Wednesday, January 6, 2010
What is Globalization?
After listening to that excerpt from Noam Chomsky I found my thoughts drifting back to the arguments and points of nearly every liberal sociologist which is essentially that the north or "developed" world has created a system that works for them and in many ways works against the "developing" nations of the south or third world. As Chomsky discusses, globalization is indeed a partnership between the two sides as one cannot exist without the other. If the developed world was not able to force their imports on the third world sending them towards urban slums and towards "rational peasantry" then this system would not work. Because globalization is here to stay and is perhaps impossible to reverse I began thinking about how we could possibly work this partnership into something that benefits all at least in someway. I have in mind two works that I believe are relevant to this topic. One is by Ken Silverstein entitled "Millions for Viagra, Pennies for the Poor". Here Silverstein makes the case against global drug corporations who spend more money on "lifestyle" drugs (ex: Viagra) for developed nations than for medication for simple diseases such as TB and Malaria that cause rampant death in the third world. Keeping in mind the point of this article we clearly see the unevenness of Chomsky's proposed global partnership. As he even says in the lyric he recites at the beginning of the excerpt "our system brings rewards to all who matter". Silverstein's article clearly brings light to an example of what Chomsky refers to in his "song". The other work I think is relevant is called "Stolen Harvest" by Vindana Shiva which tackles the possible solution to this inequality I mentioned earlier. In "Stolen Harvest" Shiva makes the case against corporate or western interference in the global food supply and says that the whole world must break the divisions of north/south, peasant/consumer etc and join together to create a "food democracy" that benefits all and helps the environment. Though it is an idealistic idea it remains to be seen whether the "developed world" can actually join with the "developing world" to bridge the equality divide of globalization or if that is simply an impossibility. Thank you!
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It's really difficult to attribute the poverty of third world countries to globalization alone, for there are many other factors involved. When I read the articles and Chomsky's input on "globalization," I could not help but wonder: "Who are the REAL victims?" Small businesses and families that rely on such. Globalization cannot possibly reach every little corner of the world and the integration of the "north" and "south" worlds can only benefit so many. Along with the two works you presented, there's another, entitled "Making Globalization Work," by Joseph Stiglitz. He proposes for representatives of the world's national governments to sign the Millenium Development Goals and pledge to cut the poverty by 50% by 2015. He also urges countries to work together to reduce the effects of global warming.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not believe that there is one perfect solution to globalization, but it has to start somewhere. Critics of globalization believe that it is just another way to "Americanize" the entire world, leading to a loss of diversity. With the increasing gap between the rich and poor, it seems as if there's no clear-cut solution in the near future.
Yours,
Karoline