The combination of marketisation and unrestrained individualism are profoundly corrosive and are undermining the social ties that bind us together.
Where can you start with a quotation like this? I spend the greater portion of my time overseas and am greatly interested in the cultures I see. I am concerned by some of the implications of popular American culture for the cultures of East and Southeast asia. However, I am equally concerned about the same aspects of popular culture on American society. For instance, the insertion of the gay agenda into the concept of "diversity" to the extent that diverse culture is now a shorthand for gay culture. Another example, the cult of victimization is spreading worldwide, thanks largely to America's left. However, the "noble savage" only exists in the mind of the beholder. Primitive does not equal good. Communism is as foreign to most of the world's cultures as it is the traditional American culture.
Finally, while I have seen many cultures which I respect, my appreciation and love for traditional American culture has not been lessens but has been strengthened by exposure to the world. I guess that what I am saying is you do not have to hate your own culture to like other cultures. Rather the experience helps put your own culture into context.
I agree wholeheartedly. While there are many places in the world I have yet to discover, the countries I have visited and enjoyed have only endorsed my own love for my own beloved home (Ireland). Certainly my own country has it's faults, other countries and cultures have their pluses - but another culture could never undermine the essence of my being - which is inherently my Irishness.