Globalization is often associated with Americanization, so the anti-globalists often display a distinct anti-American attitude. To be sure there are negative examples of American-style globalization in Germany: Opel and Wal-Mart are two examples that come to mind. Others have pointed out that globalization is nothing new: it is not just an American phenomenon, and has always been a strategic objective of German business. Harvard professor Joseph S. Nye has a piece in Project Syndicate on Globalization and Anti-Americanism (German version here) where he discusses the virtues of globalization. Specifically, he refutes the notion that globalization automatically leads to a cultural homogenization:
Historical proof that globalization
does not necessarily mean homogenization can be seen in Japan, a
country that deliberately isolated itself from earlier waves of
globalization. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Japan became
the first Asian country to embrace globalization, and to borrow
successfully from the world without losing its uniqueness.During the Meiji Restoration, Japan searched broadly for tools and
innovations that would allow it to become a major power rather than a
victim of Western imperialism. It sent young people to the West for
education. Its delegations scoured the world for ideas in science,
technology, and industry.In the political realm, Meiji reformers were well aware of
Anglo-American ideas and institutions, but deliberately turned to
German models because they were deemed more suitable to a country with
an emperor. The lesson that Japan teaches the rest of the world is not
simply that an Asian country can compete, but that after a century and
a half of globalization, it is possible to adapt while preserving a
unique culture.
Part of the genius of Amerca is the ‘globalization from within’ – the openness to the immigrant experience which is a constant source of cutlural and economic renewal :
Economic and social globalization does
produce superficial similarities in T-shirt logos and soft drink
brands, but an underlying cultural diversity will remain. American
culture is now prominent, and it contributes to America’s
attractiveness – its "soft power" – in many, but not all, areas. At the
same time, immigrants, ideas, and events outside America’s borders are
changing American culture within the borders of the US.
It is this lack of openness to the immigrant experience in Germany which, I think, is a major weakness, There is a joke about a German gentleman telling a an Afro-German teenager that he should "go back where he came from". The kid responds: "Why the hell would I want to go back to Dortmund?" Germany has over 3 million Muslims living within its borders (the vast majority are Turks), and yet they have zero impact on the Leitkultur – the dominant culture of the country. Here is an account by C. Biswass – a young Brit who happens to look Middle Eastern – of her time in Berlin:
As a second generation immigrant of mixed heritage, with a Masters’ degree from an "elite university"
(as they put it here), I was increasingly taken aback by the race
bias that any olive-skinned person may encounter in Germany: you are
generally frowned upon and tutted at, thrown half-baked insults such as
"Det kennen wir schon…" (accompanied by a knowing nod), roughly
translated as " We know your type…" The type being in this case I
assumed, foreign, or was it a more "sophisticated" prejudice?The Germans, we know are very proud of their so-called
"multi-kulti" society, loosely based on the fact that you can get a
kebab at any time of day or night, or choose from a whole range of
foreign restaurants without leaving your area. But there’s a world of
difference between eating a Doner and living in peace and harmony. I
gradually realised that the Turkish population was berated for being "a
bunch of good for nothings dollies" and were often openly abused as
being "scheiss-macher", even "Kanaken" or "Negern". which I will not
abase myself to translate… The sad thing is that these racial
epithets are still so much in common use.
Recently the leader of the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel , said "the idea of a multicultural society will never succeed" in Germany.
"Das Ideal einer Multikultur führt zum Nebeneinander, nicht zum
Miteinander." So :Multi-Kulti ist tot; Multi-Kulti is dead. But maybe it never had a chance in Germany.
