<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV></DIV> <P>Im sure the residents of Los Angeles who live near DisneyLand find immense cultural attachment to their Haitian-made sweatshop disney mickey mouse hats.</P> <P>> I'm a reporter working on an article about the persistence of regional </P> <DIV></DIV>>culture for the Ideas section of the Boston Globe and I thought that some of <DIV></DIV>>the people on this list serve might have some ideas. What sparked my article <DIV></DIV>>was a PhD thesis I recently read which argued that donut chain stores <DIV></DIV>>frequently have a strong regional identity. Thus Krisy Kreme is popular in <DIV></DIV>>the South, Dunkin Donut in the North Eastern United States and Tim Hortons <DIV></DIV>>in English Canada. <DIV></DIV>> Here are some basic questions that this thesis sparked. Any thought people <DIV></DIV>>might have would be most appeciated. <DIV></DIV>> <DIV></DIV>>1) Do you think it is true that ordinary people often find regional identity <DIV></DIV>>in the products of mass culture? If so, do you think Krispy Kreme in the <DIV></DIV>>south counts as a good example? <DIV></DIV>> <DIV></DIV>>2) Aside from Krispy Kreme, can you think of any other chain store or <DIV></DIV>>franchise that has a strong regional identity in the South? <DIV></DIV>> <DIV></DIV>>3) Do you think that the persistent of regional identity through consumer <DIV></DIV>>products and chain stores challenges the idea that culture in North America <DIV></DIV>>is becoming more homogenious? <DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMQEN/2021">Get 2 months FREE*.</a> </html>