Comparative Analysis (Assign. 5/12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the turn of the 20^th century, the phrase "See America First" was popularized. It was meant to remind increasingly affluent Americans that though an international excursion could be nice, they should prioritize exploring America first. Because Americans were spending millions of dollars annually to travel abroad, a burgeoning US travel industry hoped to divert some of that money back home. By 1910, the Great Northern Railroad adopted the phrase to promote its hotels within the new Glacier National Park. For some Americans, “See America First” has evolved from a travel slogan to a quasi-philosophy, a sort of “we have anything you could possibly want here at home, so why go someplace else?” attitude. While Americans today travel the world in large numbers, there remains a small, but stubborn, contingency that believes traveling abroad is futile, even disloyal to the US.

In contrast, Freeman Fung, author of Travel to Transform, views himself not as a citizen of his native Hong Kong, but of the world. Unlike, the “See America First” attitude, Fung encourages a less ethnocentric approach to travel: “It doesn’t matter where you were born, what colour your skin is, what your gender identity is, what nationality(ies) you have on your passport, what religion you practise, what sexual preference you have, what cultural background you inherit, what financial circumstances you are under, what political views you hold, what education level you have reached, what diet you are on, what countries you have visited … We are all citizens of the same world, one way or another.”

In a concise Comparative Analysis, compare and contrast the US’ 20^th century “See America First” campaign (and attitude) with Fung’s “global citizen” approach to travel in the 21^st century. In your analysis, consider what the appeal is of both schools of thought? How do they differ, not only as travel philosophies, but as world views? What do they share in common? Draw exclusively from Fung’s Travel to Transform and this presentation of 20^th century “See America First” and “See America” posters to construct your analysis. 

Requirements:

• Approx. 500 words
  

Due: Fri 3.8 (via Packback)