Rhetorical Analysis: A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization

Rhetorical Analysis: A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization

Most people around the globe have been coping with the American lifestyle. When a person interacts with anyone in the world, there are particular character traits like Watching CNN, buying coffee in Starbucks outlets, and people trying to live in the American way. According to Wasserstrom, one might conclude that products from the United States have created a homogenized global community of consumers. The author clearly states that this is a wrong mentality, and cultural aspects of globalization are complex. Wasserstrom begins by building credibility by using global products from reputable companies, reputable sources, citing convincing evidence, facts, and statistics. He successfully employs emotional appeals; however, the author has used a few companies to show credibility, but this shows a lack of enough research to make such a conclusion.

Wasserstrom begins by presenting his argument using the famous Big Macs, which means differently depending on the location. One traveler claims to have eaten McDonald’s in more countries than he can count, and at the end of the day, they all taste the same. According to Wasserstrom, the feeling of visiting McDonald’s and even eating them feels different from the location. When in Beijing and Boston, one can experience and perceive this product differently. The author intensifies his argument by giving a first hand and personal experience he had while in China.  He discusses how a big American corporation tried establishing its business in Shanghai by offering television free cartoon shows in an attempt to lure people in buying authorized Disney products. The locals-only saw cultural imperialism, which angered them. Chinese entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity and made huge profits from it. The author ends up concluding that Mickey failed in China because that was a famous rodent in china, Mi Laoshu. Locals started protesting by putting posters showing various forms of violence that were being directed at Mi Laoshu.

Throughout the article, Wasserstrom uses reliable sources to build her credibility and appeal to ethos. The causes include, ‘In the Lexus and the Olive Tree,’ by Thomas Friedman and articles by anthropologists Yan Yunxiang. The author uses these sources to build his argument and show the audience that he did his homework and can provide facts from different authors. Wasserstrom uses personal experiences to influence the subject and support the topic. This can show the audience that the author has a personal stake and first-hand experience with Americanism and globalization.

The author appeals to logos by using the logical progression of ideas. He starts by pointing out how different products have a different meaning in Chinese culture. For instance, Mickey is a famous Chinese rodent, whom the locals did not want to see being mistreated on the television. Some products, on the other hand, where received well like Starbucks coffee. People saw it as a contribution to society rather than a competition to local coffeehouses. Though the idea keeps changing with different locations, this shows that the author is not biased, and the details appeal to logos to show that American products can be received positively or negatively depending on location in the world.

The author strongly appeals to pathos in almost every paragraph. Wasserstrom starts by showing how a traveler finds a product similar in every country he visits. To convey the point well, the author introduces Chinese sayings to evoke the meaning well. Wasserstrom shows the significance of different products in different cultures to help the reader understand globalization from different cultures. The goal is to make the audience understand that American products are not being discriminated against, but they may fail to get the attention the company hoped for.

The author keeps on repeating the same products until the argument does not seem so strong. One can see how television cartoon shows and Starbucks coffee was received, but that cannot summarize all American products in china or Chinese products in America. The essay has begun well, the author effectively persuades the reader on how different products have different consumer meaning, and this affects globalization. Wasserstrom should have used a variety of products and show how they were received by the market, for instance, how American goods were received in China and vice versa.

Work cited

Wasserstrom, Jeffrey N. “A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization.” Yale Global Online 16    (2003).