The Pitfalls of Commercialization: Uncontrolled Fabrication of Cultures?

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The Pitfalls of Commercialization: Uncontrolled Fabrication of Cultures?

Most societies go through the process of Sociocultural Evolution as they aggrandize and develop. Sociocultural evolution is constituted by the doctrines of cultural and social evolution, deciphering how cultures and societies have transformed over time. It refers to the process by which structural reorganization is affected through time, eventually producing a form or structure which is qualitatively different from the ancestral form. The perpetual adaptation to environmental changes enables societies to improve their way of living by gaining efficiency (through technological innovations) and creativity. This analysis will discuss Ritzer’s (1983) The McDonaldization of Society and Instant Karma: The Commercialization of Asian Indian Culture (Sandhu 2004) – which talks about two distinctive cultural societies that are lost beyond the shuffle of commercialization.

Sociologist George Ritzer (1983) expands the perspicacity of The McDonaldization of Society in which he elucidates that McDonaldization occurs when a culture possesses the idiosyncrasies of a fast-food restaurant. Ritzer (1983) argues that the model of rationalization in contemporary America is no longer a bureaucracy, but rather a fast-food restaurant as a more archetypal paradigm. The author discusses the magnitudes of rationalization that the changing societies pose (efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control over uncertainty) and the irrationality of rationality.

Ritzer (1983) emphasizes the four primary constituents of McDonaldization (efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control). The first component, efficiency, suggests the optimal capacity of the method for accompl...

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...tance of such practice and tradition. The biggest concern is the issue behind the ethnic identity confusion from the aftermath of this craze. For the young adults, such cultural practice and tradition are what constitute a huge part of their identity. For those who are just along for the ride, this is just a mere fashion statement, a fad—something temporary. The transition from foreign to fashionable removed Asian Indians from their own culture, customs, and traditions (Sandhu 2004).

Assuredly, such obstacles in changing societies are bound to happen. As we adapt to our environment and culture, we learn ways that can help with innovation and development of societies. Gaining a real perspective and having a control over the situations is going to help eliminate the formation of irrationality of rationality, and establish a solid foundation for ethnic identities.

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