"Often, these downplay the power of cultural imperialism - in that sense, playing the game of US interests - by reassuring us that the global success of American mass culture is not as bad as all that"
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Jameson is doing something sly here: he’s not just criticizing American mass culture, he’s indicting the critics who insist it’s harmless. The target is a familiar consoling move in cultural commentary: yes, Hollywood and pop music are everywhere, but relax - people remix it, localize it, resist it. Jameson hears that reassurance as ideology with good manners. “Downplay” and “reassuring” aren’t neutral verbs; they name a rhetorical strategy that turns domination into lifestyle choice.
The key phrase is “playing the game.” It frames analysis itself as a geopolitical act. When commentators minimize “cultural imperialism,” they aren’t simply making an empirical claim about audiences; they’re aligning with a power structure, whether they intend to or not. That’s classic Jameson: culture is never merely culture, it’s one of the ways empire becomes legible and, crucially, tolerable.
Context matters. Writing out of late Cold War and post-Cold War debates about globalization, Jameson is pushing back against the upbeat language of “global culture” and “cultural exchange” that flourished alongside US economic and military reach. His subtext is that American mass culture’s “success” is not a benign popularity contest; it’s an ecosystem supported by capital, distribution, and state power. The quote works because it refuses the comforting split between aesthetics and politics. It suggests that the softest propaganda is the kind that arrives as common sense: don’t worry, it’s not that bad.
The key phrase is “playing the game.” It frames analysis itself as a geopolitical act. When commentators minimize “cultural imperialism,” they aren’t simply making an empirical claim about audiences; they’re aligning with a power structure, whether they intend to or not. That’s classic Jameson: culture is never merely culture, it’s one of the ways empire becomes legible and, crucially, tolerable.
Context matters. Writing out of late Cold War and post-Cold War debates about globalization, Jameson is pushing back against the upbeat language of “global culture” and “cultural exchange” that flourished alongside US economic and military reach. His subtext is that American mass culture’s “success” is not a benign popularity contest; it’s an ecosystem supported by capital, distribution, and state power. The quote works because it refuses the comforting split between aesthetics and politics. It suggests that the softest propaganda is the kind that arrives as common sense: don’t worry, it’s not that bad.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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