The Discussion on Argentina

The class discussion that followed the presentation went well and surprisingly, a lot of folks were involved unlike some previous presentations. I asked the class if they thought that the United States had/has anything to offer the world- culturally speaking- considering that many other nations had contributed timeless forms of artistic expression to the world, such as the Argentine Tango. Unfortunately, there were very few responses. However, there was one response that was caught my attention: democracy. For whatever reason, I had not considered it simply because it did not strike me as a form of art. But surely, governance is an art that should garner a great deal of attention and critique. Nevertheless, it is definitely an idea that as certainly inspired art and the world will no doubt admire for centuries to come. Secondly, a discussion followed concerning whether or not the students thought that the United States could be considered to have a large degree of cultural proximity within its borders. Many of my colleagues were of the opinion that the constant bombardment of media in our own nation does not necessarily allow us to determine whether or not we function with a certain degree of cultural proximity. However, we also noted that several English programs (UK Pop Idol) have enjoyed success as spin-offs within our borders (American Idol). It was a fun discussion and was a lot more pleasant than I had imagined it would be.