February 10, 2005

KNICK-KNACK NATIONS (via Robert Schwartz):

A Global Culture War Pits Protectionists Against Free Traders (ALAN RIDING, February 5, 2005, NY Times)

The idea of promoting cultural diversity around the world seems reasonable enough. It recognizes that everyone profits from the free flow of ideas, words and images. It encourages preservation of, say, indigenous traditions and minority languages. It treats the cultures of rich and poor countries as equal. And most topically, it offers an antidote to cultural homogeneity.

Try turning this seemingly straightforward idea into an international treaty, though, and things soon become complicated. Since October 2003, Unesco's 190 members have been working on what is provisionally called the Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expression. It is intended to be approved by consensus this fall, but don't count on it. There is still no agreement on its final name.

But that is a minor issue compared with more fundamental differences. Led by France and Canada, a majority of countries are asserting the right of governments to safeguard, promote and even protect their cultures from outside competition. Opposing them, a smaller group led by the United States argues that cultural diversity can best flourish in the freedom of the globalized economy.


America exports ideas and culture and imports knick-knacks. But countries like France and Canada, that have no ideas or culture of their own that anyone wants, understandably oppose that system.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 10, 2005 10:18 AM
Comments

Guess whose e-mails OJ finally read.

Posted by: Robert Schwartz at February 10, 2005 02:19 PM

i've told you e-mail from that domain gets sent to the trash--too much spam. Open a Brothers Judd email account!

Posted by: oj at February 10, 2005 02:22 PM

You guys can be over the top on Canada, but this one truly is embarassing. At least with France, one can form a few concrete images of what is it is they are trying to protect. Up here, this (extremely popular) line just an empty abstract designed to protect a bunch of well-organized second and third raters from the need to wean themselves from the public tit. Ask most Canadians whether they want the government to protect Canadian culture and you will get a resounding yes. Ask them for examples of what they want to see protected and they will be dumbstruck or just mention the things that succeeded in the market on their own merit. It's exactly as if you started hearing strident calls for public monies to protect Michigan culture.

A great Canadian experience is to go to a typical classical music concert. After soaring on Bach and Berlioz, you then must suffer through one or two pieces by Canadian composers, inserted because the orchestra company is (of course) in favour of promoting Canadian culture. These atonal, screeching abominations could induce migraines in the hardiest, but everyone listens respectfully and applauds politely because, well, we're Canadian.

Posted by: Peter B at February 11, 2005 06:08 AM
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