Some social observers are optimistic about our shared social and cultural future, because the barriers between cultures seem to be falling and we are becoming a more "homogeneous" world culture. After all, they argue, we can see the same movies, listen to the same music, read the same books and see the same news reports. We can travel with more freedom than ever before in human history and can even choose to intermarry with people from different cultures. On the other hand, some social observers like the late Samuel P. Huntington are far more pessimistic and argue that there will be an opening gap and danger of more conflict between the cultures like the US and the West that emphasize western cultural values like individualism, materialism and democracy, and non-Western cultures that emphasize order, discipline and tradition. He even predicted a "clash of civilizations" continung throughout the rest of this century.
1. Are the "optimists" right, or was Huntington and the "pessimiststs" more likely to be right?
2. Is there a real danger of what Huntington called a "clash of civilizations?"
3. Why or why not? What examples support your arguments?
Please answer each question. No essays.