One thing that happened to me after many trips to Russia in the mid-90's is that I learned you could watch TV or listen to the radio and not have to be constantly bombarded by advertisements, which usually treat us as if we are all brain-dead, you know. We need them to tell us which toothpaste to use and why.
In Russia they call us a merchant culture and after spending time there away from it, I became able to see what they meant. Even now I have to turn off things - and we rarely if ever use the TV - because I feel like the ads just invade my space.
I guess these seem like the same issues to me. In Russia they do have TV commercials but instead of being so aggressive and overbearing, they will be, for instance, gently entertaining. Or cute. And they lack all the "BUY THIS NOW!" stuff you get here in America. One that I really liked while there was of a small boy sleeping in a bed and his cars drive around on the rug and do cute things. And that's it. No exhortations to buy this toy, no person with a banner about prices.
So my point is that all this stuff is what I lump together under westernism - an overdoing of it specifically aimed at another person with an intention to WIN.
This is, I believe, how many of us perceive the pope as coming at us. Just like what the radio sounds like to me at times. Having experienced the alternative, and we do at church every Sunday, I think we get out of the habit of tolerating it well.
Anyway I just wanted to share that with you.