Answering the Question

I started this blog as a social studies assignment. Now, I'm finishing this blog, with more awareness on some of the topics I've posted about (I never knew that Wal-Mart hired factory workers to work in sweatshop conditions). My goal has been to answer the question, "To what extent should I, as a citizen, respond to globalization?" It's a tough question, one that through the past few weeks, I've realized has a complicated answer.

Overall, however, the best answer I can come up with is this: Because I am a global citizen, I have the duty, the responsibility, to be aware of what is happening in my country, and my world. Globalization has many effects on people, directly and indirectly, good and bad. I should respond to these effects with thankfulness for the positive (like being able to call my Grandparents who live half a continent away), and action against the negative (like the Wal-Mart sweatshops: maybe I should send them a letter of disapproval, or stop shopping there). To the extent that I should respond, I believe that depends on the circumstance. But, if there is anything I can do, I think that I should respond to the full extent that I can.

Globalization has so many effects that are interwoven, that sometimes action against a negative, can hinder a positive effect. I believe that God gave us good minds, and with thought, we can respond to globalization effectively, and responsibly.

Thank you for reading my short blog. I had never made one before, so it was quite the learning experience! "Blogging" is rather different than essay writing. Also, thanks to Google.com for providing many of my images I've used.

I hope that my writing, though not the best, has been able to make you think about how you should respond to the question, "To what extent should I, as a citizen, respond to globalization?"

Being a Global Citizen

Whether we like it or not, all of us are global citizens. Yes, we might be citizens of different countries, but those countries make up our planet Earth. Thus, because I am a citizen of Canada, I'm a citizen of North America, and I'm a citizen of the world. But is there any meaning to saying that I'm a global citizen? Some could just see it as some classification system that some person made up. Personally, I believe that people fall into 2 categories: the Bad Global Citizen, and the Good Global Citizen. (Yep. I'm going to add even more classification!)

My textbook, Exploring Globalization, puts it this way, "Being a world citizen is a way of thinking and acting." This is where I get my good and bad classification idea from. Being a good or bad global citizen is not genetic. It's a decision. Take love, for example. Love isn't just a feeling, it's not just attraction, it's commitment, it's a decision to love your partner, even if excited feelings go away. I think that being a global citizen is similar. We each have to make a decision, are we going to ignore injustice and live for ourselves? Or are we going to care, and take action against injustice, even if it's not fun?

I believe that a bad global citizen would have a selfish attitude when it comes to caring about other's well being. For example, a bad global citizen might complain about price raises at The Body Shop, due to fact that the Body Shop supports fair trade (trade that incorporates policies and standards that include a fair living wage for all factory employees, ample breaks, no obligation to work overtime without compensation, and a safe work environment with emergency protocols in place). The bad global citizen might decide to participate in something (say, a protest against the genocide in Rwanda) for the wrong reasons. Maybe he/she wants to impress somebody or get publicity, he/she doesn't care about the reason for the protest, all they care for is what is in it for them.

On the other hand, a good global citizen is one who cares about what happens to the Earth, it's people, and the people to come. Here are some ways my textbook suggests good global citizens act like:

1) They take Action about global injustice and concerns

2) They look ahead

3) They do what they can

Basically, a good global citizen shows concern, and realizes that one person can make a difference. Mother Theresa was a nun, famous for her compassion for the poor, including starting schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, and medical care for the poorest of India. Some people criticized her, others recognized her for her work. She once said, "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that drop".

Especially as a student, I find it hard to get actively involved against injustice and global concerns. I find that I have so much school work, or to many activities going on in my life to make much of a difference. But I've come to the conclusion that educating one's self about what is happening in the world, coming up with an opinion, voting in elections (supporting those who can do the job that you can't, in the way that you think is best), and supporting organizations that work against injustice is a good way to start.

Being a good global citizen isn't always that fun, or easy. Mother Theresa didn't have an easy life, and neither will you or I if we stand for justice and be good global citizens. We can be almost sure that whatever stand we take, someone will be on the other side. But wouldn't it be satisfying?

Quotes/Sources:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1395-NY-Home-Design-Examiner~y2008m11d29-Eco (excellent definition of fair trade)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa

Exploring Globalization, Ryerson, McGraw-Hill

Sweatshop Labour

Hi Everyone!

Here is a link to a video series of The National Labour Committee's findings about the working conditions of people in factories, working for TNCs (such as Gap, Wal-Mart, etc.).

Here is part of the blurb explaining what the videos are all about: "Charles Kernaghan executive director of the National Labor Committee, discusses recent scandals linking children's products to sweatshop labor."

Sorry for not putting the videos directly on here, but my mind isn't that tech savvy yet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvyaUtjFY_k

A TNC: Wal-Mart.

