Civilization: The West and the Rest

Science (1x2)

Air date: May 31, 2012

Mr. Ferguson also isn’t afraid to get sassy, as he does in Part 2 when he suggests, half-seriously, that bluejeans brought down the Berlin Wall. That is part of an illuminating discussion of what has happened to fashion worldwide in recent decades: All over the globe traditional dress has been relegated to the closet, pulled out only for ceremonial purposes, while Western-style clothes, especially jeans and T-shirts, have become standard wear. It does not escape Mr. Ferguson’s notice that a consumerism that has everyone wearing the same pants seems more conformist than liberating. In contradiction lies strength, he suggests.