Sage Stobbel, The Atlantic, Nov 17 1999

 

 

 

Document

 

Globalisation is what happens when you lose your job in [...] Elizabeth because the company for which you work has been bought out by the Australian subsidiary of a Dallas-based transnational company that has decided to relocate its production of T-shirts to Mexico because of cheaper wage costs and lower health and safety standards. [...] And it is what happens when you get skin cancer because of the hole in the ozone layer created by chemicals released by refrigerators and aerosol cans all over the world. But globalisation is also what happens when you use the computer at your local library to connect to the Internet and find pages of information from unions and community organisations in England, Mexico or Indonesia, which are trying to link up with workers around the world to stop the driving down of wages and the repression of trade-union activists. Globalisation is what happens when young London musicians of English, Caribbean and Indian descent begin to create new crossrhythms of black reggae,white trance and Hindi rap…

Source: John Wiseman, Global Nation? Australia and the Politics of Globalisation, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 1998, pp. 13–14

 

Questions

 

1. Write down the definition of globalization.

2. List the positive and negative aspects of globalization mentioned by John Wiseman (the author of the document above).

3. Go to the “Rough guide to globalization” :

a. In the paragraph “What drives Globalization”, which aspect of globalization appears in

- “Global logo Inc.” ?
- “The world in your supermarket” ?
- “Globalfuture.com” ?
- “One Disney McWorld” ?
- “$ 2 trillion a day” ?

b. Scroll down the page to the paragraph entitled “The Winners and Losers” : Who are the winners ? Why ? Who are the losers ? Why ?

4. Explain which aspect(s) of globalization appear(s) in the cartoon on this page.

5. Look at the "Contributions to Global Warming" map: Which countries are the most responsible for Global Warming ?

6. Look at the Bangladesh population density map and compare it with the map which shows the impact of a 1 meter sea level rise in Bangladesh. Explain the problem faced by the Bangladeshis if the sea level rises because of Global Warming. What is their responsibility in Global Warming ?

7. Read the first three paragraphs of the "Toxic Waste Dump" page and explain which other aspect of Globalization appears here.

8. Scroll down this page to read the paragraph about the Positive Aspects of Globalization . What are the three main positive aspects of Globalization ?

9. After looking at the last two links about the FAO and Amnesty International, what is your view of Globalization ? Do you think it is a positive or a negative thing ? Why ?