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University of Florida, CJC Online, Mass Communication Theory, MMC6400.
“Mass media in developing countries have been described as Trojan horses for the transmission of western values and for the perpetuation of cultural imperialism” (Acholonu, 2011).
The theory of cultural imperialism was proposed by Herbert Schiller in 1976 to describe how multinational corporations dominate developing countries. Media imperialism is a narrow application of Schiller’s theory, proposed by British scholar Oliver Boyd-Barret.
Media imperialism theory overlaps with Schiller’s but focuses on media influence by powerful Western countries. “The popularity of U.S. television shows, movies, and celebrities abroad is one example of this” (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2017, p.147).
According to Regina Acholonu from Godfrey Oyoke University in Nigeria, foreign programs dominate Nigerian television screens with programs that offer no cultural value. “Many third world countries including Nigeria import over fifty percent of their television programs” (2011).
The result of McLuhan’s global village appears to be smaller countries’ loss of their own identities. McLuhan’s Global Village, Still Relevant Today Gary Crystal attributes this disappearance to the dominance of media from larger nations, comparing the scenario to Mom-and-Pop shops closing due to Walmart (2013).
To prevent such cultural takeovers, some non-Western countries employ a gate-keeping strategy to limit Western media influence. For example, “countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, China, and India impose restrictions on Western media imports that could harm their original culture and politics” (dangngoctrinh, 2014).
Can you think of a movie or television show that might be considered a "trojan horse" for American cultural values overseas?
Examples of gatekeeping or resistance to American media to protect cultural values include China’s ban on Deadpool (2016), The Dark Night (2008), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Back to the Future (1985) due to cultural references that are considered disrespectful to Chinese beliefs.
Does Hollywood employ media imperialism on its own United States citizens?
In the United States, Hollywood operates its own form of media imperialism against America’s indigenous peoples. Hollywood films have been used to bias Americans against the continent's native residents since the 1950s. The harm done to indigenous people through stereotypes in popular media will be studied for decades.
Despite historic Hollywood depictions of Native Americans, the tide is turning against these stereotypical portrayals of indigenous people. For example, in 2015, twelve Native American actors walked off the set of Adam Sandler’s film, The Ridiculous Six. Native Americans walk off Adam Sandler set - BBC News
While Netflix was quick to defend Sandler’s jokes as “a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized” the jokes were not creative, but “uninspired facsimiles of old stereotypes that stem from late 19th-century Wild West Shows” (Young, 2015).
The assumption that movies, mascots, or symbols, lack real-world impact on living people lies at the heart of the problem, according to Stephanie Fryberg. Fryberg, a professor at the University of Michigan and a member of the Tulalip Tribe, studies the effects of mascot symbolism and how they extend beyond the Native American population.
“Research shows that the use of Indian mascots increases stereotyping…and leads to the dehumanize of indigenous peoples” (Stanton, 2020).
The national debate around Native American mascots recently increased after Washington’s NFL team changed its name. Applauded as a long-overdue decision, some still complained about political correctness.
The year 2020 marked the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's arrival at Plymouth Rock, Mass. For generations, the story of Plymouth Rock has been taught to school children from the white settlers’ perspective. "The stories [students] are told of a golden age of friendship, new beginnings, and untouched wilderness is a myth" (Littledave, 2021).
Stories remake the world in the image those in power wish to promote.
Cultural studies investigate “the ways in which words images, symbols, and meanings are used in the portrayal of groups that are outside of the mainstream of social power...to seek a better understanding of how the process of attaching symbolic meaning works, and what it means for the individuals and groups involved and for society as a whole” (Rosenberry & Vicker, 2017, p.131).
While organizations such as the Sundance Institute support Indigenous peoples by promoting their authentic stories, there is still much work to be done for the Wild West narrative in U.S. pop culture to be rectified. Team names are just one facet of a much broader conversation happening across America over public memory, inclusion, and the stories we tell ourselves about America (Stanton, 2020).
“Very powerful forces are at work to deny Native American people of agency over their own identities and their very lives…” (Brady, 2016).
However, a recent cause for hope is the historic appointment of Deb Haaland as secretary to the US Department of the Interior. Haaland is the first Native American in U.S. history to serve in a president's Cabinet.
This is seen by many as an indication that our country may be ready to "take meaningful steps to intervene in Hollywood’s running narrative of conquest” and to “rectify and balance the one-sided, stock image of Indians as ignorant, distrustful, and undesirable through continued work in the film industry” (Wilson, 2012).
How can cultural imperialism be applied to the Taliban's capture of Kabul, Afghanistan, the departure of American troops, and the return to government rule by the insurgents?
The reigning principle of U.S. corporate-imperial news coverage upholds that the United States is fundamentally a benevolent force for good. Is it possible to interpret this through a different lens?
"The defeat of American invasions and occupations may be reported and discussed in the mainstream media and political culture as the consequence of strategic miscalculations by US policymakers...but never as the result of legitimate popular resistance to American imperialism" (Street, 2021).
Are American media influences "trojan horses" intended to invade and culturally occupy other nations?
"Notice two things outside the parameters of permissible discussion: the criminal nature of the U.S. invasion [of Afghanistan] from day one, and the longstanding role of the US in training and equipping right-wing Islamo terrorism in Afghanistan and the broader Muslim and Arab world" (Street, 2021).
Asian Responses to Imperialism: Crash Course World History #213
In this YouTube video, John Green talks about Imperialism, but not from the perspective of the colonizers: through the lens of those who were colonized (Oct. 24, 2014).
Questions
How do the theories of cultural & media imperialism help explain the Taliban's resistance to United States' attempts to dominate Afghanistan?
Can we better understand China's recent support for the Taliban in Afghanistan by examining the role of American media imperialism in China?
How does corporate-imperial media news coverage influence Americans' view of international events?
Share your thoughts.
References
Acholonu, R. (2011, December). Mass media and cultural imperialism: The African experience.
Godfrey Okoye University. Mass Media and Cultural Imperialism: The African Experience (researchgate.net)
Brady, E. (2016, August 25). The real history of Native American team names. USA Today.
Crystal, G. (2013, January 19). What is media imperialism? Info Bloom. What is Media Imperialism?
Dangngoctrihn. (2014, July 5). Media imperialism: Does it still matter? [Blog Post]. Dang Ngoc
Essays for Education. (2020, June 19). Honor or offense: Using Native Americans as a mascot.
Lahut, J. (2021, July 7). Fox news host says Native American land “wasn’t stolen”: “We won
this land on the battlefield.” Business Insider. Fox News Host Says US 'Won This Land on the Battlefield'
Littledave, S. (2021, June 6). The 400 years project looks at Native American identity through
the native lens. NPR. The 400 Years Project Looks At Native American Identity Through The Native Lens
Rosenberry J. & Vicker, L. (2017). Applied mass communication theory: A guide for media
practitioners (2nd edition). Routledge.
Sommers, S. (2012, May 25). The Native American mascot: Tribute or stereotype? What does
research tell us about the Native American mascot debate. Psychology Today. The Native American Mascot: Tribute or Stereotype?
Stanton, Z. (2020, July 16). How Native American team names distort your psychology.
Street, P. (2021, August 17). The United States, Afghanistan, and the Doctrinal Boundaries of
Permissible Reflection. CounterPunch.org. The United States, Afghanistan, and the Doctrinal Boundaries of Permissible Reflection
Wilson, R. (2021, July 9). Bans on Native American mascots pick up after Washington football
team name change. The Hill. Bans on Native American mascots pick up after Washington Football Team name change
Young, Brian. (2015, June 11). Why I won’t wear war paint and feathers in a movie again. Time.
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