With the demise of the auto industry in the US...what exactly does America still do?
OK we consume...or, at least, we did when we could afford it. Now we go to the dollar store and the thrift shops... I mean the ones within walking distance since no one can afford to drive anymore with high gas prices.
America also WAS the ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL of the world...movies, music, singing and dancing... Sometimes I think that when our Chinese Money Masters walk up onto the beaches in California--we'll all be there singing and dancing...Hey, dude, wanna beer!
But with the new technologies of the computer and Internet EVEN American dominance of the entertainment industry may start to wane...
Music and Multimedia productions can now be done at the local level that have the ability to equal full scale Hollywood production techniques.
So, instead of Russians and Asians watching and listening to American Movies and American Music...there is now the capability to produce and consume high quality local and regional content...content that fits in with the mores and attitudes of the local and regional culture...
We already see "born agains" in the US producing their own branded content...that avoids the "immorality" of the evil left coast.
And with new computerized media capability we could see more "BOLLYWOODS" all around the world.
Another arugment for the demise of SONG AND DANCE AMERICA is that America and Americans are no longer respected in the world...indeed, it seems that America is hated in more places than ever... So, why would these people even want to see or listen to American content...? Well, probably they don't and likely they won't in a few years...
America's unique place in 20th Century culture was its dream of a middle class life. But now even that is dying fast. Foreign audiences don't need to see stories about the American greedy rich...THEY HAVE THEIR OWN GREEDY ELITES!
What made America different in the 20th Century was THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS...! THAT'S WHAT FOREIGN AUDIENCES FOUND FASINATING ABOUT AMERICAN MOVIES AND MEDIA CONTENT...
BUT, WITH THE DEMISE OF THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS...AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF THE INTERNET AND COMPUTERIZED PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES...THE WORLD DOESN'T HAVE TO LOOK TO AMERICANS FOR THEIR MIDDLE CLASS DIVERSIONS AND DREAMLANDS ANYMORE...
THANKS TO WALL STREET AND WASHINGTON THE CURTAIN HAS COME DOWN ON AMERICA AS A PLACE THE WORLD ASPIRES TO FOR IT'S MIDDLE CLASS DREAMS... TODAY, AMERICA IS "JUST" ONE OF CHINA'S BIGGEST CUSTOMERS...with alas, questional credit to boot!
SO, AMERICANS CAN STILL SING AND DANCE...BUT WILL ANYONE BE WATCHING?
I DON'T THINK ANYONE WILL REALLY CARE....
