For those of you like myself born in the late 1980’s, can you imagine what life must have been like before the technology surge just before our time? Imagine….a dark and scary world with no cell phones, no I-pods, and dare I say it? No computers! I personally have gone as far as to combine all of these technologies into one hands-free gift from God: the Blackberry. I love my Blackberry so much that it even has a name (her name is Ashley and she has a twin named Mary Kate who belongs to my best friend in San Diego). Technology has given us so many opportunities; we can connect with people from all over the world, we have any type of information at our fingertips, and hell, we can even find dates on the internet! But all of these advances do not come without a price. There is a dark side to all this technology mumbo-jumbo and it is a word we are all familiar with but might not know its true meaning: Globalization.
Globalization in its literal sense is the process of globalizing. It is the intertwining of countries from all corners of the world, and the breakdown of their cultural barriers. Things like technology have contributed to globalization because now with the use of things like computers we are always finding new jobs, new angles to take, and new ways to accomplish things. Take for example Dell computers: I have a Dell, and it didn’t take longer than 5 seconds on one of my many calls to Tech-Support to realize that I was talking to someone in a different country (India to be exact, I always ask). And what about my computer itself? No joke, when I flipped it over to read the stickers and small print on the bottom, not only were the countries Chile, Mexico, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia mentioned, but there was actually Japanese writing on it! That means that workers in all of those countries helped to make the very product I am writing this paper on.
So what does all this mean for me and for the US as a whole? Well, when I said that there was a dark side to globalization I meant it. All those countries I named employed workers who were almost definitely underpaid for their services, and not to mention that work could have been done by someone in need of a job here in the US. Also, by bringing our industries into these countries we are stripping them of their culture and not allowing them to prosper on their own terms. The reason companies outsource their workers like this is because other countries do not have the labor laws that we do, so companies do not have to treat their employees as well or pay them as much. It all basically comes down to money, and when opportunities arise that will allow these money moguls to prosper, they will take them at any expense.
Today in class during a discussion on globalization I made the comment that I have never shopped at a Wal-Mart or a Starbucks and never will. I do this not only because I am an advocate for small businesses (like my mothers) who can’t keep up with these giants that move into towns just like Chico, but also because I do not agree with the way they handle their business behind closed doors. Wal-Mart neglects their employees and forces wholesalers to lower their prices to unreasonable rates, and Starbucks exploits the coffee industry. In response to my comment, a woman raised he hand and said, “Well Starbucks brews all of their coffee in Seattle, and you can bash Wal-Mart all you want, but the truth is these guys are geniuses.”…….I bit my tongue at this remark, but what I really wanted to tell her was that while yes, Starbucks does brew their coffee in Seattle, they also export all of it from Ethiopia at an unfair price. And if you wanted to consider Sam Walton and Howard Schultz geniuses, you mine as well throw Hitler and Stalin right in there with them. I’m with Naomi Klein on this one.
28 comments on Hitler, cough cough....I mean Sam Walton.
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Clearly, the previous commmentator has got an angry axe to grind. It's a pity he can't spell properly, and has to resort to small-minded vitriol. Oh well.
Hey, I appreciate the genuine desire for dialogue, J.R. Nice one!
(By the way, you really do have to work on your spelling. It's quite appalling).
Did you understand what I said to you and the dumb little twit ????Then I guess the spelling was good enough for you !!!!!
JR-- Not only is your spelling appalling. But, to put it politely, your train of thought is off the rails. There again, politeness is clearly something you never learned about.
I'm trying to generate educated, informed discourse not empty-minded twaddle. Please think twice before you post your next comment--otherwise you are wasting everyone's precious time, including your own.
The next time you wipe check and see if your pea brain was passed with your other waste !!!!!
I rest my case.
Enjoyed the enlightening dialogue. Ciao.
I think your blog was really good. Your argument is well considered and I agree that it is a shame small businesses in this country are suffering while corporations like Starbucks and Wal- Mart grow beyond comfort. I do think, however, you may have misinterpreted what the woman in class was trying to communicate. What I believe she was trying to say was that, from a purely economic perspective, what the founders of both Starbucks and Wal- Mart were able to do with their small businesses in the competitive market is pretty remarkable. This does not forgive unethical business practices should they occur, it only speaks to their ability to surpass the competition. But again, I really dug your piece. Gnarly Job.
Actually she is a very intelligent girl who is in college trying to get an education and become a taxpaying citizen...under an administration in D.C. that is making it harder and harder for a young person to do so. As an older adult like you I am saddened that you would attack her and question her parentage instead of reasonably making your point. If you want young people to understand your point of view and possibly change theirs, your technique leaves something to be desired. No one has attacked you or called you any names. All you are really doing by getting angry at this little girl is making sure that she will not want to consider any other viewpoint but her own.
