Cultural Imperialism

The United States, arguably being the most dominant and influential country in the world, has had a significant imposition of media on countries globally. There is a great scale of popularity in regards to US music, movies and television, but the agreement that US entertainment is a negative influence on other countries has been universal. Cultural imperialism is defined as corrupting the cultures of other countries with American values. These values are clearly evident through the constant and strong focus on sex, drugs and war. Cultural stigmas and taboos are glorified, and taken to extremes that often push the limit of what many consider appropriate and necessary. It doesn't seem surprising that the majority of other countries dislike American influence in their media. The US has great impact on audiences all over the world, in terms of business and culture, making US programming easily accessible to viewers in other countries. In regards to public television and media, the US is much more liberal and open to what types of shows they allow to air, posing unwanted and unneeded material on global televisions.
When I travel to Singapore annually to visit family, I am always surprised by how many American shows air on Singapore public television. I have seen Friends, Lost, Surviver, American Idol and even American CNN on constantly, proving the incredible influence the US has on small countries on the other side of the world. Personally, I find cultural imperialism a true problem in this world, because television and entertainment are extremely powerful tools, which the US is taking full advantage of. There is an excessive focus on sex and drugs and less focus on world news and more important global and even domestic issues. I feel that if the majority of other countries would prefer not to have US media in their countries, then the US needs to be more respectful of these wishes because business isn't nearly as important as cultural values and traditions.