Popular chains such as Starbucks and Spinelli's are some of the larger, more popular coffee clubs that have successfully broken into the Asian market, thus carving out a niche in American pop culture for themselves.
Which brings about the issue of pop culture, or "popular" culture. Much of the American influence in Asia is targeted at the youth. Some forms of this include music, television and cinema, fashion, and just about anything else that can be defined as "popular". American culture, by this definition, has invaded our society and driven out msot homegrown equivalents. Primetime slots on local and regional television are taken up by American programs, such as "The Practice" or "Ally McBeal" for example. This is true for many parts of Asia. A fine example would be StarWorld, a channel based in New Delhi, India. The channel's slogan proudly proclaims that it is telecast "across Asia and the Middle-East", and yet, not a single entertainment program on it is of Asian origin. In fact, every single entertainment program on the channel is American. That the channel is telecast all over Asia speaks for the kind of stranglehold that American "pop" culture has over our society.
The effects of this can be quite appalling. If traditional Asian beliefs, age-old practices and conservative customs were people, American pop culture would be the enfant terrible in Asia today. Most of the programs which attract large vieweship promote the American way of life. As a society, Americans have isolated themselves from their cultural beginnings, choosing instead to develop a culture of their own which is now being marketed across the world. This package, though it may be attractive, is a far cry from proper Asian tradition.
Compared to Asians, Americans are extremely forthright, sometimes even brash. This quality in particular has been very damaging to several Asian customs. Asian youth, who at one time used to accept the traditions and the customs of their way of life, have begun questioning everything.