In a world of cell phones, Internet, and advertising, it's hard to ignore the world. Admit it. Who can ignore the pressure to "Just Do It" and buy ridiculous $150 dollar shoes? Who hasn't ever eaten under the Golden Arches? Know anyone who hasn't ever, not even once, said the "s" word? (Hint: It's not shin or ship.) Probably not. Or at least not until the Xinjiang trip. Xinjiang: where minority is the majority. Where Uyghurs don't pretend to be black. Where most people have never seen a McDonald's. No, they're not weird. They're just culturally different - and very different, at that.
             Firstly, let's begin with the obvious differences. Differences that are so blunt they need no explanation. The mass media language is English. Although some people may argue this, it is clear to most people that English is the major language used for advertisements, slogans, and in most multi-national companies. The language of Uyghur is, shockingly, Uyghur. Another obvious difference is the two culture's history. The Uyghurs are the descendants of the Turks (not Eminem, like some people might think) while mass media has no definitive historical background or ancestry. Enough said. Now to get out of the idiot's section of this essay.
             While a lot of culture traits you cannot see just by looking at a person, some traits you can see are their values and some ways of behaving. The easiest way to see these is by their clothes. Clothes are usually an expression of a person's inner self. When you look at a person who is part of the mass media culture, you see brands. These people are basically walking advertisements for both the companies, and themselves. Large companies want people to wear their brand because for that company, is says, "Hey. We're popular. We're cool. Come on and put us on." People, on the other hand, want brands because they say for them,...