Commercialism is imperialism

I have found an interesting essay on the subject of corporate branding and sloganisation. I recommend you read it, here.
It's true, too - I recently visited Malaysia, only to be met by the sickeningly familiar faces on McDonalds, Starbucks, Burger King, and all the other big names. Why the fuck can't we let them have their own damn shops? That's not too much to ask, is it? A little bit of diversity? A little bit of, heaven forbid, even originality?
I even noted what one might call structural imperialism, particularly in Kuala Lumpur; skyscrapers abounded there that would have blended right in in London, New York, or any other large Western nation. Even in small towns the houses - those that weren;t shanties - showed a distressing lack of individuality. One had to look quite hard to find any traditional south-east Asian architecture. Obviously, structural concerns limit what one can do with many buildings, but I would have expected at least some sign that I was not back home, other than the everpresent rain. On second thoughts, even that's not so different.
Wouldn't it be sad if the whole world was the same, if the corporate dream of exactly alike customers - far easier to market to that way - happened? Here's an idea. Google "subvertising" and find out what others are doing to fight back, see what you can do.
C. E. M.