Is this the end of Amercian culture?

Exactly my point.
We are voting for politicians, rather than public servants.
We vote for whomever the hell we want to vote for - so the jackasses in office are there because of the jackasses at the polls.

 

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Take a look at George Binette if you want to see a real public servant in action in the UK.

 

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They are called franchises. Owned by mom and pop or any schmoe who invests in one. The idea behind them is that if you like to run into a 7-11 so do other people.

 

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I can see that some of the observations you've made above are leading to less money in the average pocket but what I can't see is that any of them are a catalist for a global meltdown of corporations or a change to the way the high streets currently look like. Companies are clever they know more about their supply and demand than any of us. Cutting prices just enough to entice spending in their stores, raising prices just enough so that we can still afford to purchase goods from them, cutting costs at production just enough to increase their profits and keep prices low, buying out competition etc.

You say the end of capitalism is here (which I would welcome with open arms) yet I have listed below the current profits for some major corporations.
There is no indication that they are strugling, quite the opposite in fact. Which doesn't point to any change in the high street.

So maybe the end must come about not from the gradual decline of various corporations but rather a major overhall of either 'the system' or something that cause the colapse of society like a house price crash or perhaps a reccesion.

The worst case scenario is that we resign to the fact that it's here to stay. Capitalism is a clever beast and so far has been able to get through previous reccesions and I fear it will continue to as we are living in consumer and convenience society.


MCDONALDS

FAST food giant McDonald's has seen its global sales top $20 billion (£11bn) for the first time. Full-year revenue rose 7 per cent in 2005, boosted by strong sales in the US and a turnaround in its fortunes in Europe.
McDonald's has been revitalising its global business, adding salads and chicken strips to menus traditionally known for burgers and fries. McDonald's said its net profit for the year rose to $2.6bn, from $2.2bn in the previous year.

During the final quarter, sales in Europe rose by 2.8 per cent.

SHELL

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell today announced record profits for a British company of $22.9bn ( £12.9bn) on the back of soaring oil prices.

STARBUCKS

Net income for the fiscal third quarter rose to $126 million, or 31 cents per share, from $98 million, or 24 cents per share, a year ago, and beating the Wall Street consensus target by a penny per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Net revenue rose 21 percent to $1.6 billion. In the United States — the company's biggest market — revenue increased 20 percent to $219 million due to new store openings and price increases that helped push up same-store sales 7 percent.

International revenue rose 32 percent to $262 million, helped by new retail outlets and more sales, the company said.

WAL MART

The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, said customers flocked to its stores in the three months to July, helping to lift profits by 26%.
The company said it made net profits of $2.04bn (£1.3bn), compared with $1.62bn a year earlier.

 

20 years from now youll be saying 'remember Sarbucks, man i loved that place'- think its called nostalgia.

 

No one point is a catalist, they are all factors of demise, the catalist (if there is one ) is the reccession as the companies MUST make their profits no matter what.

that is what is happening now
.
MACDONALDS

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=317131&in_page_id=2

resopnsible for creating fast food culture, causing an obesety epidemic worldwide.
profit's(written 2004)'quote' profits are now at there lowest for at least a decade having peaked in 2001 at 104mil (uk) .profits slumped the year before from 83mil down to 23mil.

SHELL

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/31/royaldutchshell.oil1

'quote' the company denied any reduction in energy demand as a result of any US or global economic slowdown.

STARBUCK'S

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/2006/10/starbucks_opposes_ethiopias_pl.html

coffee growers are practical slaves earning $2.10 a week for 60-70 hr weeks.
it is no wonder that starbucks oppose fair prices for coffe growers. coffee shops sell coffe at 14£ a pound yet the farmers get just 30p-59p for their ENTIRE CROP.

WALMART

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/business/worldbusiness/16walmart.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/15/business/walmart.php

they have also found loss in profits........


I feel the capitalism failiure is this... o'k i made 1.5 mil profit last year but i only made 1mill this year so if i try to make 2.5 next year i should be able to make up the loss.
2 years later o'k i made 2.3 mil profit last year covering for the .5 loss two years ago, but this year we made 2.0 mil so i need to make 3.mil next year to make up my loss and guarantee i don't make a loss on profits next year............and this goes on.
I believe their should be a profitasation cut off point on humanitarian basis, I.E you can only make 1billion profit (after all bills wages,expenses etc)
then any profit is put into the country where the profit is made, subsidising tax monies spent on health,educatio,welfare, infrastructure needs. which should mean less tax
if you combine the profits made by these companies, where will the banks get the money from to pay interest on these sums, which are greater than at least 10% of the worlds countries total annual income

 

Omg, I had to reply to this ludicrous thread. What loss of culture? It's all IN YOUR HEAD!

