The realities of globalization
In today’s landscape, globalization is surely a highly-loaded term and one that cannot be denied. However, it cannot be accurately evaluated without taking into consideration the point of view of those who have be most heavily impacted, or “globalized” by its spread. Things do not appear as black and white as certain agents of globalization, such as governments or corporations may want to believe and even portray it as such. In both literature and reality, it can be seen that there are more than one side to every issue, and the concept cannot be considered ethically without spending time in consideration of those most significantly affected. Our initial vision of globalization is one that has been sugar coated
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However, in texts such as “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave, things take a much uglier and more violent turn. While this is a more violent and severe example than the pandering and marketing of material goods to consumers, they are in fact two sides of the same coin. As stated earlier, everything is not black and white, and in this sense, one must operate in shades of gray instead. Little Bee’s entire life is flipped upside down and destroyed in the name of globalization when oil fields are discovered under and around her village. The horrors that she witnesses and lives through are unimaginable to most readers- the idea of wholesale rape, murder and genocidal destruction is a wild, mad max- esq nightmare that one can feel fairly confident in feeling safe from. Little Bee appears to be the only one who made it out of her village. When taking a moment to think about that, it is important to equivalent that to someone loosing essentially everyone who they knew and who were in their lives. The ugly truth comes out that globalization is essentially fueled by capital, and by …show more content…
Once introduced, local lives, culture and economies often suffer the worst of it. People’s way of living is often irrevocably altered, devastating to some as seen in Little Bee. Western media has also often filtered images and the intent of corporations in a way that sheds every situation into a civilized vs savage scenario, leaving people who simply have not been exposed to other information in the dark. The idea of a humanitarian backing has become a marketing ploy for some, using promises of charity to sell more inventory in the west, while also using these countries they have spread to as a cheap labor pool or a natural resource pool in a way that will cause unquestionable lasting damage in its wake. Not only is this damaging to the area, but also wreaks havoc on the individuals even more so. If not murdered or forced out of their homeland, they are often met with changes to their identities and cultures. Globalization cannot be considered without the implication that it is primarily rooted in monetary gain by the companies and governments implementing and proposing
Kelsey Timmerman believes that the people impacted by globalization encounter more problems and struggles than someone in a non globalized country. Throughout Kelsey Timmerman’s adventure to understand the struggles of peoples lives in globalization he ran into the same this every time. This was that people were being put through harsh times in their
When it comes to globalization, everyone may have a different vision of it’s outcome. For Marcelo Gleiser, the author of “Globalization: Two visions of the Future of Humanity”, a completely globalized world may result in a dystopia. In contrast, Jeffrey Wasserstrom, the author of “A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization” and Tanveer Ali, the creator of “The Subway Falafel Sandwich and the Americanization of Ethnic Food” may think of globalization as other cultures sharing each other’s components to interact on a new level and spurring a more “open-minded” (Ali 27) individual.
In the article, “The Case for Contamination”, by Kwame Anthony Appiah, the author focused on globalization and its effects on the world. He stressed how new innovations and traditions, rooted from modernization, are essentially contaminating age-old customs and values. Appiah used examples from his personal experiences to illustrate the shift from traditional customs to modern practices within cultures. Although the author explained how globalization adversely affects traditional values and cultures, he also stressed the importance of free will and that ultimately, the people choose which course of action globalization will take on humanity. Though that may be true, the fact still remains that the world is being contaminated with new, modern innovations and values, and globalization is negatively affecting society.
Globalization is a concept that has become a common dinner table topic in today’s society; however, the meaning of globalization and its definition are often times confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with the topic. Therefore, to first understand globalization is to understand how it is defined; globalization is considered to be a process of interaction and integration between the people, the companies, and the government of different nations that is driven by international trade and investment, and also aided by information technology. Based on this definition, it is easy to see how globalization can have an effect on the environment, culture, political systems, economic development, prosperity, and on human physical well being in societies around the world. Therefore, because globalization can have such a profound effect on a society and the well being of its people, then the idea of globalization being considered a structural violence can also be hinted when looking at the bigger picture. Structural violence is a concept coined by sociologist Paul Farmer; according to Farmer, “structural violence is the natural expression of a political and economical order that seems old as slavery, it is a social web of exploitation in its many differing historical forms and has long been global” (Lechner & Boli, 2015, pg. 155). Therefore, Farmer explains that this form of violence is a vicious cycle that can occur in globalization because it is on such a large scale and various
In this week’s “Working with Evidence”, the primary focus was on globalization, which is the process of businesses or other organizations developing international influence or operations on an international scale, after World War II. Based on the provided six images and the text of Chapter 23, it presented different ways various groups of people experienced globalization since the end of World War II. To begin, visual source 23.1 (‘Globalization and Work’) shows a Chinese-owned company producing jeans in a small country in southern Africa called Lesotho - this image shows the economic benefits of globalization. Many companies in wealthier countries would often find advantages to build facilities in places where labor is less expensive or environmental regulations are less restrictive. However, some companies would abuse the process of economic globalization as shown in visual source 23.3 (‘Globalization and Protest’). Visual source 23.3 shows a protester in Sao Paulo, Brazil, holding up a sign that reads “A better world according to Monsanto is a world with more cancer.” The company Monsanto is a major producer of herbicides, genetically modified foods, and many highly controversial chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, Agent Orange, and bovine growth hormones. In dozens of developed/developing countries activists have demonstrated or riot against government policies that removed subsidies raised prices on essential products, frozen salaries, or cut back on social services. Although
At this point of time, globalization has grown to be a phenomenon that is significantly important economically, politically, and culturally. The amalgamation and incorporation of the world economy around the globe has reshaped business. Not only this, it has created "new social classes, different jobs, unimaginable wealth, and, occasionally, wretched poverty" (Kiggundu 2002, p. 4) by restructuring the lives of the individuals. For some, globalization is associated to modernism and contemporary practices. Others understand it as American domination (particularly those living in Asia). On the other hand, some people believe it to be the emasculation of America (Kiggundu 2002, p. 4).
