Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] LMOC: One Country or 51st State of the US?

Randy Van Vliet bigdaddyrv@yahoo.com
Fri, 18 Oct 2002 13:19:32 -0700 (PDT)


Getting back to some MO content here, I'm not so sure
that PG was bagging on McDonalds or Starbucks or
whatever (not that I'd disagree with that) but more
bagging on Audstralians for supporting them.  I live
in the San Francisco area (all my life) and so I don't
see much other than chain stores and mass merchants. 
I do travel a fair bit and it breaks my heart to go to
a small town and drive down "main street" and see
small, family owned stores and restaurants stressed or
even out of business while out ont he interstate there
is a shopping center with a few 'big box' retailers
and multiple fast food outlets.  It's not just
Australians who are killing their culture, it's
Americans killing American culture and I'm sure it's
repeated the world over.  OK, so not so much MO
content as I thought.  

Randy
--- Kate Adams <kate@dnki.net> wrote:
> I agree with Craig here ... $$ = market dominance
> and generica hegemony 
> when business enters an area with the intent to use
> superior capitalization 
> to drive competition out of business.
> 
> But what's the upside of being open to
> internationalism?  What are the 
> boundaries in global interaction that make it a
> positive thing and not a 
> negative flow?  Isolationism protects markets, but
> closes off vital 
> interactions and can create festering nationalist
> paranoia.
> 
> That's what I'm grappling with in the dual message
> I'm getting here.  What 
> should globally move about and what should not:
> ideas, scientific 
> knowledge, standards of human rights, standards for
> environmental 
> protection/precaution, capital, workers, tourists,
> corporations, 
> participatory democracy, culture, entertainment,
> works of art, what have you?
> 
> A conundrum to be sure.
> 
> At 10:04 AM 10/18/02 +1000, craiggy@ozemail.com.au
> wrote:
> >I think what you are talking about is the illusion
> of choice.
> >
> >When Starbucks or Maccas come in and set up
> multiple stores in one area 
> >purely for the reason of killing off small
> operators that is not choice. I 
> >mean it is very easy for Maccas or Starbucks to put
> a small biz out of the 
> >biz.
> >
> >How many family owned, non franchised hamburger
> restaurants are there left 
> >in the world? In five years, ask how many small
> coffee shops are left...
> >
> >Get with it! If there is one main, omnipresent,
> easy choice, and the 
> >alternative is small, scattered businesses with
> small marketing budgets, 
> >where's the fair choice there.
> >
> >American-style franchising has proved a successful
> business concept but 
> >has been devestating for local  choice, consumer
> health, the environment 
> >and any meaningful indicator
> >
> >Good business does not mean it is a good thing. Get
> out of the doctrine man.
> >
> >Craig
> > >
> > > From: Oils21@aol.com
> > > Subject: Re: [Powderworks] LMOC: One Country or
> 51st State of the US?
> > > Date: 18/10/2002 1:39:58
> > > To: cjake@pipeline.com,  kate@dnki.net
> > > CC: powderworks@cs.colorado.edu
> > >
> > > I totally agree with this.  Nobody is forcing
> anyone to make any of 
> > these choices. The reason American business has
> been so successful is 
> > because of its ability to satisfy consumer demand
> throughout the 
> > world.  If people In Australia or anywhere want to
> eat McDonald's, then 
> > they should be allowed and able to.   Why should
> they be denied this 
> > desire because they do not live in the US or
> McDonald's and Starbucks are 
> > not from their country. Is choice not one of the
> anchors of a truly free 
> > society?  Denying something that people want on
> any grounds is wrong.
> > >
> > > Reporting high atop midtown Manhattan.
> > >
> > > Phil
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In a message dated 10/16/2002 6:37:45 PM Eastern
> Standard Time, 
> > cjake@pipeline.com writes:
> > >
> > > > The other items, all presented as an American
> cultural invasion, are
> > > > choices made by Australian consumers, not
> something forced upon them.
> > > > If I can avoid all of the above living a few
> miles from midtown New
> > > > York, and also avoid the ubiquitous McDonalds,
> I'm not sure
> > > > why those in
> > > > other countries can't as well.
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > Powderworks@cs.colorado.edu
> > >
>
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/mailman/listinfo/powderworks
> > >
> >
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> http://www.mymail.com.au
> >
> >
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