America has always been a capitalist society. It didn't have much of a culture and if you think mcdonalds and walmarts aren't a defining characteristic of american culture, you are all idiots. Walmarts cater to the lower to middle-class. And yes, they want that shit because it's the best they can afford. They sure don't shop at nordstrom, which by the way has high quality products made in china. Products are made in relation to the target demographic.

Mom and pop stores and non-franchise motels?? You call that culture? lmfao.

Even going green, local, and organic is simply an outcome of the negative impact of cancer, obesity and pollution. It had nothing to do with culture.

How old are you people? I guess stupidity has no age! At least get your premise correct. LOL

 

*chuckle* Orly? As if this is new and recent?? As if corporations and franchises haven't been a dominating aspect of american culture and life. Maybe you're just seeing for the first time. lmao

As if gas stations, grocery stores, kmarts, malls, restaurants etc and all semblance of industrialization and 'sterilization' are something new altogether. Ooh, that's news to everybody. As if a private grocery store and a non-franchise gas station is anymore green, healthy or quaint. Geezus christ. focking idiots!!!

 

america may not have a culture, but other places do perhaps if these companies stayed in america things wouldn't be so bad, keep all the shit in the toilet bowe,l trouble is america like bacteria spreads where it is not wanted

 

so you do not see a global reccession caused by failed capitalist greed. the whole world is economicaly sound (yeah right)thats fockin ignorance, if your happy buying produce made of the back of slavery then you are a true american lol.
INDIANS,BLACK'S, NOW ASIAN CHILDREN ,AND BLACK'S AGAIN(but it's in africa so it's ok) how proud you must be lol

 

Excuse me, that's not what this thread is about now is it? It was about the socalled loss of american culture. You know, like there aren't gas stations where there is a joe to pump your gas for you. That's because we live in a faster-paced society and today you need to pump your own gas etc.

Capitalist greed and corporations are a different subject altogether.

 

I was a bit over the top with my analogy, i give a little apology.

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the corporations are fueled by capitalist greed...y/n which in turn is disintergrating all sub-cultures in the way
I would rather by fair trade than products made off slavery (in a modern world) and i'm sure you would to. the planet is not America. The human race is not here to create profits for a handful of conglomerates.

 

Yes, of course. My basic point was that america was always on the road to capitalist conglomeracy. It's just that now, it's gotten to the point it's backfiring so people are taking notice. They are losing jobs to outsourcing, local farmers get squashed etc. It wasn't until the greed and exploitation started to rear it's ugly head toward americans that they started to complain. You see?

But sometimes tides like these are positive in the long-run as it can be a catalyst for positive and progressive change for everyone.

The greed has sickened many including americans, some even nauseated with themselves. The trend toward research into alternative clean fuel sources and environmental consciousness as well as global consciousness is a step in the right direction, not only for americans but other countries and the entire planet.

 

Yes

I agree with this but between then (the change) and now there will be a number of war's both civil and national, and a lot of tears and pain to live in a humane and safe enviroment where we do not have these savage ethics, a lot of civilisations have been destroyed in history some of them was down to economic's like rome (to big to look after itself) too selfcentred to think outside of rome.

I can agree with this. i find it easier to listen and agree with you if you are not calling me a fockin idiot or stupid,plus you have got your point across better

 

The best of USAmerican culture springs from hard times, not affluenza. The harder we fall, the cooler we'll get up.

Stand back- You ain't seen nuthin yet.

 

:roflmao:
I thought NKOTB was the best of American culture lol

 

You sure ? Coz we kinda need your Agriculture market to open up a bit.

 

We're starting our spring garden around my little homestead. What would you like for us to grow for you? :m:

 

I am american and it is particularily hard for me to see how the corporate-capitalist culture has practically taken over parts of the world. Large American buisnesses have come into towns and have actually destroyed the real american culture! What America used to be was a melting pot of other cultures (i.e, just visit chinatown

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), but now America has been leaning towards a country overrun by conservative money-hungry corporations. If I were to advocate for change in America, I'd probably want corporations heavily controlled by the government (by people's chioce), or just turn America Socialist.

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I can see it now! The USSA (the United Socialist States of America)

 

American culture isn't gone this has just become American culture. Just roll with it. And now that I think of it. Stores don't give a city its culture. Culture is all around you in certain cities you can feel it. Even though cities like Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Fransisco may all have the same stores the cultures of the cities are all very different.