Consuming Western pop culture does not mean adopting Western values

Evidence

The argument now that the spread of pop culture and consumer goods around the world represents the triumph of Western civilization trivializes Western culture. The essence of Western civilization is the Magna Carta, not the Magna Mac. The fact that non-Westerners may bite into the latter has no implications for their accepting the former. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 157

Categorization

• CANDY: The ‘Magna Carta, not the Magna Mac’ line is a memorable, tweetable zinger that captures a big argument in a phrase.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s ‘Grafting & Growth’ essay territory — imports take only when exotic or imposed, akin to how commodities and cultural goods travel without their originating meaning.