America, Homogenized

I won’t add much here other than the fact that, for the most part, I share many of these sentiments with Professor Daniel Gilbert.  I’m certainly not an anti-corporation type of guy (I am a stockbroker after all), but the ubiquitous corporate takeover of Main Street storefronts everywhere pretty much blows.

From the New York Times:

Downtowns were once collections of local businesses that lured us with claims of uniqueness: “Try our homemade pies,” their signs read, or “Best jazz selection in town.” Today, those signs have been replaced by familiar corporate logos that make precisely the opposite claim, promising us the same goods arranged in the same way as they are in every other place. The banks and burritos and baristas on one city block are replicated on the next — and in all the malls, in all the cities, in all the states. Americans can drive from one ocean to the other, stopping every day for the same hamburger and every evening at the same hotel. Traveling in a straight line is no longer much different than traveling in a circle.

I fear that the credit crisis has only exacerbated this relentless trend, as the big guys have been able to access credit and equity investment while the local businesses, as of this writing, still cannot.  Hope you like Office Depot and Panera Bread Cafe…

Sources:

Times to Remember, Places to Forget (NYT)

What's been said:

Discussions found on the web
  1. devops commented on Nov 19

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  2. best online casino malaysia commented on Nov 20

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  3. rbc bank sign in commented on Nov 25

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Info here to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  4. td easy web commented on Nov 25

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  5. blonde wig commented on Nov 28

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  6. lace front wigs commented on Dec 17

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  7. 토토사이트 commented on Dec 25

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  8. tag heuer monaco replica commented on Jan 01

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  9. replica watches commented on Jan 16

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More here to that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  10. tangerine canada signin commented on Jan 18

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  11. Sony XR-CA660X manuals commented on Jan 24

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Info here on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]

  12. web testing automation tools commented on Feb 07

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2010/01/03/america-homogenized/ […]