Christian's Definition of Globalization: Globalization is a driving force connecting the world through ideas and economies.
Should I embrace globalization? In my opinion, yes. To me, it has allowed development economically and technologically. It has provided prosperity for many, though not all, something that will with global contribution be solved in the future.
Response Question: To what extent should I, as a global citizen, respond to globalization?
Topic #1: How has globalization shaped human rights and democracy?
Human rights are universal guaranteed rights that covers a persons needs. An example would be the right to clean water. It's something that everyone needs and should have access to. Human rights apply to everyone, not discriminating against certain peoples based on their race, sex, religion, etc. What rights are human rights varies between cultures and places, what doesn't change is that those rights deemed "human rights" cannot be taken away. They are "inalienable".
Human rights trace back to ancient history, although back then, the list of rights was much smaller and did not apply to everyone. For example in Athens, Greece, every adult male could vote, and participate in democratic debates. This leaves out groups such as women from voting but is one the first examples of democracy and individual freedom. An important aspect that would later define western government and society. One of the very first examples of human rights occurred in 6th century BCE in what is now Iraq. When Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon he let the citizens continue to practice their own religion, even going as far to restore temples previously destroyed. This was recorded on an object called the "Cyrus Cylinder".
The rise of the European middle class saw the rise of individualistic values such as individual freedom. This paved the way for a democratic system of government, similar to that seen in ancient Greece. The democratic system works well with individual human rights because they both have their roots in individual freedom. The democratic system would later become the dominant system of government in the 21st century, beating out communism. In 1948 the United Nations created the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights. It details 30 articles relating to human rights. These 30 articles have been decided by the U.N, and voted for by 48 countries.
In my opinion globalization has had a positive effect on human rights movements around the world. The less fortunate in global south countries are helped by foreign aid (a result of globalization), and had the communications technology to reach out to people to make change happen.
Topic #2: How has global awareness affected quality of life?
Global awareness is a direct result of globalization. Because of the interconnectedness between one another info can be shared and published freely. The internet is one of the most revolutionary inventions in history. It allows for instant communication throughout the world, and access to a wealth of knowledge that can educate. Having the world connected through the internet has encouraged people to take a stand on certain issues. With gender issues for example, people are able to spread their ideas and organize protests and other such events. With the internet and increased awareness it has allowed communities to exist surrounding these issues. These communities use the internet to write blogs and share ideas with one another.
In the context of labour issues. Having aware and educated citizens has lead to concern over labour standards. In developing countries labour standards are poor. With aware citizens they will recognize that some of the products they consume have been created at the expense of workers in developing countries. Hopefully they will reject the products and voice their concerns over the internet for others to hear.
When citizens became aware of the poor business practices used by Nike and other corporations using sweat shops they protested. The business practice gave very little back to the workers producing the goods. The workers quality of life was low compared to that of the consumers. Due to the protests, efforts have been made to eliminate the harmful practice of sweat shops. Many organizations have exposed corrupt governments and human rights abuses in countries. Educating citizens.
My opinion on economic globalization (which mainly affects standards of living and quality of life) is not so one dimensional. Globalization has positively affected the economies (and as a result S.O.L Q.O.L) of some countries, such as the U.S. Developing countries have been less fortunate mainly being exploited by transnational corporations for cheap labour.
Topic #3: How do global connections affect people?
With global trade and commerce communities have been affected in certain ways. One way is that transnational corporations have undercut local business and retailers through cheap prices using economies of scale. There is however a different viewpoint. Despite the lack of local commerce global trade has stimulated economies, resulting in growth and development.
Globalization and specifically, the internet. Has provided the opportunity for users on the internet to join together creating virtual communities. These communities have people who have never seen one another in real life, but share interests and talk with one another.
Quality of life and health are affected heavily by globalization. The greatest factor being the spread of knowledge on how to treat illness, deal with outbreaks, etc. This share of knowledge has resulted in vaccines and other pharmaceuticals being produced internationally. This has positively affected the general health of people across the globe. On the other, more negative side of things. From globalization has come the hyper competitive global market, striving to lower prices for consumers while lowering production costs. As you might imagine, corporations have sought out poorer, developing countries with a lack of labour standards. Allowing for the corporation to pay less to workers, making shifts longer, and disregarding safety concerns. This undermines the health of the population as they face far more danger working then from sickness and disease.
