Padrão de Resposta

Communication between different cultural and mutual influence are inherent in human history: no society can fully develop if it is kept in isolation, and Brazil provides a powerful example of the potential of intercultural dialogue. Yet, these relations often unfold under unequal terms, causing the imposition of the characteristics of a cultural to the detriment of others. This is what Gandhi condemns in his statement, in accordance with the tolerant, but proud stance in relation to culture that he adopted throughout his life.
It is important, to begin with, to reject radical views that may tend to xenophobia. Language, music, dance, food: a brief analysis would show that all these aspects, which are at the core of any culture, evolved through interaction. A great deal of examples could be mentioned, but jazz and bossa nova suffice to illustrate this thesis: as the result of a complex process of cultural mixture of African, Brazilian and American sounds, these groundbreaking music styles are positive outcomes of a broad process of globalization. It is reasonable to imagine that Gandhi had something similar in mind when he talked about letting “cultures of all the lands to be blown about” his house.
Unfortunately, harmony is not the only possible result of globalization. History has shown time and again that interaction in a situation of inequality of economic or political forces tends to favor the values carried by the strongest part. Indeed, it would require a great deal of imagination to argue that indigenous people in Brazil benefited from their relations with the Portuguese invaders. Their near annihilation throughout the centuries, together with the impoverishment of the culture of the survivals, constitutes precisely the process of “being blown off his feet” described by Gandhi is his statement.
Current impacts globalization has on “weaker” cultures are not essentially different from those experienced by indigenous people. As clever as Pankaj Ghemawat’s argument about the adaptation of Mcdonald’s to Mexican’s spicy taste may sound, it is not clear how exactly this phenomenon contributes to preserving local cultures. The very substitution of ancient traditional meals for standardized fast food coming from the center of capitalism is enough to affect a people’s culture, and the addition of local features to the original product does little to prevent this from happening.
It is no easy task to find the right balance between inner characteristics and outside influence. Nonetheless, it is beyond doubt that, as Mauro José Teixeira Destri points out, education plays a pivotal role in providing citizens with the tools required to undertake this task. Only by forming critical, well-informed and conscious citizens will countries manage to neutralize the threats of globalization and use it as a source of enrichment. Otherwise, the future may be one of gloomy homogenization under the aegis of American influence.