager to demonstrate their prowess in American culture. Whereas we tiptoe around criticisms of another country’s politics, and would never deign to tell the Parisian where to go while in Paris, I have found that not many across the Atlantic share the same inhibitions. There is a preserved sense in America that a foreigner can never know the great cities of the world without having lived there for most of her life, without having suffered initiation at the hands of the natives. Yet, many I have spoken with here in Europe are quite content to rattle off their insider’s knowledge about my hometown. To be fair, such knowledge is readily accessible in the countless movies and television shows set in New York, but nonetheless, it is odd to hear from someone who has never been to the city. “Here’s where you get the best bagels,” is normally reserved for old-timers and the New York Times.

So the world believes itself to be an expert on America, the behavior of its citizens and the ambitions of its government. While it is quite uncomfortable as a traveler to encounter these notions, it is perhaps the first step in the subliminal, and often overt, new American colonization. Of course, no city has changed very dramatically at the hands of this agenda, but each has incorporated American culture to some degree - and for the most part, it has not been their choice. We force our chains and radio waves across the ocean and no wonder many believe that they know the true America. I cannot tell if this result was intended, or is merely a byproduct of the larger homogenization and dominance.

It is not as if American culture is regarded with reverence, partly because it has been superficially foisted upon so many people, and partly because the true America has not been successfully transplanted by our nouveau propaganda administration. I heard recently of a person who was teaching American culture to college students overseas through film and television. Truth be told, quite a lot of our cultural identity is derived from the programs that we watch as we grow. There is no argument that they did not shape us as Americans, but of course, we cannot be learned from those same episodes of Friends and House. And in a way, the soldiers of this newest form of colonization are movies and television, advertisements and newspapers.

America is no more worthy of being understood than any other country. But because America has infiltrated in the form of Levi jeans and Taylor Swift, it has presented a half-understanding of itself that only be detrimental. This new colonization propagates many stereotypes, both deserved and undeserved.

Nika di Liberto Sabasteanski is a sophomore neuroscience major from Brooklyn, New York. She is an Opinions Staff Writer for the News-Letter.