Invasion of culture, loss of sovereignty and identity
Leaving Latin America to the north of the continent and finding everything we consume and see in our society daily, are we really living our native culture or are we adopting another through American influences? From what we consume, daily activities, to what we used to do, where the invasion of technology has brought with it an American influence with which we ask ourselves if it is for better or for worse the cultural clash we face today today. But it is not only the technological invasion that encourages this influence, but ourselves as people that when emigrating we bring a bit of the culture lived there.
After its independence, the United States was seen in a revolutionary process against European states in order to maintain its sovereignty, being as well as the American ̈ America arises later ̈, also known as Monroe doctrine. Because of this, in the mid -nineteenth century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the United States went through an intervention process towards Latin American countries in order to expand as a nation or simply reach agreements that benefit them. However, this was not the only footprint that was marked for history, but what we acquired from its culture during the intervention processes that, in a very noticeable way, left a before and after in the day -to -day life of countries as the RepublicDominican.
When we are walking down the street, it is common to see places like McDonald’s, Fridys, brand establishments that it was not common to see in countries such as the Dominican Republic or the famous “food trucks” or food carts, haven’t they noticed that all these placesThey even have names in English? Emerging with more power in recent years, small generations are growing with that lifestyle, we can realize only what they eat. Adults who grew up feeding on what their countries produce in Latin America and being the typical dishes every day’s bread, currently raised their children by feeding them with fast food, clear American influence.
Festivities such as “Halloween” or ̈thanksgiving ̈, which were not commonly not celebrations in Latin American and Caribbean countries, today they are seen as something everyday and even are held with the same degree that a national activity is celebrated, so this is where weWe ask when we adapt our culture. But not only must these festivities cite, it would be a good point. The celebration of American independence is taking power in Latin American countries and the Dominican Republic is not far behind, great activities as a celebration and notorious discounts in sales premises make us doubt if it is no longer only to adapt our culture to something new, but,Something more important already at patriotic levels.
From the values and education that instill in today’s generation, to the way of socializing and speaking, they are areas that, in a way, make us lose national identity that, until a while ago, we still had in a firstflat.
We estimate that these influences cannot be classified as something that has ignored important features of our culture or as the salvation and rescue of that basic Latin American culture in which we live.
Quoted above, US interventions left a lot in the Dominican Republic when starting from the country and a clear example of this would be Baseball, which reached the country around the first intervention. It is so such that the Dominicans made him his and today is one of the best representations of the country by having the best players. But why is Baseball currently a sport that deprives us of Dominican identity if it is not a national sport as such? We set that this happens because during the intervention a new seal of nationalism and identity was left for the intervention that has been reigning during the passage of time until we are who we are today as Dominicans.
After the interventionist period, new terms emerged that today are typical of a Dominican. However, we do not consider that this other situation during intervention times are a threat to Dominican identity or sovereignty, so what does the invasion of American culture today that we consider it threatening in a more general field? We consider that it has to do with the impulse of social media, television media, journalistic, social networks and youth today are responsible for the accelerated boom of this American influence in the country.
He has currently become normal that, when speaking with someone young, he communicates with a mixture of languages and being English the one that predominates, even forgetting the words in Spanish. It is also very noticeable that the way of dressing are clear references to American fashions. Why does this happen? For the ease of social networks since, people who have even left the country have these same customs. Being social networks one of the largest media in the world, it is in fact more accessible to socialize with people from different sides of the world who teach a little more of their culture and therefore it is normal for popular things to be made that do not beforeThey were common in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is also true that advertising issues in order to promote products have led us to be closer than what is consumed in the day to day of an American home
Returning to the idea that these influences come from interventions, some time ago around 1916, we can think that over the years the country has developed with US customs, but with a greater influence ̈Aplatanada ̈ so as not to lose the Dominican style. So, we could say that the cultural intervention wave of now is a renewal of what happened almost about a century ago, only reflected in an updated vision and with cultural changes to treat more noticeable thanks to easy communication.
And this is where we ask ourselves, is the current Yankee influence a loss of identity, lost of sovereignty or an impulse to advance culturally?
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