If the world were to be taken over one day, it wouldn’t be by some evil mastermind sitting in his lair somewhere in the mountains. It also wouldn’t be by a species of aliens shooting lasers from outer space. No, if the world were to be taken over, it would be by none other than Hollywood.

In fact, it can be argued that Hollywood is already well on its way to world domination.

How so? Well, let’s start by defining Hollywood as the American film industry. It started off as films made by Western producers for a Western audience, and to be honest, it still is. The world domination part comes in because Hollywood has figured out the “perfect” storyline that appeals to human emotion, and other countries have adapted the formula, or in many cases, invited Hollywood into their homes and cinemas. In other instances, we see Hollywood stretching out its claws to try and buy the rights to stories they want to tell their way. For example, Hillary Chute, in her article The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis“, notes that “Hollywood money came calling” (105) for the right to adapt Satrapi’s story for the cinema.  

In instances where Hollywood is successful in obtaining the rights to tell someone else’s story, we see the tremendous “Westernized” effects. In class, we watched the film God Grew Tired of Us, an inspirational documentary about the lives of some of the Lost Boys of Sudan and their journeys through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and then the United States. Keep in mind that this film is meant to relay the stories of the Lost Boys; in some senses, its intention as a film was autobiography/biography.

God Grew Tired of Us was definitely made for a Western audience by Western producers and directors. In fact, several big Hollywood names, such as Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman, were involved in the making of this film. Hollywood’s special formula of plotline is the basic exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The Lost Boys’ difficult journey through several different countries did not necessarily follow the Hollywood storyline, but the film was structured to it, which was a little worrisome.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder how much of Daniel, John, and Panther’s stories were cut out or rearranged in the movie’s editing stages. God Grew Tired of Us was clearly directed at Western audiences, especially when Panther looked at the camera and said, “I hope you can come and see our mother homeland [Sudan].” The film also spent much time on the culture shock that the Lost Boys experienced, from discovering refrigerators to going grocery shopping for the first time. While I understand that the producers wanted the Western audience to know how “sheltered” the Lost Boys were, I can’t help but think that they spent an unnecessarily large amount of screen time on the boys’ struggle with American culture. Yes, we see that they do not belong. I have been asking myself if this is a subtle way to flaunt self-crowned American cultural superiority.

The film went on to portray America as the savior, as the promised land at the end of the boys’ journeys, the ideal end destination of all their relatives still in Kakuma and Sudan. While the boys’ lives weren’t perfect in America, I don’t think God Grew Tired of Us communicated anything about how America could also be the oppressor. Though it was extremely subtle, the film presented the Lost Boys’ struggle in America as their own fault, because they were not used to the new American culture. It failed to mention the fact that American cultural superiority expects refugees and immigrants to adapt to the American way.

It’s true! Hollywood is the perfect medium for this concept of Westernization. By subtly spreading sugar-coated messages that promote American superiority, Hollywood is quickly and scarily successfully taking over the world. I think very soon we’ll reach the point where globalization won’t be globalization; it will be Westernization.