Global Ethics In-Class Essay.
What are the positive and negative impacts of globalization?
Humans may have had a short history on this earth, but so much has happened in our short existence. From the cave men to the 21st centaury we have improved unconditionally. Yet one thing that has helped us become connected as people is globalization. One may ask what is globalization and what does it have to do with humans According to Wiki, globalization can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, social culture and political forces. Yet in every process, every choice, there will be positive and negatives.
In the 21st century, humanity has improved a lot through its ideas and knowledge. The three things that show and prove this are our economy, understanding other cultures and respecting them, and lastly solving common problems together. As I said in the previous paragraph, globalization is what connects all of us to become one. It is through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology. There will be only some which I will talk about and I would like to start with a man we all know, Marco Polo. Marco Polo was in simple words, a trader. He had traveled to China to trade and to share ideas. It was through trade in which humanity started to communicate, despite of the great distances. Marco Polo was European. When he went to China, culture was differed, yet because of respect from both sides, they were able to develop more understanding.
Today now, many companies have already moved to other countries and made connections with people around the world. Because of this, more understanding between people and cultures are stated, more ideas are shared, and more technology is developed. This s when we work together to produce different discoveries, products, and improve technology. This leads into world trade. With the improvement of technology, we can now think critically. How does one benefit for the best and cheapest products and services. In the book; The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, it talks about how from horsepower to railroads, to PC’s our world has slowly become a flat surface in which we are all connected. It is giving all competitors an equal opportunity as long as one has the education and skill. Rich or poor is not the problem considered anymore. An example of this is Microsoft. They have given people in less developed countries the opportunity to work for them. They may not have plugs for a computer or a nice office, yet they find ways, like riding on the bike to charge power for a computer or using an antenna to receive internet connection. In countries like India and China, it is a great opportunity for them. As we connect more as one, we have also gotten together to solve global problems; for instance, education, the problem of poverty, and now global warming. We have connected with many other countries and created organizations such as UNICEF. It is because of these globalizations in which we can achieve all these goals.
Yet there is a downside to globalization like all other things. Because of globalization, ideas are shared and the originality of cultures is slowly disappearing. In other words, the word “Americanized” means original cultures are manipulated, for people forget their own culture and think that highly developed countries such as America are the best. An example of this is the apparel, which people wear now: jeans and t-shirt. China, Japan, and Korea are clear examples since they do not wear thejr traditional outfits now.
It has been good for developed countries to keep those countries undeveloped. Yet the developed countries have taken advantage of this. They have been treating the workers without respect. Giving them not only low pay, but also had living conditions. This is just inhumane. Other problems which globalization has caused are pollution, overuse of resources, and the worst, extinction. An example of each of them are the Love Canal incident, which had polluted and caused destruction to families; the cutting of rainforests in Brazil and Borneo; and lastly, Chinese wanting Rhino horn, since it is a good ingredient for some Chinese medicine. Yet because of this, many animals of the rain forests and Rhinos in Africa have started to die out and become extinct.
Another problem can be seen with companies, which have moved overseas to avoid paying taxes, remove the health insurance of workers, and limit the amount spent on cleaning up pollution created has caused further destruction to our world. Yet many companies do not see this problem, for they have been blinded by money and power. Yet because of money and power, world trade has been interdependent with each other. Look at the economy crises now. Wall street in New York has collapsed. Because the global economy depends on each other, this big fall-out of the economy has impacted the whole world.
Although globalization can cause so much destruction to our world, it is still like a big tape that holds us all together. It is because of globalization that we share ideas, yet if we do not share ideas, there will be a huge impact in culture and economy. Which would start conflict, which leads to war and terrorism. I would like to quote Keith Porter in his article Globalization: What Is It from About.com. “ Globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today.” Followed by an excerpt of the book The World Is Flat. “ Sharing of knowledge and work in real time with no regulation or geography, distance, or language.” People would have stopped globalizing each other by now if globalization was that bad. Globalization is good. That is why everybody is pushing for globalization. Although we differ in appearance and culture, we are more connected to each other than ever before. Globalization is the thing that connects us all as one which keeps peace in the world and improves us all by teamwork. Helping to make out world better.
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