When I saw Wade Davis make a presentation in Toronto December 2017 called "Intangible Cultural Heritage" he allowed a Q and A. His presentation was a "best of" all his research and travel and writing. When a person asked the following question "What do you think is going on in the USA with all the politics and drama?" I wa pissed I don't want to hear about the USA politics especially being in Canada and hearing such a terrific presentation about world cultures. But Wade Dais said, "Thats a good question." He was so generous and thoughtful. He said, "As an anthropologist, I think what we are seeing in the United States is....that an Empire gets 100 years."
Ah, what a fantastic perspective and one I would agree with as the end of a cultural era is often marked by decadence and turmoil both politically and culturally. I believe one of the reasons we have such popular cultural artifacts centered on British mythology and society is because in the USA unconsciously nd consciously....the appeal of seeing a society survive a collapse and transformation from Empire...to something else is reassuring. Ultimately, we know through these arcs of decay, collapse, turmoil the UK survived it's transformation. One of the major exports of Britain is the storyline and artifacts of the anarchy. And with the USA it's major export is also cultural though Hollywood and visual narratives found on tv and Netflix. If Britain can transform from an Empire....so can the USA.
No comments:
Post a Comment