GLOBALIZATION: A BLESSING AND A CURSE

Crossing Borders Global Studies 2009
Reflection on Globalization

GLOBALIZATION: A BLESSING AND A CURSE

Roberto:

Globalization is as huge as its term. The enormity of its measure is limitless. The effect is both predictable and unpredictable. It is a blessing and a curse. It smacks right in our faces shaping our mode of responding the necessity of everyday life. We cannot ignore and undo the smashing wave of technology affecting our economic, political and cultural life, even our sex life so to speak. Indeed we all enjoy its accessibility from agriculture to food production, family desires to the wider community needs; and the whole global village running like machines absorbing anything that globalization emits.

The ideal premise is that globalization should work in service of the people. In practice it maybe an assumption. It involves politics, economics, self-interest and power. And who are in power? The rich nations who have all the resources at the same time using the resources of the deprived and under privilege nations through land and labor use. It may appear in sheep’s skin of development and progress. Who wouldn’t want it anyway? These are realities as real as how globalization gradually devours the weak, the vulnerable sectors of the society.

Where are we heading to? Where will it lead us? Simple questions we won’t bother thinking about. Or maybe we leave it to the experts and the knowledgeable. That is what they are made for anyway. These are the attitudes that will deliver us into hell. The advanced price we have to pay is the future of the coming generation.

On the other hand there are efforts to install preventive measures in various forms. Individual advocates, concerned citizens, organizations and institutions fight it out in various playing fields. Education and information in all forms are venues for awareness and action. Creative and active approaches are explored to respond the hazards of globalization transforming its own technology to a positive and functional use. Individually, being part of humanity playing a key role on this issue must develop a sense of critical attitude in taking action to the influx of what globalization has to offer. Unless we choose to sit and wait until the kingdom comes.

Eva Vítková:

Why do we get so attached to our „stuff“? Or, to be more precise, to some of our stuff? We develop relationships to different objects that we own, let it be an iPod, favourite book or a bike. And in case of lost (when this item is stolen/broken/lost), we exprerience a terrible feeling – for a while, it feels like loosing the best friend. In order to overcome this feeling, we run to the shop to get a replacement for the previous object – and we start a brand new relationship. But as I have implied before, that doesn’t count for all of our stuff.

Or at least not all the time. Do you remember how easy it is to forget about the old object when you are on the way to the shop to buy a new one? Because the old one is out of date, doesn’t function any more or you just got tired of it? I think that people tend to buy new things instead of repairing or improving the old ones nowadays. It just requires less effort. In order to have your old shoes repaired, you have to invest time and energy into finding a place where they repair shoes, bringing them there and after some days bringing them back home. Does it cost 10 times less than a new pair of shoes? But buying new ones is soooo much easier! It is an easy solution. A relatively easy and fast way how to solve my problem.

The first step we all have to do in order to improve the environement we live in, is start looking for solutions with a long-term perspective on mind.


Reut:

The movie (20 min. on the process of "things") presented in a very clear way the greedy side of human beings. This greediness is a part of a process of detaching ourselves from what we really need and connecting to what we want or what we are told we want/ need by others.
Globalization has a big affect on the matter because it enables exposure to those unnecessary things. That exposure has no limits; it reaches young and adults, poor and rich, everywhere in the world. Censoring that exposure is almost impossible.
The way to make a change, as it seems to me, is to raise awareness to the way we consume things, even though we don't need them, and to educate about the process of making things and their consequences.


Anežka Kervitcerová:

The term globalization is recently being used more and more often. It seems to be a new trend in our society and you might be criticized if you would not mention this subject during your speech. However where did this reflex appeared and what does it means for common people?

In my opinion globalization came through the development of economy and technology. Thanks to the currency convertibility we can have translational corporations that offer the same products and services to people all over the world. Thanks to the media we can communicate and share information with everybody on the other end of our planet. And thanks to the modern transport and infrastructure we can visit places of our dreams.
Finally a question comes up: “should we be afraid of this phenomenon?” I believe globalization just reflects reality that all of us are identical human beings with the same needs and shortcomings. And as every event in people’s lives, it only depends how we utilize it.


Samba:

Globalization is a term that describes a process of a world connected in all aspects of life. In fact, media and economics are the corners of this phenomenon. Moreover, capitalism is a fundament element of globalization. It facilitates the movement of goods and people through exchange and trade. Which sums up the world into a small village were all nations are connected somehow.

However, globalization contains several disadvantages that many people suffer or even die because of it. In fact, globalization has divided the world into two blocks: the rich and poor, the have and have not etc. So wherever you go in the world rich people live together play together; meanwhile, poor people suffer together, live together etc. In other words interests are globalized rather than humans. Consequently, materialism rises in all around the world. The image of a small village where all things are connected turns to be a small city where no one knows the name of his neighbor.

Anyway, we have to admit that globalization contains as everything else advantage and disadvantage. Ignoring it is a suicidal choice. So we simply have to be aware of it so that we can swim in it and not sink into it.

Fruzsina:

The Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology.

There is some maintain word when we hear them we are thinking about the globalization, for example environment which is very important to keep safe. There are some methods which might help like recycling, more trees, don’t waste the energy.

The other example is communication. This is one of the most important things. This is that it helps people keep contact with each other. You need it to be able to work. Technology has been the principal driver of globalization. Advances in information technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed the economic life. Globalization is everywhere that it would be very hard to prevent.

Zsuzsanna:

Globalisation.

This word express me ’to making the world open and to come at table’.
And I’m also associating a lot of expressions related to the Globalisation: uniformity, one world, people, united, same, big, north, south, equality, liberalism, free trade, fair trade, institutions, and government.

The world is open to you. But who opened it? And you can find the institutions, governments, the media, and the companies.
Is it really open, open for everyone? That’s the question.
Let’s see an example:
When you go to the shop, you can find a banana from Ecuador on the display, and you pay the same price than you would pay for a loaf of bread. It’s a good business for you, you think.
But how is it possible to get the banana in a very reasonable price if it comes from so far away, how many miles it was need to take until you get it? What is the impact of the environment? It should be cost a lot. And how much could be remain from this relatively cheap price at the producer? What is the system behind it? Is it really a good business for you?Globalisation generates a lot of question to me. But I think we always need to ask about...This small example points out that Globalisation has an effect on you and you can have an effect on it as well. Be aware!