Coca-Cola, sometimes war, but does Hollywood still sell Californication?
Ah yes, the inescapable saturation of Americanisation, screeching louder than a bald eagle saying “WTF is a kilometre?” whilst bestowing freedom. Currently, with Halloween and the Presidential Election, this has been dialled all the way up to 11 like a Spinal Tap amp. As I wrote previously, the US presidential election is the greatest show on earth, and rightly or wrongly, the world’s media is obsessed with it, and pretty much every person and their pet has an opinion on it. So, whether we like it or not, as Rammstein put it 20 years ago, we’re (still) all living in America!
This article is not here to tell you whether to vote for Harris or Trump, especially from someone who is ineligible to vote for geographical reasons. So, despite having an international audience and a decent portion of that being in the US, this Aussie just wishes that his fellow countrymen and women would devote as much time paying attention to matters closer to home, but it just isn’t as entertaining.
Continuing with the entertainment, America certainly isn’t what it was when the Red Hot Chili Peppers dropped Californication 25 years ago (great song and film clip by the way). That sense of optimism, unashamed consumption and stardom that was stereotypically pushed just doesn’t fly anymore. The (over)selling of the ideal (especially in contrast to the reality), and its exportation continues today, but the shine has severely dulled.
Something which hasn’t dulled, sadly, is the Russia-Ukraine war (nearly at 1,000 days). This, combined with the other big conflict in the world going on in Gaza between Israel and Palestine (which has since spread to involve other countries), are both heavily tied to the US, and are examples of America’s reach and influence around the world.
Australia is a bit like America’s lapdog, in a sort of amusing, loyal dumb idiot kind of way – America suggests jumping off a roof into a pool and we’re already mid-air before they finish their sentence. Even our tv shows are largely being made for the American market and not domestically, and most of what the average Australian consumes is American. Australia is becoming America-lite, if we aren’t already.
The depiction of America across time has always fascinated me, that America is as much an idea as it is a physical place. This is explored to great lengths in Rockstar’s epic game Red Dead Redemption II (I really need a tally board for how many times I mention this game haha). There’s a great scene in particular where Lenny and Dutch, in one of their literary/philosophical discussions, examine “what America is”, how it’s a club but it should be an idea and who exactly are the real Americans. Oh, the cost of liberty, I guess…
Americans go to the polls next Tuesday, a day where most Aussies will be more concerned with getting drunk and pretending to care about horse racing. Although, given the time zone difference we’ll probably be passed out, hungover or asleep during polling. “Will Trump “Make America Great Again” (again) or will Harris lead America into a greater future than they are currently experiencing now? We now cross live to our CNN/FOX correspondent who’s live in Washington, DC, what can you tell us, Bob?”
And Australia is like, “I’ll be ready, never you fear. Forever and always, I’m always here!”
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