What are some advantages and disadvantages of cultural globalization?

There are at least two major advantages of cultural globalization.  First, cultural globalization broadens the range of cultural experiences that we can have.  Before globalization, we were only able to partake of our own culture.  As globalization has continued, we have come to be able to enjoy aspects of many other cultures.  Here in the United States, I can eat foods from many different countries.  I can watch cricket from India and soccer from England on TV.  I can watch music videos from South Korea.  We can all watch Harry Potter movies, made by an American studio from books by an English woman.  Because of cultural globalization, we can have a much richer cultural life.

Cultural globalization, we can argue, has also spread democratic values and respect for human rights.  Globalization has encouraged people in many countries to think about things like the rights of women.  It has exposed people to ideas of toleration and freedom of religion.  These values are not universally accepted, but they are more prevalent now than they were before cultural globalization began.

There is one major downside to cultural globalization.  This is the possibility that cultural globalization is destroying unique cultural practices in various countries and thereby reducing the amount of cultural diversity that exists in the world.  This process is sometimes known as cultural imperialism.  People who believe that this is going on feel that certain cultures (particularly that of the United States) are coming to dominate the world.  They point to things like McDonald’s restaurants springing up in many countries around the world and say that these things drive out local cuisines.  They say that American values on things like sexuality are being forced on other countries by American movies, TV, music, and other media.

As cultural globalization continues, people argue over whether it is a good thing.  On the one hand, it gives people more options and spreads what some would call good values.  On the other, it can lead to cultural imperialism and the spread of American (and some other cultures) including the negative aspects of those cultures.