Joe-
So many young people who have recently gained the right to vote read these blogs that I want to thank you for demonstrating so well the values of the modern Republican Party. You're a classy guy...
KISS the MONKEY !
She is so dumb , she does not know what a hard day's WORK is !
JR-- I realize you have a lot of hatred and venom building inside you. If ranting mindlessly on Blogster helps you to release some of this toxic material, then I'm happy for you.
However, I think you should heed the words of the Buddha and "let it go" before it consumes you uterrly and irrevocably.
By the way, it's better to be under than a rock than stuck in a hard place.
I thought this was a well thought out presentation of her opinion on globalization. She made some good points about how the worlds businesses work, and being a business major I know that what she said does run true. It is a sad fact of reality that in modern economics and business that wealth is transferred and not created, so in essence the saying 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer' runs true.
Don't understand how stating her valid and well thought out opinion makes her dumb. I overall believe that it is a well written blog and states her opinion on globalization.
Sounds like it's to late to save her ,, her brain is gone !!!
Gee, rob , I have been in hard places and lived to get out of them ,,, did you ever try to land your plane on a carrier with a wing shot up so bad that it fell off when you grabbed a cross deck cable and came to a stop,,, thought not go away and hid you liberal ODUMBA lover !!!!
Golly wallstreet you must be reading something in that piece of liberal communist loving tripe
This is obviously a battle no one will win. I guess I was wrong when I thought all of the older generation was wiser, but I suppose there are exceptions to everything. It’s a shame to see a senior acting like an immature child. When someone is so closed minded, there is no getting through the walls they have built around themselves. Great article Elyse, you really got your opinion through to the reader.
What exactly is your argument JOEZ? Im slighlty confused...She had a well written article on globalization. Im not sure what your getting at here please elaborate for me!
She had a STUPID argument comparing San Walton who created the largest retail store chain in the world , giving jobs to millions of hard working people , and helping everyday hardworking people with items they need and want at prices they can afford and save a few dollars , with HITLER who murdered millions of Jews and many others, shows me she belongs to the flat earth society and if you agree with her you must be a Jew hater and a flat earther
Joe, I think you should see the Naomi Klein video about globalization, her main argument is that Wal-Mart is destroying communities by taking away jobs and replacing them with lower paid jobs, which in the end hurts everyone. Their utter refusal to treat and pay employees properly is a travesty. If Wal-Mart was not in existence we would still have our mom and pop stores to go to. In the end the low prices we pay at Wal-Mart go to a global organization instead of back into our local economy and that hurts everyone. Wal-Mart was able to give millions of jobs to hardworking American's only after destroying millions more in the process.
I believe her statement in saying we should call Hitler a genuis if we call the CEO's of Starbucks and Wal-Mart is that they all systematically destroyed people's lives/jobs literally and figurativley.
I would like to say that I treat all people equally regardless of ethnicity, political afililation, and gender, but reading your blog it sounds as if you do not share that same viewpoint. Now one last thing, before you comment please respond with a well thoughtout argument instead of what you are responding with currently.
I saw some of this on TLC I believe. It is sad. But, I would like to say that Sam Waldon is dead and has been for many years. The Wal-Mart he started is not the Wal-Mart of today and the direction it has taken on. I really do think he would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what is going on now. That is just my opinion. I have worked for Wal-Mart many years ago and my Mom did too. And you are right they *don't* treat their people right and I have heard it has only gotten worse. When I and my Mom worked for them Sam was still alive and running it. It is a scary world we live in with all of this outsourcing.
Jenn
I wanted to say that while I disagree with you completely I also believe you are entitled to your opinion. I do not think it is the job of the US to dictate the laws of another country. If that country chooses not set standards it is their fault, not ours, for exploiting their ignorance. It is not our job to police or mommy the world.
On the same not though Joe is pathetic and cannot be a decent human, if I were you I would not block him though. Letting him talk is allowing him to create his own noose of which to hang himself, eventually. Eventually blogster will be forced to do something about him. He will only get uglier as the debate gets more heated and eventually blogster will have to get rid of him based on their own terms of service.
Sir robburton it was interesting to see you talk about something other than the classes here! I was waiting to get to know you1 Keep talking! YAY!
JR,
not that you deserve any of my time, but FYI i actually have a wonderful father who taught me kindess and tactfulness, something you apparently missed out on. If you think that insulting someone (especially a young girl) is the way to get ahead in life, than you should really reconsider your ideals. please stop posting such hateful things and think about how you are portraying yourself. Im sure youre not as mean as youre making yourself out to be, and I hope this isn't the example you would want to set for your children. thanks.