Slumdog MillionaireBack in the 1960’s Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan predicted that the technological revolution in communications and the development of global communication networks would result in worldwide cultural homogenization, or what he called a ‘global village’. Has the arrival of McLuhan’s vision resulted in U.S. led “homogenization” or something different?
What was wonderful about the essay answers was that the students all rejected the cultural imperialism trope and argued that they were experiencing a kind of “hybrid” culture, in things like Chinese Hip Hop and Indian Film Noir. What was crucial was that the art be authentic, even if it was borrowed from multiple sources.
Slumdog Millionaire, made on a budget of $15 million, was that ultimate cultural hybrid. McLuhan was wrong as were the visionaries of “McWorld”–where American fast food culture would wipe out all the local alternatives. We do have a global village, but it is more like Los Angeles where 100 languages and cultures cross fertilize on a daily basis. In a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, USC’s President Steve Sample quoted the consul general of Israel for Los Angeles, which he called “something of a miracle.”
By and large, people relate to eachother as individuals - not as groups, not as categories, not as stereotypes. Coming from the Middle East, where ethnic divisions have paralyzed us, I am in awe of the positive cross-cultural interaction between the people of Los Angeles.
So in the end, Slumdog has two lessons for Hollywood. The first is that you don’t have to spend $150 million to make a great movie, that works all over the world. The second is that it is in our differences that we find original stories and meaning. Just making one more bloated sequel will not be enough.
