Ted Friedman's essay entitled, "The World of The World of Coca-Cola" attempts to take the reader on a journey through the Coca-Cola Company's The World of Coca-Cola, a tourist attraction, which Friedman describes as "an annotated, museum –like display of advertising memorabilia" (1). Throughout this journey Friedman conveys to the reader that the focus of this Coca-Cola "museum" is on product advertising and manipulating the consumer's perception of Coca-Cola not on the actual Coke product itself (1). Friedman's commentary reveals an air of skepticism regarding Coca-Cola's idealized message of "world unity" through their product and he asserts that The World of Coca-Cola attempts to establish a "utopian internationalist ideology," by implying the drinking of Coke will lead to worldwide harmony (5, 7). At times, Friedman's critique of Coca-Cola and The World of Coca-Cola appear harsh, but at its core his essay is a thought provoking exposition on the potentially dangerous power and influence of corporate America.
Works Cited
Friedman, Ted. EServer.org. October 1992. 10 October 2007 <http://theory.eserver.org/world-of-coca-cola.html>.
When reading "Our Purpose" from Global Village News I was impressed by the site's endeavor to create an optimistic view of mankind. By its own definition Global Village News is attempting to report on "events, activities, achievements, projects and people who represent the highest and best of human endeavor" (Global Village News and Resources). The site's creators point out the potential negative impact of mainstream media and its constant portrayal of "human failure and dysfunction," which they attempt to counter with upbeat and enriching news stories from around the world (Global Village News and Resources). However, Global Village News does not negate the importance of the mainstream media's reporting of current events and problems facing the world today, in fact, they directly acknowledge that such reporting is necessary in our world (Global Village News and Resources). Overall, the main endeavor of Global Village News is to demonstrate to the world their vision of a "new era," that of a harmonious "global village" (Global Village News and Resources).
Works Cited
Global Village News and Resources. gvnr.com. 10 October 2007 <http://www.gvnr.com/>.
1 comment:
If I hadn't read Friedman's essay I would know as much as I needed by reading your blog. It's a great summary. You hit all the main points in one paragraph without dragging it out. The same goes for the GVN blog. I was also impressed with the optimism they emulate. The world could use buckets full of positive feedback on what is happening around the globe.
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