Chapter 6. Why Only American Brands?

The price of youth

When analyzing anti-globalization protests, it is easy to get the impression that the attacks on brands consistently target only American brands. This is very much in line with the more popular writings on globalization. For example, Thomas L. Friedman suggests that globalization “…wears Mickey Mouse ears, it eats Big Macs, it drinks Coke…”[1] Books critical of marketing’s role in globalization such as The McDonaldization of Society and Jihad vs. McWorld use American icons to symbolise what’s wrong with the new commercialized society.

The anti-globalizers disparage the brands for their bad practices, with third-world sweatshops, environmental degradation, and ruthless market dominance. Knowing ...

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