Trade is a major globalizing force that effects us each and everyday. Through international trade, people now have access to products that they cannot buy or make in their homeland. For example, Canada is rich in oil, and exports it to many different countries that need oil. Meanwhile, Canada imports products like oranges, and bananas from other countries like the USA. Through the exchange of goods, people are exposed to other cultures, foods, and lifestyles.

For example, I like to drink an occiasonal coffee, but coffee beans do not grow commercially here in Canada. If it weren't for trade with countries that grow coffee beans, I wouldn't know what coffee is. Trade definatly has benefits, but there are some down sides to international trade too. You've probably heard the term, 'transnational corporation' before. My social textbook defines it as, "a company that is based in one country while developing and manufacturing its products, or delivering its goods and services, in more than one country". A transnational corporation (TNC), like Wal-Mart, can have a really big influence on the world economy.

Wal-Mart was #1 on the 'Top 25 Transnational Corporations' list in 2005. Judged by revenue, Wal-Mart raked in a cool $287,989 million. With the ability to move their operations around the globe, Transnational Corporations (TNCs) have alot of influence with governments, because governments must compete to attract business. TNCs often have big factories, and the movement of a factory to a different country can be devastating for communities (like a town in Mexico) that have the majority of their people making a living from the factory.

To keep the business of TNCs, some governments have lowered taxes, and adopted policies that transnationals will find helpful. Unfortunatly, this often leaves the locals with jobs, but a very low salary and a long work week. In a 58-page report, National Labor Committee director Charles Kernaghan, documented the horrific conditions under which Wal-Mart’s Christmas ornaments are made in China. Here are a few points from his report (released in 2007) that I found shocking:

> Five hundred to 600 16-year-old high school students were employed last summer, along with some children as young as 12 years of age, toiling 10 to 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week, and going for months on end without receiving a single day off. Wal-Mart Christmas ornament workers are at the factory a minimum of 84 hours a week, while at least half the workers are at the factory 105 hours a week.

> Anyone daring to take a Sunday off will be docked 2 ½ days’ wages.
Some workers earned as little as 26 cents an hour, just half China’s legal minimum wage of 55 cents an hour, which itself is not close to a subsistence level wage. Pay sheets smuggled out of the factory show workers earning a median wage of 49 cents an hour, including overtime, and $42.29 for 110 hours of work, while they should have earned $74.77. Workers were cheated of one-third of the wages legally due them. Factory pay sheets showed just eight percent of the workers earning the legal minimum wage, while 92 percent fell below that.

> Workers in the Spray Paint department who develop skin rashes and sores while handling potentially dangerous chemicals have no choice but to leave the factory, as management does not pay medical bills or sick days. For quitting on short notice, workers are docked one month’s pay.

> By July, the high school students were so exhausted from the grueling 12 to 14-hour shifts, seven days a week that they went on strike and brought a legal suit against the factory, denouncing the grueling, illegal hours and seven day workweeks for which they were paid below the legal minimum. The students also reported to the Labor Bureau that some 12-year-olds worked at the factory.

Can this really be Wal-Mart? The friendly store that boasts lower prices so that families can afford things? Needless to say, TNCs, can not only influence governments, but harm people's lives. Are the positives greater, in this Wal-Mart case, then the negatives? I don't think so. I believe that many families would be shocked to find that their snow-man tree ornament was made by a young teenager, working months without a day off.

I believe that we, as Canadians, have the duty to people who work in sweatshops like this, to be nosy and figure out where the stuff we buy is coming from. What conditions are the people who made my favorite Bluenotes sweater working in? Because Canada is a democracy, we can raise our voices for these people in protest (wouldn't you want to protest if you were docked 2 1/2 days pay for taking Sunday off?). Perhaps our government can, and will, get strict on TNCs such as Wal-Mart, and keep them from being heartless Scrooges.

Sources:

http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=499 (National Labour Committee Report)

Exploring Globalization, Ryerson, McGraw-Hill, 2007 (My Social Studies text-book)

Quick Responses

December 26th, 2004, was an unusual Christmas holiday for my family. Instead of listening to Christmas carols, we were tuned into the local radio station, listening to the unfolding story of the tsunami that hit parts of Asia in the early hours of the morning.

The tsunami killed tens of thousands of people, with most sources citing the death toll as over 200,000. Not only did it kill people, but it took away homes, businesses, and towns. Leaving a trial of chaos, streets turned into garbage dumps, as chairs, vehicles, dead bodies, and other articles clogged the streets. Help was needed badly, as many of the countries hit (including Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka) were poor, with huge shortages of medical supplies, food, drinking water, and housing on their hands.

