Low wages. Foreign goods. Capitalism. These words describe some of what globalization offers. Globalization is deemed as a positive influence towards developing countries. The government and most of the media supports globalization, but is globalization a good thing? To what extent is globalization just modern day imperialism?
As seen in “In Life and Debt”, Jamaica’s workers struggled to make ends meet. Many worked in factories that were owned by the United States which was not considered part of Jamaica. Jamaica didn’t have a good deal with the United States because foreign goods cost less than goods made/grown in Jamaica. This problem affected the Jamaican economy. This “deal” didn’t contribute much to the Jamaican economy, it benefited the United States. The foreign goods were cheaper and people, with low wages, had no choice but to by foreign goods. Another problem arose when Jamaica borrowed money, they couldn’t pay it back. As an arrangement, the United States established American fast food places in Jamaica. This would seem to Americanize the Jamaican culture.
Barry Coates agrees with my point of view, globalization shapes “the global economy in the corporate interest” Globalization contributes towards the government’s benefit. They say they are helping the country but not really. Their “free trade pacts” bring more money to the government. Bello describes: “globalization seems to have been less a ‘brave new phase” of the capitalist adventure than a desperate effort by global capital to escape the stagnation and disequilibria overtaking the global economy in the 1970’s and 1980’s” The beginning of globalization was good, it helped, but now globalization has become something that the government can control. It gives the government a sense of control over the foreign country just like imperialism.
Globalization can be both beneficial and harmful. To me, globalization is harmful towards these developing countries and is some sort of imperialism. What do you think?
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citation:
Bello, Walden. : “Globalization in Retreat” Foreign Policy In Focus.
2006. Silver City, NM and Washington, D.C. December 27,2006
Bricklin, Dan. “Thomas Friedman’ view of Globalization”Bricklin.com.
2000. Bricklin’s Report 2000
Coates, Barry “The case against business globalization” 12 February, 2003.BBC News.
McCormick, Richard D. “Why the protesters are wrong” 2002.BBC News
Black, Stephanie, producer and director.”Life and Debt”, Tuff Gong Pictures.Production, 2001
