1) By drawing on the articles on the exotic and globalization from class, discuss the following advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIZCtDJtFPw (100-150 words).
This is an interesting advertisement to look at for this subject. Immediately, I picked up on one notable difference from the Ghosh article; this ad features Conan, an American celebrity, venturing into India rather than showing Indians (?) in Western civilization. Despite this “progressive” step forward, the ad makes sure to exoticize (?) India. The sitar is clearly heard in the background, monkeys are seen among the citizens, and Conan is showed performing manual labor to dye the silk. These things highlight the “exotic” aspect of India because they are not common in American culture. As a matter of fact, by making the ad about silk, it feels like they have taken us back to Marco Polo times when the East was this mecca of silks and spices and exotic things. This adds to the mystique and wonder of the Orient that Said discussed. It also shows globalization through the familiarity Conan has with the people. Based on the ad, one would get the impression that Conan has been through the area multiple times and respects the foreign culture enough to produce his curtains in the "native" manner.
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