No 'hegemony' does not necessarily imply oppression at all. But the US is like the Roman Empire - a super coloniser - and it will fall if Americans don't make the attempt to look at themselves from outside and engage. I always believed Clinton was more inclined that way but that's my political view. Unfortunately people outside - even in the UK, Australia, NZ - don't always discriminate, some people I know even see hip-hop as part of US imperialism, when it clearly springs from something altogether underground, marginal and different! They have no idea! Some people even see US DJs as part of that! It is ridiculous I know, we here all know, as we know the history, but people outside don't always discern the differences. In Australia the arts community has been fighting for a fairer take on the US/Australian trade agreement as it will remove much of what protects the Australian TV and film industry and then our popular culture will be essentially American (with the UK product the alternative). I love a lot of things that emanate from America and Australians like Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe (actually he's NZ), Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett, Peter Weir, Alex Proyas, etc, have been fostered in the US film industry but their roots lie in the Australian industry which is now threatened. I believe in pluralism, that's all. It's terrible that in the US Tiesto gets so much limelight, but that is happening everywhere. He's big here too.
---------- >From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Cyclone Wehner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "313 Detroit" <313@hyperreal.org> >Subject: Re: (313) EU Boycott and an End To European Insourcing Of Techno Music >Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 3:40 PM > >> The US, not Europe, is the cultural, political and economic hegemony. > > assuming you are attaching a connotative meaning like oppression to the term > hegemony, then i totally agree and we americans are also > victims of our own hegemony...in fact there would be no need for such a > suggestion except for the fact that it's very hard get a firm understanding > of the level ov coersion and consent happening...not just under bush...it's > momentum... > > b >
