American Empire and the Arsenal of Entertainment: Soft Power and Cultural Weaponization

233 Pages·2014·1.53 MB·English

by  Eric M. Fattor (auth.)

American Empire and the Arsenal of
Entertainment
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American Empire and the Arsenal of
Entertainment
Soft Power and Cultural Weaponization
By Eric M. Fattor
AMERICAN EMPIRE AND THE ARSENAL OF ENTERTAINMENT
Copyright © Eric M. Fattor, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-38725-7
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-137-38726-4 ISBN 978-1-137-38223-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137382238
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the
Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: March 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For the Fattor Family:
Terry, Susie, Kristie, Nick, and Troy
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Introduction The American Empire and the Weaponization of
Entertainment 1
1 Legitimacy through Popular Entertainment: Bringing the
British Empire to Life (1815–1945) 11
2 Overcoming Isolationism: Film, Radio, and the Rise of
the American Empire (1898–1945) 55
3 Spreading Liberalism: Broadcasting, Consumerism, and
the Maturity of the American Empire (1945–1968) 91
4 The Postindustrial Renewal: Guerillas, Partisans, and
the Triumph of the American Empire (1965–1989) 127
Conclusion America Overexposed? Globalization, Digital
Communications, and the Fate of the
American Empire (1989–Present) 159
Notes 173
Bibliography 197
Index 211
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Acknowledgments
This book is the material manifestation of over a decade of struggle. The
academic career path has always been a very difficult one, but for myself
(and many of my colleagues), this difficult path has been made almost
impossible to navigate by an abundance of institutional and financial
obstacles that epitomize the torpor of the twenty-first century. As I now
finally reach an important professional plateau (though by no means the
summit) with the completion of this book, I can look back at what has been
overcome and recognize that my ability to get this far would have been
impossible without the sustained help and support from a wide selection of
friends and family.
Three excellent professors oversaw my professional development and
helped me complete my degree in an institutional environment that was
occasionally hostile to its doctoral students. David Goldfischer always had
an insightful comment and an encouraging message about my work. Jack
Donnelly’s coaching on scholarly writing was nothing short of invaluable,
as was his efforts at ensuring that I always had some kind of teaching job
in a region of the country where such jobs are not readily available. And of
course, I never would have had a chance at an academic career without my
mentor Micheline Ishay. She helped transform me from a shy and humble
student who never spoke up in class into an angry interrogator of the absur-
dities of the world—then calmed me down on those occasions when that
anger got the best of me. My gratitude for her help is real and profound.
Once the frustrations of completing a degree have been met, the despairs
of the academic job market quickly take their place. I was fortunate to be
spared most of these thanks to Robert Duffy at Colorado State University
who looked past a bad interview and hired me anyway, thus allowing me
to gain some valuable teaching experience as a lecturer. Once employed,
Bob also saw to it that I had enough work to eke out decent living. In 2012,
I had the great opportunity to join the faculty of Hendrix College for a
year, giving me for the first time the sense that the decision to pursue an
academic career may not have been a mistake after all. My deepest thanks
go to Jay Barth, Daniel Whelan, Kiril Kolev, and the other faculty members
of Hendrix College for giving the time, space, and resources to mature into
a seasoned scholar. Indeed, it was the collegial environment at Hendrix