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Globalization I define globalization as the occurrence of interconnectivity and interdependence between countries, which has gone through several stages of advancement especially after the invention of advanced technology. With the increasing usage of advanced technology that allows us to communicate and travel across borders at a speed that has never been imagined before, the world in some way is becoming standardized. It is difficult to attach a specific date to the occurrence of globalization because it is very subjective and depends on the opinion of each individual.
Globalization is a very introversion concept because its effects are widely debatable. While some might say that the Colombian Exchange sparked globalization or the fall of the Berlin Wall, I argue that while the beginning may be highly debatable, there are various stages of globalization as it advances. In my analysis of the term globalization, I find that globalization began with the Columbian Exchange and has progressed ever since with the invention of mass transportation, technology, and education around the world.
The Columbian Exchange was one of the first widespread exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and genealogy between the Americas and Europe. The Columbian Exchange seems to embody the term globalization because even Just that one event highlights the effects of globalization as a whole. It demonstrates that while there are many rewards to reap from this interconnectivity between countries, there are also many negative effects as a result. One cannot simply say that globalization is inherently bad or good without taking a look at the arguments on both sides.
The film “The World According to Sesame Street” shines an optimistic light on globalization by describing the rewards of interconnecting countries. This film depicts the cultural impact and the complexities of creating international adaptations of the children’s television show Sesame Street. Throughout the film, the producers demonstrate how each country own adoption of Sesame Street is not Just a standardized version of the American show, but is actually fit to meet the needs and traditions of the country at hand.
For example, in the case of the South African version of the show named Taking Sesame, the puppets helped to controversially address the real challenges of the millions of children living in a country with one of he world’s most quickly growing HIVE infection rates. Also, Just in general the world is now able to quickly find out about an epidemic, disaster, or other occurrence that is taking place in another country with virtually the click of a button.
Therefore, this interconnectivity is able to bring about a global awareness due to the influx of information between various countries. Bangladesh co-producer says it best when he says that internationalism doesn’t mean you have to copy the richest country, it meaner that you have to offer the best you have. One essential part of globalization is that it takes the best of what different ultras have to offer and allows different parts of the world to reap from the finest things that civilizations have given.
For instance, Sesame Street was a powerful and educational children’s television show in America before it was adapted to meet the needs of other countries. The producers diligently chose to have puppets with abstract colors in an effort to emphasize multi-cultures and the tolerance of them. Globalization itself brings about a sense of cultural toleration, as the connection between countries remains steadily increasing. To understand globalization, we must iris ponder on the thought that America itself is nothing more than a globalizes people.
To be honest, America itself could be described as a positive effect of globalization since it is filled with various different cultures, ideas, crops, animals, etc that are a direct result of the interconnectivity and interdependence of the world. The producers of Sesame Street stated that when they would arrive to a new country for production, they would basically give these people an empty box with a few regulations. Therefore, these co-producers had the final say as to what they anted their puppets to look like, what the story line would be, and what kind of teachings the show would focus on.
The great thing is that these new shows weren’t just standardized to be like the American version of the show, but rather allowed them to emerge with new characters that fit the culture of that particular country. Yet in the case of China’s version of Sesame Street, the producers there wanted to keep America’s Big Bird and Elm, which they were able to do. This brings up my point that globalization makes the world a better place in the sense that we are no monger forced to stick with the culture that we were born into, rather we are able to choose from among the best ideas and traditions that are offered.
If we depended on our own cultures this would lead to stagnation; therefore, it is best when we are offered the opportunity to expand past those artificial cultural boundaries to ultimately become the person who we want to be. For instance, Philippe Algerian is able to summarize the optimistic view of globalization into one sentence, “The beauty of globalization is that it can free people from the tyranny of geography. ” Next, the documentary “The Corporation” highlights all of the negative side effects of the globalizes world.
This documentary brilliantly compares the creation of Frankincense to that of a corporation because as these businessmen are in a search for wealth they have basically created something that will ultimately destroy us. The documentary goes on to talk about the externalities that affect the uncontested third party as a result of a transaction between two parties. Much of this has to deal with the environmental costs and health risks directly related to the transactions of these rage multi-national corporations; an example would be the growing cancer epidemic and birth defects.
The film also stresses the fact that although a corporation is legally a person, it has no soul to save and is legally bound to look out for stockholders rather than stakeholders. Many also say that globalization only makes the rich richer while making the non-rich poorer. Once all you have to offer is low-cost labor, the corporation will take advantage of you until they find someone else in a more desperate position, which is willing to get paid less. In their struggle against the power of globalization, Sheriff Heat and Miriam Chining Yon Lieu bring up some of the flaws in the system.
For example, the idea that people are exploited for the wealth of others is brought up when Miriam tells her story as a inquisitorial, who works long hours yet isn’t able to bring in sufficient income for her family. The documentary “The Corporation” also touches this issue when it describes how workers of Liz Collarbone in El Salvador get paid $0. 76 for every sweater that they make; yet those sweaters are retailed for over $100. Globalization sakes it virtually impossible for suppressed countries to ever get out of that cycle of abuse by the leading powers. Sheriff argues that globalization has led to the loss of authenticity of culture.
He also states that the corporations are molding everyone into this particular type of consumer that will conform to what is being sold. Therefore, globalization has a fundamental flaw in the system because it is not true that everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. Globalization makes your birthplace and financial circumstance so inherently crucial that you become dependent upon those factors, which you cannot control. As a business student, it is very troubling for me to decide between whether globalization ultimately has more positive over negative effects, or vice versa.
During the first day of my Economics class the professor stated that we would be focusing on the way to maximize profit, while stressing the fact that we would not go into the moral or ethical issue of some of the subjects. Although I must admit I have heard of some of the flaws attached to this free enterprise society, I have never really taken a chance to really see some of the stuff that goes on. I was in shock after watching the commentary “The Corporation” and I even finished watching it at home that same day.
It is difficult for me to decide whether globalization does more harm than good because I have strong arguments for both sides of the fence. For example, the thing I like about globalization is that we are able to pick from the best of things rather than depend on our own cultures. I love to feel free to enjoy what I want and I can’t imagine not having some of the things that are only possible through globalization. Yet, I also know that we are the lucky ones because not everyone has the same opportunities as we do. These multi-national corporations are exploiting our own people.
Corporations are dehumidifying the human race by legally calling themselves a person, yet having no soul to save and no remorse to give. The idea that globalization allows us to share great ideas with others is amazing, but the human cost of globalization is troubling. I believe that there are great flaws in the system, but if these flaws were some how able to get fixed in a way that everyone could equally reap from the rewards, then globalization could be seen as a fundamentally good system. Until then I am left balancing the pros and cons.