Globalization lite

Without dismissing the often negative and serious effects of globalization I had a surreal experience last week. Waiting for new tires to be put on my car last Thursday, I wandered over to a strip mall across the street. This mall is in a hispanic neighborhood and the majority of stores were targeted towards this population. The surreal moment occurred when I wandered past a mexican discount store, then a record store playing a type of music I have little to no tolerance for, tejano music. You would think growing up in a Ukrainian household that the sound of an accordion wouldn't cause such a visceral reaction but it does thanks to some inconsiderate neighbors from the recent past.

The surreal moment occurred when browsing through a clothing store that I presume is marketed towards the adolescent group that believes the tighter and shinier the clothes the better. Looking through the footwear which seemed to feature spike heels I heard a tune that made me stare up at the speaker in stunned disbelief. They were playing Nickleback, a horrendously untalented Canadian band who grew up about 150 miles from my hometown. I think it was the juxtapositioning of crappy Canadian music in a Mexican chain store in Houston, Texas that caused my bemusement.

I think that this firms up my opinion that globalization is evil incarnate and that Nickleback will one day be mentioned in the same breath as Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, and Shania Twit. Quite a legacy.