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Rose Pacatte, FSP
Globalization: Eco-Social Justice and Culture
July 7, 2002
University of Dayton
Institute for Pastoral Initiatives
Brother David Andrews
Globalization, the Principles
of Catholic Social Teaching and
Hollywood: a Media Literacy Response
At least twenty-eight major Hollywood films came
to my mind when studying and thinking about the phenomenon of globalization
and the principles of Catholic Social teaching this past summer.
I wanted to take a course in globalization because I thought it
would bring me up to speed regarding the role of information communications
and social justice issues in the context of this phenomenon of globalization.
And while I am now much more aware of the economic nature of globalization
and its impact on the earth and food-sources and therefore all dimensions
of human life, the reason for thinking about movies (entertainment
communication) are not so obvious perhaps to the non-movie-goer.
Worse yet (?), my field of expertise is media literacy education
and once you have been introduced to media literacy, you can never
look at a movie (or any media text) the same way again.
Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the following
questions: What is globalization and how has this process impacted
world ecology and therefore social justice and culture? What is
culture, how is it transmitted and what does this have to do with
globalization and eco-social justice? How has Hollywood contributed
to and commented upon globalization and its effects? What commentary
do the principles of Catholic Social Teaching offer and what response
can media literacy provide in a world that is "just ten years
old"?
Globalization
According to Christian economist Rob van Drimmelen,
". Globalization refers to the process of growing
and intensifying interaction of all levels of society in world trade,
foreign investment and capital markets. It is abetted by technological
advances in transport and communications, and a rapid liberalization
and deregulation of trade and capital flows, both nationally and
internationally, leading to one global market."
Friedman agrees when he says that, ". the essence
of globalization is economics."
Sociologist Anthony Giddens, however, sees globalization
in much broader terms and thinks it is a mistake to limit the process
only to economics. "Globalization is political, technological
and cultural as well as economic. It has been influenced above all
by developments if systems of communication dating back to the late
1960's."
Pope John Paul II essentially agreed with Giddens
about globalization when he visited North America in 1999 and issued
the Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in America. The pope
also articulated clearly the ethical implications of this phenomenon
when he wrote that they
"can be positive or negative. There is an economic
globalization which brings some positive consequences such as efficiency
and increased production and which. can help to bring greater unity
among peoples and make possible a better service to the human family.
However, if globalization is ruled merely by the laws of the market
applied to suit the powerful, the consequences cannot butbe negative.
These are, for example, the absolutizing of the economy, unemployment,
the reduction and deteriorization of public services, the destruction
of the environment and natural resources (my emphasis), the
growing distance between the rich and the poor, unfair competition
which puts the poor nations in a situation of ever increasing inferiority."
Culture
The Pope and observers of globalization all recognize
its downside and offer responses that range from encouragement to
play the game to a Christian personalist view that implicitly and
explicitly encourages the maintenance of the delicate balance between
human freedom and responsibility in all areas of human activity.
In a particular way, Giddens and John Paul II articulate
the role of communications technology in advancing globalization.
The Pope, however, speaks of 'values'. This emphasis seem to indicate
he is referring specifically to the cultural hegemony of entertainment
media (though not exclusively to be sure) produced in the United
States (though his remarks are addressed to the Church is 'America')
as an important factor in globalization:
"And what should we say about the cultural
globalization
produced by the power of the media? Everywhere the
media impose new scales of values which are often arbitrary and
basically materialistic, in the face of which it is difficult to
maintain a lively commitment to the values of the Gospel."
Culture can be defined as a system of beliefs and
values, passed on from one generation to another through language
and action, that guides human behavior. In 1984 (and earlier in
1980, ten years before the end of the Cold War that Friedman uses
as the mark of demarcation between pre and post globalization),
John Paul II defined culture as:
". a specific dimension of the existence and
being of man. It creates among persons within each community a complex
of bonds, determining the interpersonal and social character of
human existence. Man is both subject and creator of culture in which
he expresses himself and finds his equilibrium.". culture in
itself is communication: communication not only and not so much
of man with the environment that he is called to dominate as of
man with other men. Indeed, culture is a relational and social dimension
of human existence."
