In Good Earthly Fashion

What does the culture of Earth look like to other planets?

When I look at how much the Internet has accelerated globalisation, I realize how big an impact it had on culture. The same fashion trends can be found everywhere on the globe. Humans of all horizons covet the same german cars, greek olive oil and japanese stationery. All these business trades and distribution logistics happened without there being a world government. So it could be argued that a world government would facilitate this cultural unification even more, to a point where a true Earth culture emerges.

What does Earthly fashion look like?

Time and time again we've seen the positive impact that immigration and social diversity has on communities, businesses and societies at large. A little bit of everyone mixed up everywhere. Good.

Can cultural diversity be as positive? Italian coffee drinks poured everywhere. Californian Airspace interiors found in offices from Jakarta to Buenos Aires. Indian yoga practiced on all continents. A little bit of everything mixed up everywhere. Aren't these the seeds of a monoculture? Not good.

If we zoom out a little, let's look at some potential reasons why cultural globalisation happened in the first place. First, capitalism and market expansion, of course. Corporations might have chosen this path, but hey, the market voted with their wallets and therefore, people approved. So on an individual level, is it because it makes us feel more connected? Like we subconsciously all want to be the same or to feel like we belong to some larger community? Or do we simply want the best of everything no matter where it has to be shipped from?

If we were politically governed by a central entity, could roam the globe freely and all use the same currency, would languages survive the homogenization of cultures? Would we centralize the production of goods to a part of the world and keep another for living and travelling? Dividing the world in two big economic sectors; one for doing, and one for being.

Or on the contrary would each region maintain the "market share" of their top export? Resulting in Italy exporting the whole planet's wine, everyone travelling to France for the best cuisine and Switzerland manufacturing everyone's watches. An Earth culture might in fact protect the heritage of each country in how we could leverage each region for what it's best at. Enabling countries to focus on their craft and drive innovation even further. Or instead honor the legacy of their traditional artisanship. In any case, what would have to be made even more accessible is travel and transportation. But wait.. aren't those our planet's top polluters?

And I haven't even touched on the political logistics of this thought exercise...

How the f*ck would we elect said central government? (Assuming all countries are on board with the idea of a cosmocracy in the first place.)

Would it start by a meeting of the current presidents and premiers and chancellors and prime ministers of all presently demarcated countries? All 195 of them. They would vote amongst themselves, somehow.

Or maybe leaders of each current country elects a representative for their continent? Excluding Antarctica, that would mean six individual human beings to work together and "rule the world".

Then what would happen after the first term or if one of them died? Would the same original countries decide who would take over as the affected continent leader? But this would perpetuate the notion of countries...

Or we decide that once that first elected group is formed, the process changes for future elections. Only then would we see brand new political parties emerge. And it would be about who's able to become known to the whole world. If elections are held online, it's a marketing play again. Digital divide meets Cambridge Analytica 2.0. If elections are held physically, that means we would need to maintain a hierarchy of neighborhoods, districts, states, provinces, etc. And isn't that the same as countries?

I wonder how alien civilizations have been doing it.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash