Monoculture

//We are a blameless society.// Naivety is our specialty. How can you be angry at someone who apologizes for the death of a language they don’t know how to speak, the loss of a species they’ve never heard of, then forks out millions of dollars in conservation and relief efforts? When they provide programs and promises and hope, it might be easier to forgive them for their oversights and irresponsibility. After all, what is an enormous drawback to an enormous possibility? //We are a universal culture.// It is this promise which provides us with our seamless alibi. We are merely inviting them along for the ride—no harm in that. In fact, we are really doing them some good. Who doesn’t want new phones, latest models, clearer television screens? When you can experience the world in HD, why would you need to explore it in your own language? We’ve invented a universal language, made up of pictures and Hollywood smiles. //We are a pampered society.// It is easy to be comforted by shiny cars and celebrity gossip. After all, our life is so hard. With kidnappings and crimes, loss of language, diversity, and exotic shrubs left and right, it’s only natural to need some kind of distraction. It’s truly a tiring duty, saving the world every day. //We are an indulgent people.// Gluttony is understandable. //We are dreamers.// It is easy to ignore the unsavory bits of our global society, especially if we regard ourselves as being as advanced as we’ve always hoped to be, as we advertise ourselves to be. It is not proper to have wars in this day and age. It shames us to think about anything that isn’t glitzy or glossy or whirring. The future we’ve always aspired to create is both distraction and justification; once we’ve invented it, everyone will be able to drive flying cars, have holographic girlfriends, synthetic families… It is easy to forget those who do not share this ideal in the whirlwind of advancement and civilization, especially if they don’t speak English. Who can blame us, if they don’t speak our language?