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Unit14UndertheSignofMickeyMouse&Co.ToddGitlin1Everywhere,themediaflowdefiesnationalboundaries.Thisisoneofitsobvious,butatthesametimeamazing,features.Aglobaltorrentisnot,ofcourse,themastermetaphortowhichwehavegrownaccustomed.We’remoreaccustomedtoMarshallMcLuhan’sglobalvillage.Thosewhoresorttothismetaphorcasuallyoftenforgetthatiftheworldisaglobalvillage,someliveinmansionsonthehill,othersinhuts.Somedispatchimagesandsoundsaroundtownatthetouchofabutton;otherscollectthematthetouchoftheirbuttons.YetMcLuhan’simagerevealsanindispensablehalf-truth.Ifthereisavillage,itspeaksAmerican.Itwearsjeans,drinksCoke,eatsatthegoldenarches,walksonswooshedshoes,playselectricguitars,recognizesMickeyMouse,JamesDean,E.T.,BartSimpson,R2-D2,andPamelaAnderson.2AttheentrancetothechampagnecellarofPiper-HeidsieckinReims,ineasternFrance,aplaquedeclaresthatthecellarwasdedicatedbyMarieAntoinette.Thetourisnarratedinsixlanguages,andattheendyouwalkbackupstairsintoamuseumfeaturingphotographsoffamouspeopledrinkingchampagne.Andwhoarethey?Perhapsmembersoftoday’sroyalhouses,presidentsorprimeministers,economictitansorNobelPrizewinners?Ofcoursenot.Theyaremoviestars,almostallofthemAmerican－MarilynMonroetoClintEastwood.Thesymmetryoftheexhibitionisobvious,thepremiseunmistakable:Hollywoodstars,championsofconsumption,aretheroyaltyofthiscentury,morepopularbyfarthanpoordoomedMarie.3Hollywoodistheglobalculturalcapital－capitalinbothsenses.TheUnitedStatespresidesoverasortofWorldBankofstylesandsymbols,anInternationalCulturalFundofimages,sounds,andcelebrities.ThegoodsmaybedistributedbyAmerican-,Canadian-,European-,Japanese-,orAustralian-ownedmultinationalcorporations,buttheirstyles,themes,andimagesdonotdetectablychangewhenanewboardofdirectorstakesover.EntertainmentisoneofAmerica’stopexports.In1999,infact,film,television,music,radio,advertising,printpublishing,andcomputersoftwaretogetherwerethetopexport,almost$80billionworth,andwhilesoftwarealoneaccountedfor$50billionofthetotal,someofthatcategoryalsoqualifiesasentertainment－videogamesandpornography,forexample.HardlyanyoneisexemptfromtheforceofAmericanimagesandsounds.FrenchresentmentofMickeyMouse,BruceWillis,andtheresetofAmericancivilizationiswellknown.Lesswellknown,andrarelyacknowledgedbytheFrench,isthefactthatTerminator2sold5millionticketsinFranceduringthemonthitopened－withnosubmachinegunsattheheadsofthecustomers.Thesamecultureminister,JackLang,whoin1982achievedamomentofpredictablenotorietyintheUnitedStatesfordeclaringthatDallasamountedtoculturalimperialism,alsoconferredFrance’shighesthonorintheartsonElizabethTaylorandSylvesterStallone.Thepointisnothypocrisypureandsimplebutsomethingdeeper,somethingobscuredbyasingle-mindedemphasisonAmericanpower:dependency.Americanpopularcultureisthenemesisthathundredsofmillions－perhapsbillions－ofpeoplelove,andlovetohate.Theantagonismandthedependencyareinseparable,forthemediaflood－essentiallyAmericaninitsorigin,butvirtuallyunlimitedinitsreach－represents,likeitornot,acommonimagination.4HowshallweunderstandtheHongKongT-shirtthatsays“IFeelCoke”?OrthelittleJapanesegirlwhoasksanAmericanvisitorinallinnocence,“IstherereallyaDisneylandinAmerica?”(SheknowstheoneinTokyo.)OrtheexperienceofaGermantelevisionreportersenttoSiberiatofilmindigenouslife,whoafterflyingoutofMoscowandthentravellingfordaysbyboat,bus,andjeep,arrivesneartheArcticSeawhereliveatribeofTungusiansknowntoethnologistsfortheirbearskinrituals.Inthecommunitystoresitsagrandfatherwithhisgrandchildonhisknee.GrandfatherisdressedintraditionalTungusianclothing.Grandsonhasonhisheadareversedbaseballcap.5Americanpopularcultureistheclosestapproximationtodaytoagloballinguafranca,drawingtheurbanandyounginparticularintoacommonculturalzonewheretheysharesomedreamsoffreedom,wealth,comfort,innocence,andpower－andperhapsmostofall,youthasastateofmind.Ingeneral,despitetherhetoricof“identity,”youngpeopledonotliveinmonocultures.Theyarenotmonocular.Theyarebothlocalandcosmopolitan.Culturalbilingualismisroutine.Justastheir“cultures”areneitherhard-wirednoruniform,sothereisnosimplewayinwhichtheyare“Americanized”,thoughthereareAmericantagsontheirexperience－low-costlinkstostatusandfun.Everywhere,funlovers,efficiencyseekers,Americaphiles,andAmericaphobesalikepassthroughtheportalsofDisneyandthearchesofMcDonald’swearingLevi’sjeansandGapjackets.MickeyMouseandDonaldDuck,JohnWayne,MarilynMonroe,JamesDean,BobDylan,MichaelJackson,Madonna,ClintEastwood,BruceWillis,themulti-colorchorusofCoca-Cola,andthenextflavorofthemonthortheuniversearetheiconsofacurioussortofone-worldsensibility,aglobalsemiculture.America’sbidforglobalunificationsurpassesinreachthatoftheRoman,theBritish,theCatholicorIslam;thoughwithouteitheranarmyoraGod,itrequiresless.TheTungusianboywiththereversedcaponhisheaddoesnotautomaticallythinkofitas“American,”letalonesidewiththeU.S.Army.6ThemisleadinglyeasyanswertothequestionofhowAmericanimagesandsoundsbecameomnipresentis:Americanimperialism.Buttheimagesarenotevenfaintlyforce-ledbyAmericancorporate,political,ormilitarypower.Theempirestrikesfrominsidethespectat