Because modern technology can send messages accross the globe with the click of a mouse, the news of the tsunami spread fast. The World Health Organization supported the help that came quickly from different militaries (including Canada, US, Britian, and Thailand).

Quickly and efficiently, different organizations and countries donated money, military support, food, clothing, and water. By January 9th, 2005, 90,000 persons in affected communities, relief centers, and displaced-person camps had received medical and mental health care. If it hadn't been for modern airplanes, ships, communication, and quick national awareness, one can presume that the death toll from the tsunami would have been much higher. In this case, the effects of globalization played a big part in bringing fast relief to the thousands of people who had lost their homes in the tsunami. How should we respond to this effect of globalization? With thankfulness. :)

Awareness

Globalization has caused a positive effect on society by making us more aware about things that happen in other places around the world.

Human rights, in particular, have been globalized. In ancient times, many civilizations had their own human rights policies (such as one found on the Cyrus Cylinder, unearthed in 1879). Over the years other cultures amd countries have come up with democracy and other human rights laws, such as The Great Law of Peace (created by North American Aboriginals before Europeans came) and the American Constituation.

Now, most countries, including Canada, have laws and rules to promote fairness and equality between people. Media, a tool of globalization has helped promote this by sharing stories and pictures with the public about countries that have defied basic human rights.

News organizations, such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), have shared global happenings, such as the Rwandan genocide that happened in 1994, with the public via TV, radio, newspapers, and the internet. People who saw and heard about the genocide, and other human rights violations were angered by the horrible crimes, and donated money or started organizations to help them. For example, Amnesty International is one such human rights organization. It uses the media (internet, TV, radio, newspapers, etc.) to organize global camplaigns to promote human equality, and gather support against injustice.

Globalization is not all bad. Human rights have been made global, by the sharing of ideas such as democracy, and by the media doing its part. Awareness has multiplied, people only have to turn on the TV to hear about child soldiers in the Middle East. And with the awareness, normally, comes action. Action from concerned people, to work against human rights abuses. Action in the form of donations and organizations, such as Amnesty International, World Vision, and the International Justice Mission.

Amnesty International Website: http://www.amnesty.org/

World Vision Website: http://www.worldvision.org/

International Justice Mission Website: http://www.ijm.ca/

Sex Slaves

When people think about globalization, most don't immediately connect it to the sudden burst in sex trafficking numbers world-wide. Across the globe, nearly 800,000 women and children are enslaved annually, joining the estimated 10 million women already trapped, in the worldwide sex trade, which annually rakes in aproximately $20 billion. These women and children are forced to provide sexual pleasure for money (that they do not recieve), while enduring abuse that damages them physically and mentally.

Sadly, the internet has helped globalize, protect, encourage, and recommend the abuse of these people by websites. On them, many of the customers, or 'Johns' as they are called, chat on forums about the best countries and brothels to be sexually served at, how to make sure that a cop won't catch you, and how to make a prostitute do what you want. Brothels themselves often have their own websites, which usually boast pictures of their girls, complete with prices and locations beside.

Unfortunately, the internet has helped boost the sex trade by enabling buyers to hook up to sellers, book their girls, arrange sex parties, and find the cheapest way to get there. Not only this, but the internet is a storage bin for pornography. Many Johns get hooked on porn, and then transfer their desires to the real life stage. Some going so far as to video-tape their escapades with trafficked girls, enabling them to replay, and enjoy the frolic a little longer.

So is the internet evil? Not at all. Then what am I getting at? How are we supposed to respond, and to what extent? I believe that nothing can be done to win the battle against the sex trade, without some education. I recommend that you pick up 2 books by Victor Malarek; The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade, and The Johns: Sex For Sale and The Men Who Buy It. Both books have opened my eyes to the evil that is happening under our very noses (yes, it happens here in Canada too). I believe that we should respond to this side effect of globalization with the greatest extent possible. I'm not an expert on how the internet works, but if someone brings to court websites such as the World Wide Sex Guide, perhaps something can be done to shut them down.

Harder punishment, and stricter policies for Canadian sex tourists, a watchful eye on the R & R activities Canadian troops overseas participate in, and public education on the problem of sexual slavery, hopefully will be a way that Canada can help defeat the sex trade. As individuals, we can all do our part to help the women and children caught in this trap. Some things to consider would be supporting organizations that help the victims recover, and punish the offenders - such as the International Justice Mission (IJM). Voting for a MP who cares about this problem, and wants to make a positive difference, can also be a good way to show your response.

Links to the books I mentioned:

http://www.amazon.com/Johns-Sex-Sale-Men-Who/dp/1559708905

http://www.amazon.com/Natashas-Inside-New-Global-Trade/dp/1559707356

International Justice Mission Link:

http://www.ijm.ca/