We must reclaim culture by stressing common values

TO THE EDITOR:

In response to yesterday's letter to the editor (""Corporate consumerism doesn't define America"" Feb. 23): American culture may not have been founded on materialism, but the principles of original capitalist culture"" still hold true for neoliberal deregulation.

Global commodity chains integrate many cultures into a new but similar system of exchange. Consumerism and transnational corporations are the basis of our economy today.

Yes" America's history is longer than 60 years" but how can we profess a ""melting pot"" culture when African-Americans have been able to vote for less than 50 years? Our history is the history of commodities and their sale by corporations. Now even those unique American innovations are globalized" like a McDonald's in Hong Kong and Guns N' Roses posters in Iran. What is left to define our culture but corporate icons?

To survive this economic crisis Americans need to renew their culture not by stressing diversity or individualism but community. The solution lies within our borders so instead of outsourcing and expanding markets corporations need to reinvest in America. If you are pro-cultural then you should be anti-American because for too long we have let corporate and material interests define our culture. Let's work together for positive social change and make every American's values liberties and dreams ours in the fashion of true democracy.



Robert Paradis

Junior

Sociology