Global commerce in clothes and other products also gives us the illusion that we will all end up looking the same, eating the same, and thinking the same. Thank goodness this is largely an illusion. The world remains a pretty diverse place. People have different fantasies in different parts of the world. Fashions are different.
Television commercials are different.
Senses of humor are different. East Asia's financial woes have prompted claims of victory for American-style capitalism. You write a fair bit about Southeast Asia and its integration into the world economy. The crash hasn't really affected it at all. I believed that the idea of common Asian values was bullshit then, and I still believe that now.