Hollywood
In the context of this examination then, it is easy
to ask: What has "Hollywood", as a culture creating industry,
contributed to and commented upon globalization and its effects?
The dominance of Hollywood in film (and later television)
entertainment was established and guaranteed when the successful
film industries of France, England, Germany, Russia and Italy in
particular, were all but destroyed by World War I and the rise of
communism. The "Great War" was fought on European soil
and along with the lack of raw materials to produce movies, the
inability of the audience to pay for tickets or even safely gather
to view films, the (free market) economic and political infrastructure
that permitted film production all but died. If not for government
support of the arts, the cinema might not be in existence in many
countries today.
Film production in the United States however, moved
from the East coast to California in the 19-teens and flourished
(and film and cinema became "movies" in the U.S., denoting
a certain loss of their status as "art" which Europe has
supposedly maintained.) The export of U.S. made films filled a vacuum
that has only continued to grow over the decades because movies
are a commercial product. No other film/television industry in the
world can compete with U.S. movies and television, though China/Hong
Kong, India and Brazil are getting closer and even finding an audience
in the United States at times - sometimes the result of globalization
and the language of image which needs fewer words for comprehension
(not to say the growing Spanish-speaking population and their love
for "telenovellas".)
But what has Hollywood had to say about the very
globalization of which it not only is a part but in which it also
plays a significant role? In the chart that follows at the end of
this paper, I have listed my twenty-nine films, and have attempted
to cross-reference them with the principles of Catholic social teaching
and media literacy. At a later time I will add reviews and make
the connections more explicit.
Can movies contribute to a frank discussion about
what matters to humanity? Theresa Sanders, an associate professor
of theology at Georgetown University, suggests that they can:
"Movies do more than entertain, though they
surely do that.
They also shape our hopes and desires. They tell
us who we are and who we ought to be. They give us a language to
express our loves and our fears and the full scope of our messy,
complicated humanity. That humanity is contemptible and noble, craven
and courageous, pitiable and dignified. As members of it, we share
one thing in common: a desire that something matter..."
(my emphasis.)
I would like to note the films The Burning Season,
Erin Brockovich (2000), At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Medicine
Man, Romero (1989), Matewan, The Matrix (1999) and most recently,
Minority Report (2002) and even Citizen Kane (1941)
as films that highlight and question one or more negative elements
of globalization, beginning with the lack of respect for the integrity
and dignity of the human person. On the other hand, Hollywood films
with story lines that question or critique the status quo and then
resolve the dilemma by re-establishing it, can tend to be more popular
and profitable, such as the 1983 John Hugh's film Mr. Mom.
Also to be noted are the four consequences of modernity
that Giddens identifies as contributing to globalization: Surveillance,
capitalism, industrialism and military power. There is not enough
space to go into these dimensions here, but each of the twenty-eight
films I list in the table reflect one or more, and often all of
these points.
Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
John Paul II mentions each of the seven principles
of Catholic Social teaching identified by Christian sociologists
and theologians in his 1999 Apostolic Exhortation already referred
to, Ecclesia in America. Each of these principles has their
basis in Scripture, including the newest one that concerns the care
of the earth. 1) The inherent dignity of the human person, 2) subsidiarity:
that no higher level community should strip another community of
their capacity to see, judge and act on their own behalf, 3) that
the common good be the determinant of economic social organization,
4) the universal destination (or distribution) of goods because
ownership of property is not an absolute right, 5) solidarity, the
alternative to globalization based on empathy for others, 6) an
option for the poor from the social, economic and cultural vantage
point of the least among us and finally 7) the integrity of creation.
This latter "principle" has been developed and articulated
more recently by the Church but it is a theme that in recent years
Pope John Paul II has returned to over and over again (most noteworthy
are his January 1st World Day of Peace messages.)
For example, a news article about John Paul's June
24, 2002 message for the World Day of Tourism stated that the Pope
talked about "eco-tourism" and the balance between human
and land rights:
". But if caring for the environment becomes
an end in itself it runs the risk of leading to new forms of 'colonialism,'
which could damage the traditional rights of local communities that
live in specific territorial areas. In this case, the development,
and even the survival, of these local communities can be at risk.
