American Idol and Cultural Imperialiam

After viewing both shows I thought that they were very similar. Each show had contestants whos objectives were the same. The stage production and presentation was strikingly similar.Many of the same types of styles and trends were present I thought. I believe this shows how cultures can merged and borders can be crossed with the use of television and media. I believe the homogenization this creates can be beneficial to many cultures. Despite language barriers the intended audience is one in the same. Both shows used similar styles to create an exciting environment for the viewer. There is interaction between the viewer and the show, and it creates it own sort of reality. Viewer can envision themselves being on the show, and create their own sort of reality while they watch.
I felt that this sort of mind set was similar to the show Dallas which John Tomlinson reviews in his essay on cultural imperialism. Tomlinson discusses how cultural imperialism is seen as an ideological property. The ideology of mass culture and the false reality that the 'glitz and glamour' creates. For some cultures such ideals would be looked down upon. This sort of mass culture can be viewed as loss of cultural identity. Yet with a show such as American Idol, there is a non threatening aspect that allows other cultures to accept it, and embrace it themselves. They can look past politics and other issues and come together for something fun. I believe that this is highly beneficial to all of us. Referring back to Tomlinsons' essay I feel that American Idol supports his ideas on how American T.V. cross cultural and linguistic borders. The message being sent to other cultures may or may not be read in the same way, but this particular show defies that idea. Overall I feel that it is important to have cultural interactions while maintaining our own identities, and the Idol series does that pretty well.