right so i'm slightly confused.
umm... where do you draw the line between 'blending in' and 'losing your individual sense of style'?
does anyone have the answer? more importantly, can anyone feel my pain? ok. let me try and sell you my argument.
i have a friend who's moved to the US couple of years back. complete transformation has happened. from regular clothes, now is seen ALWAYS in shorts/spaghetti strap tops/sneakers. give her a hamburger and she'd be a mascot for the land of milk and honey.
so what am i so worried about? isn't she just blending in? i suppose my concern is with the degree of blending in. it's a bit like adopting an accent. people have lived in foreign countries for decades and not got one. some get a slight accent, but continue speaking in their hybridised forms of english which is the language they've grown up using. then there are some that completely queens-englishify themselves. the ones in the UK, i mean. the ones in america, they mcdonaldise (mcdonaldize?) themselves. be it in their speech, or their clothing.
in fact, that's something more apparent in america (US, i should specify, else my Colombian friends will disown me). it's more powerful, more mesmeric, and definitely more overwhelming in its influence. just like mcdonalds. it's EVERYWHERE. unstoppable. unbridled. spreading its tentacles far and wide and converting people one by one. like a vampire. there's a well-documented example of korean schoolkids a few years ago, who'd gone to the US for a field project. everyday they were taken to different restaurants and were sick of the strange-tasting food. "we want some home food" they said on the last day. "lets have mcdonald's". that's the mcdonalised generation (which includes me i should add) for you - so mesmerised by the golden arches that they think its their own.
which is exactly what i feel about my friend. she's not really blending in, she thinks THAT is who she is.
and that is my fear.
hmm..well i'm writing a comment since you asked me to! :) hee hee...not really - just to say i guess it makes more sense when you compare it to accents! hate it when people go on a week's holiday to uk or us and come back with british/american accents!
ReplyDeleteand why do i have to select a profile when leaving a comment? what the bloody hell does that mean? i dont like any of the choices!
hehe yes, it was a slightly complicated argument hence made sense to actually write it down.
ReplyDeleteas for the posting, you could do it anonymously, that is an option!
I know what you mean.I have a cousin who is treading dangerously between americanising batata wada and indianising doughnuts.I lose my appetite whenever i think of the results
ReplyDeletehahaha.. yes that does sound disgusting - immediately the mind conjures up images of mayo-laden batata vada, and donuts with sweet mango chutney. eww.
ReplyDeleteeww-er when it happens in a person, forgot to add.
ReplyDelete