Word: americanizing
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Whereas Ilana's narrative is laden with folklore, Sashie, the second narrator, sounds equally fictional, for her story is an unoriginal interpretation of growing up as a first generation American. Still, the absence of lingering discussions of goblins makes Sashie's account is much more believable. Sashie feels the tension of assimilation; in one instance, she appeals to her hair for assistance in cultivating identity-- "There was a black coating on my hair but I could see out of the corners of my eyes that it was golden underneath, if they would only look." Yet even this typical immigrant assimilationist...
Many of Bourke's statements are extreme: "For men, combat was the male equivalent of childbirth ...the experience seemed to resemble spiritual enlightenment or sexual eroticism: indeed, slaughter could be likened to an orgasmic, charismatic experience." She supports her position with letters, memoirs, reports and diaries from Australian, American and British soldiers documenting their experiences in both World Wars and Vietnam...
...With fashion dying on the continent, American designers raced to create a moderately high-priced look. It was by no means couture but still retained the notion of a label and so, we assume, a house of fashion. Agins points out that Tommy Hilfiger's designs are largely knock-offs of Ralph Lauren's designs which were the original knock-offs of the American flag--and this is so funny that I wish I could pass it off as my own observation...
...situation grows only worse when the star cast members forget their lines: the wealthy start dressing down, as a sport. Has the image of Jackie Onassis (Our Lady of the Dark Sunglasses) been removed from the canonical cathedral of American fashion only to be permanently replaced with the image of Rosie O'Donnell (Our Lady of the KMart)? May we forgive Agins her generalizations, as we forgive ourselves our errant tastes. And remind her that if she considers fashion to be art, she must allow it to transform. It seems that because the couture pieces don't sell so much...
...writing to protest Hugh Liebert's column ("The American Invasion," Oct. 26), where he laments the way American Top 40 music has corrupted global culture. Indeed, Top 40 music is often idiotic and profoundly uninteresting; however, Liebert makes the mistake of conflating Top 40 with rock music in general. Top-40 is produced and promoted by a few profit-seeking major record labels like RCA, Columbia, and Warner Brothers, which release same-sounding music in hopes of discovering the next big hit. This "rock star" approach is deeply at odds with a more vital function of rock music, that...