Postcolonial Europe

It is generally assumed that the inhabitant of the "global village" cannot acquire unlimited freedom of choice and unfettered access to a limitless variety of cultural patterns unless he takes for granted the demolition of the established hierarchies as well as a conversion of unique, indeed priceless, accomplishments of the human mind, imagination, and hand into a series of bland items that can be easily taken off any shelf at the global supermarket.  Threats of this kind, perceived as proof of thorough Americanization of the European culture, are generally demonized in the form of the ubiquitous hamburger that seems to have replaced the sun as the source of energy and light for the future of humanity.