Fueled by the expansion of multinational corporations and financial institutions, technological advances, and the increasing porousness of national borders, Globalization is a persistent, multifaceted phenomenon, which has and continues to have, significant impact on economical, political and cultural relations. The book, “The Lexus and The Olive Tree” by Thomas Friedman describes globalization as not just a fade or trend, but political and economical system that replaced the cold war. Friedman explains where we are and how we get here, through a series of skillful metaphors, highly relevant anecdotes, and cogent analysis. In this paper I provide a concise description of the principle arguments Friedman makes about globalization, and
In the world we live in today, everyone is now connected to each other. Whether we realize it or not, every action we commit can lead to a butterfly effect that can either save or ruin another person’s life. In some cases this ability to potentially change someone’s life can be good. For example, thanks to globalization there are now sweatshops in China that are bettering the lives of countless workers and their families. However, as we have seen the negative effects that come from globalization could be devastating. One event that exemplifies the disastrous effects of globalization would be the Rana Plaza collapse which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,000 people (Julfikar, and Nida). This brings up the debatable argument of whether globalization
In “The Case for Contamination”, the author, Kwame Anthony Appiah uses his article to argue that globalization isn’t always a bad thing and that forcefully preserving cultural institutions does more harm than good. He uses examples to show how the world is being ‘Contaminated’. By “Contamination’, he is referring to the mixture of values, cultures and traditions. Globalization doesn’t always mean assimilation. People tend to fear change. Appiah encourages others to learn more about different culture and traditions, and throughout the article he dismisses the idea that societies changing and adopting cultural practices of other societies are inherently negative. People should be able to choose what they value and what not to value in their
Lila Rajiva used another perfect example in her article to show how globalization affects both the environment and culture of the native people. Hyundai built a factory in a small town in India. Since the factory opened, water has scarce for miles around the factory. Thanks to the scarcity of water, the local population doesn’t have water to cook, drink or bathe (Rajiva 2). Not only it is an inconvenience for the locals, it is a “death sentence” for them (Rajiva 2). From a brutal scorching dry summer, there was a death toll in the thousands (Rajiva 2). This occurred because they didn’t have enough water to survive. In this example Globalization disrupted the way of life of these people. Farmers didn’t have water to irrigate their crops. Also, thousands of people lost their lives because of globalization. These people would have been alive, if not for the greed of these corporations. In the state of Kamataka, globalization also ruined the lives of the native population. In this state, small farmers “committed ritual suicide to express their outrage at the destruction of their lives by multinational” (Rajiva 2). These farmers’ lives were completely ruined thanks to globalization. These corporations’ practices and operations pushed them out of business. The farmers had no chance to compete because of the deals and benefits these corporations receive. Corporations
Source I’s perspective is the view that through globalization; many cultures are destroyed and that this diminishes society. This source outlines a
During the last decade of the twentieth century, the word ‘globalization’ has become an increasingly prominent feature of political, social, and economic discussion in academic and policymaking circles, as well as in the media. The processes and outcomes of globalization drew attention and debates that had one thing in common. The research shows that nearly everyone agrees that globalization is a trend that is changing the face of the world, and as a result the world society lives in a more ‘globalized’ world. Nearly two and a half decades passed since 1990s, and studies have been conducted to examine the causes and consequences of globalization. Moreover, nearly every person experiences some type of globalization and can testify firsthand the effects it has on their life, society, and the state. The analysis of the effects that globalization dynamics have on the world society indicates that globalization has a significant positive impact via spreading opportunities and wealth across nations, stimulating innovation and productivity, enhancing the economic development of poorer countries, and helping to improve living standards.
‘Globalization: What’s new? What’s not? (And so what)’, portrays the speed in which globalism has increased through many different factors; economically, military, environmentally and socially. This is an idealist analytic approach, not set in stone. This leads on to
The concept of globalization is a complex and peculiar one, failing to be definable by a single, precise definition. Centrally, globalization involves information and goods being exchanged amongst different countries. These interactions and interchanges among countries globally over time is due to an increase in communication and transport networks. Globalization is often divided into three main areas being economic globalization, cultural globalization and political globalization. All three are vital areas to one’s life and globalization is said to have a large impact on each. Although globalization is controversial in the aspect that it cannot be declared just how much of an influence the notion has in the world. Political scientists such as Muhammad Ijaz Latif, Anton Pelinka and Martin Wolf all discuss this issue in their respective pieces as well as differing aspects of globalization such as the role the European Union plays in relation to globalization, the different perspectives of globalization and the challenges of the nation-state in regards to globalization.
Globalization is a major issue in our world today. But it can be seen through many different perspectives, some see it as a negative thing, but some people also see the positives within it and some people have mixed views. Globalization is the spreading of different views, this can political views, social views, and economic views being spread throughout the world where it once wasn’t present. Globalization shapes the way people live and what they do on a day to day basis, or what’s going on around them like technological advancement. Globalization affects everyone, what we do, what we eat all shapes our individual and collective identities.