Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Question 6

6) By drawing on the articles on the exotic and globalization from class, discuss the following advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIZCtDJtFPw (100-150 words).



The article "Con-fusing" Exotica references how much of India's culture and their products are present in American society, however, most have been culturally dissociated and tagged as "American" products. This advertisement for Conan O'Brian depicts the process of making red curtains, showing the process to be clearly a part of India's culture as they dye the fabrics in a lake, and weave it all themselves. Once it is brought to America this product is no longer associated with India, and therefore they as a country lose part of their identity. It is no wonder that often Americans view of India and other cultures are warped or incorrect, such as the idea of the perceived "exotica". "It is a kind of apolitical exoticism and uniformed ethnic chic that is both calculated and successful- after all, what better way of stripping people of their histories and their art...transforming them into a First World consumer good" (278). Conan's advertisement gives us a view of the "real" instead of believing that such curtains come from thin air and just appear, it bridges the "real" into what was previously conceived as the "exotica".


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