The Pope asked that attention be paid to the human environment of
local peoples, and not just to the protection of animals and plants."
Like Giddens' four specific consequences of modernity,
the principles of Catholic social teaching are evoked, implicitly
and/or explicitly referred to or the need for their application
"cried out for" in the twenty-nine films in the table
below, several of which which deal directly or less directly with
the earth's ecological, and therefore, human welfare.
Conclusion: A Media Literacy (Education) Response
Media literacy education is a relatively new academic
and school subject with origins in British film studies and popular
culture criticism of the 1930's by F.R. Leavis. Len Masterman's
1985 book Teaching the Medialaunched the subject with a philosophical,
theoretical and pedagogical basis rooted in a Marxian criticism
of culture, government and society balanced by the educational theory
of empowerment proposed by Paulo Freire.
Media literacy education, despite the continual
debates about it that are going on in various countries, has the
freedom and dignity of the human person at its essential core. Its
five basic principles (see chart; some countries have developed
as many as ten principles) are important because they all deal with
"representation" of the human person in one way or anther.
Because media literacy views all education as a political activity,
it has the opportunity to influence all areas of human living as
a life skill.
Media literacy education is defined as the development
of skills to empower persons to be both critical thinkers and creative
producers of an increasingly wide range of messages using language,
image and sound. It is the skillful application of literacy skills
to media and technology messages and the media institutions that
enable them and which they in turn enable.
Because information and entertainment communications
media form an essential part of the web of globalization, media
literacy, especially if informed by Catholic social teaching, can
be a consciousness-raising activity leading to positive personal
and social change. Freire's dynamic paradigm for social change through
education works well when applied to media literacy (as well as
theological reflection): dialogue (rather than discussion), reflection,
action.
As a person of faith, it will be worth the effort
to pursue and test this line of inquiry further. My intention is
to use this paper as a point of departure for developing further
the media literacy education workshops I am already doing. In this
way I can include the principles of Catholic social teaching as
they interface with communications and globalization.
- Friedman, Thomas L., 2000. The Lexus and the
Olive Tree. Anchor Books: New York. Page xi
- Faith in a Global Economy: A Primer for Christians,
1998. WCC Publications: :London, pp. 7-8
- Op. cit. Page 11
- Runaway World: How Globalization is Reshaping
Our Lives. 2000. Routledge: New York, Page 28
- February 4, 1999. Source: Origins: CNS Documentary
Service, Washington, DC, Vol. 28, No. 33; paragraph 20
- Loc. sit.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1997 edition,
Editrice Libreria Vaticana, Part III, paragraph 1731 ff.
- Op cit.
- Loc. sit.
- Eilers, F.J., The Church and Social Communications:
Basic Documents. 1997, Logos Publications: Manila, page 269
- Celluloid Saints: Images of Sanctity in Film,
2002, Mercer University Press: Macon, GA, Page ix
- The Consequences of Modernity, 1990, Stanford
University Press: Stanford, CA, Chapter II
- A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001); At Play
in the Fields of the Lord (1991); Beautiful Mind, A (2001) Burning
Season, The (1994, TV); Cast Away (2000); Citizen Kane (1941);
Civil Action, A (1998); Clueless (1995) Cry Freedom (1987) Erin
Brockovich (2000); Full Metal Jacket; Gallipoli (1981); Ghandi
(1982); Glen Garry Glen Ross (1992); Jerry Maguire (1996); Killing
Fields, The (1984); Kundun (1997); Life as a House (2001); Magnificent
Seven, The (1960); Matewan (1989); Matrix, The (1999); Medicine
Man (1992); Men with Guns (1997); Minority Report (2002); Mission,
The (1986); Romero (1989); Truman Show, The (1998)
Wall Street (1987)
- Op cit.
- Catholic social teaching, and the history of
its development, is covered in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Part III.
- Zenit News Service, July 6, 2002, Weekly News
Analysis
- Routledge: London and New York
- Based on the definition proposed by the Alliance
for a Media Literate America, 2001, www.amlainfo.org
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