It may seem funny now, but if the world was going to end, I would want to make damn sure I was awake to see it. So, at 4 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 31, I woke up to watch the good people of Tonga ring in the year 2000. Well, actually I woke up at 3:45, hit the snooze button a few times and didn’t roll out of bed until about 4:10. So I missed the party in Tonga.

But when I did get out of bed, it was just in time to see these people from this small, Pacific island ring in the new millennium. I can’t remember the name of the island or who exactly inhabited it, but suffice it to say it was touching.

After poking my head out the front door and not seeing a horseman of the apocalypse anywhere, I decided it would be safe to go back to bed.

When I finally rolled out of bed for good, later that morning, I began watching the rest of the celebrations across the globe.

Now, I’m a pretty cynical person. I creep across this earth with a know-it-all smirk on my face, I laugh at any and all self-help books, and I flip off my television set anytime Sally Struthers asks me to help a starving child. But I have to admit, I was a little bit touched by what was going on.

Never before had so many people around the globe celebrated the same event. Even the Chinese, who don’t use the same calendar, shot off some bottle-rockets and cracked some bubbly.

But just as I felt my heart growing three sizes too big, I saw something that nearly made me physically ill.

I was watching the good people of Singapore ring in 2000. On a large stage several dozen drummers were performing traditional music, when a guy with a headset mic walked out and began singing “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

Now, I enjoy shaking my bon bon as much as the next guy, but the idea that the music of Ricky Martin is what unites the world doesn’t exactly fill me up with brotherly love.

The trend was not limited to Singapore. The more I watched the various countries’ celebrations, the more many of them started to look like trashy rehashes of American culture. This begs the question: Is the world coming together, or is everyone having western culture shoved down their throats?

It certainly is difficult for an economically underdeveloped nation to join the world market without also embracing the western culture that dominates it. Often times when western technologies are diffused into Third World countries, it is done with no regard for the cultural traditions of that country. Our capitalist principles of competition and individualism often run contrary to the community-based structure of other nations.

While many people view this transformation as an underdeveloped country “getting up to speed” with the rest of the world, when it is done carelessly, it also causes the death of a unique culture.

The prevailing belief among many today is that the Internet is helping to bring people together. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

We’ve all seen the commercials with all the little children of various ethnic backgrounds spouting diatribe about how the World Wide Web will bring information around the globe instantly.

If this sort of idea gives you peace of mind while you drive around in your SUV, fine. But really, how many people do you think have access to the World Wide Web in Tonga?

The truth of the matter is, white men are by far the largest demographic using the Internet. Given that, it shouldn’t be surprising that English has become the unofficial language of the Internet. But that is only the beginning.

To create a world community, it is necessary to have a world culture. More and more, the Internet is becoming the tool that is defining that culture. The problem is that rather than world culture being some conglomerate of other cultures, it is solely an American one.

In this communication age, Third World countries are facing a huge dilemma.

The world around them is changing so rapidly, they either have to drop everything and jump aboard the S.S. America or risk becoming completely isolated from the rest of the world.

There are many positive benefits of becoming a member of the world community. But right now, it is difficult for a country to do so without sacrificing its own culture. Capitalism, McDonald’s, Ricky Martin — they’re all part of the deal. It’s all or nothing.

This homogenous ideal has already overcome America. Walk into a mall anywhere in the country, and you’ll find the same 12 damn stores.

Do we really want this to spread to the entire world?

If we don’t find a way to build a world culture that embraces the accomplishments of groups other than Nike and Coca-Cola, the entire world will soon look like a sprawling suburban wasteland.

Here’s hoping we can ring in the next millennium with something more substantial than flavor-of-the month pop music.

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Ben Godar is a senior in sociology from Ames. He is an assistant arts and entertainment editor of the Daily.