Not long ago, when thinking of a culture, it was instantly associated with a country in which inhabitants shared common customs. But all that changed with the 20th century’s globalization. The real multiculturalism disappeared almost entirely in the West and was only left for postcards and for tourists to recreate when telling their friends and family about their exotic journey. A few photos here and there, highlighting how different this country is and how rare its people are. Pure fallacy.
Surely these tourists were eating at some fast food chain, staying at a hotel present in the five continents and using a car rental service that operates in their own city. Even the touristic areas are becoming giant amusement parks to attract foreigners with a staging far from the reality of the country.
It is true that each country and its population still have their own customs, different from each-other’s. For instance, it is undeniable that the Spanish population in general does not have the same kind of behavior as the British nor the American. But nowadays, with globalization these extremes are drawing closer: What we could call global pop culture has been proclaimed.
The local culture lost much importance and recognition to the foreign one’s influence since we imported customs from other countries. In the case of Spain, the example could be the importation of Anglo-Saxon customs such as the Halloween festival or the adoption of Santa Claus. To the detriment of our own customs such as All Saints’ Day or the Three wise men.
It is clear that we now drink more non-local content and that our boundaries have expanded far beyond our borders. Artistic and fashionable styles no longer belong to one place and everything is global. As a rule, people no longer have their own artistic emanation, but in most cases it is imported.
In architecture, a clear example would be the Bauhaus school, which has spread to every corner of the planet, ranging from the construction of a municipal sports center in any village of La Mancha, to a colossal conference one in Berlin.
Now, with the internet, this phenomenon is not just growing, but is engulfing us. We have everything within reach. From how they dress in Kuala Lumpur to being able to taste Japanese gastronomy at home, achieving a global homogeneity that was unthinkable a century ago. We discover other cultures and other cultures discover ours in a way of mere curiosity.
It does not seem that this movement will stop and despite some anti-globalist currents, Globalization is here to stay with its global pop culture. The world has evolved alongside this idea and to destroy it would be ruinous and harmful.
But we should not disregard our traditions and vilify our customs and our history, because if we do, we become something unfinished without a future or a past. By wanting to be the most modern, we will lose ourselves.
BY RAUL BARDONDIA
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