Awareness in populations has lead to protests and other calls for change in many countries. Such is the case with Chinese protesters calling for a governmental change to put into place a democratic system. Didn't end well for the citizens.
Topic #4: To what extent should I embrace global citizenship?
Global Citizenship by Christian Schwemler: A person that acts is accountable for their actions, supports global efforts, and respects everyone. Nobody is born a global citizen, they have to consciously accept their responsibilities and act accordingly. Global citizens work together to solve global issues, and work to ensure sustainability globally.
Global citizenship is something that I believe should be adopted by as many people as possible. It only does good by allowing people to put aside their differences and work together to solve global issues such as poverty.
Should I embrace globalization? In my opinion, yes. To me, it has allowed development economically and technologically. It has provided prosperity for many, though not all, something that will with global contribution be solved in the future.
Response Question: To what extent should I, as a global citizen, respond to globalization?
Topic #1: How has globalization shaped human rights and democracy?
Human rights are universal guaranteed rights that covers a persons needs. An example would be the right to clean water. It's something that everyone needs and should have access to. Human rights apply to everyone, not discriminating against certain peoples based on their race, sex, religion, etc. What rights are human rights varies between cultures and places, what doesn't change is that those rights deemed "human rights" cannot be taken away. They are "inalienable".
Human rights trace back to ancient history, although back then, the list of rights was much smaller and did not apply to everyone. For example in Athens, Greece, every adult male could vote, and participate in democratic debates. This leaves out groups such as women from voting but is one the first examples of democracy and individual freedom. An important aspect that would later define western government and society. One of the very first examples of human rights occurred in 6th century BCE in what is now Iraq. When Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon he let the citizens continue to practice their own religion, even going as far to restore temples previously destroyed. This was recorded on an object called the "Cyrus Cylinder".
The rise of the European middle class saw the rise of individualistic values such as individual freedom. This paved the way for a democratic system of government, similar to that seen in ancient Greece. The democratic system works well with individual human rights because they both have their roots in individual freedom. The democratic system would later become the dominant system of government in the 21st century, beating out communism. In 1948 the United Nations created the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights. It details 30 articles relating to human rights. These 30 articles have been decided by the U.N, and voted for by 48 countries.
In my opinion globalization has had a positive effect on human rights movements around the world. The less fortunate in global south countries are helped by foreign aid (a result of globalization), and had the communications technology to reach out to people to make change happen.
Topic #2: How has global awareness affected quality of life?
Global awareness is a direct result of globalization. Because of the interconnectedness between one another info can be shared and published freely. The internet is one of the most revolutionary inventions in history. It allows for instant communication throughout the world, and access to a wealth of knowledge that can educate. Having the world connected through the internet has encouraged people to take a stand on certain issues. With gender issues for example, people are able to spread their ideas and organize protests and other such events. With the internet and increased awareness it has allowed communities to exist surrounding these issues. These communities use the internet to write blogs and share ideas with one another.
In the context of labour issues. Having aware and educated citizens has lead to concern over labour standards. In developing countries labour standards are poor. With aware citizens they will recognize that some of the products they consume have been created at the expense of workers in developing countries. Hopefully they will reject the products and voice their concerns over the internet for others to hear.
When citizens became aware of the poor business practices used by Nike and other corporations using sweat shops they protested. The business practice gave very little back to the workers producing the goods. The workers quality of life was low compared to that of the consumers. Due to the protests, efforts have been made to eliminate the harmful practice of sweat shops. Many organizations have exposed corrupt governments and human rights abuses in countries. Educating citizens.
My opinion on economic globalization (which mainly affects standards of living and quality of life) is not so one dimensional. Globalization has positively affected the economies (and as a result S.O.L Q.O.L) of some countries, such as the U.S. Developing countries have been less fortunate mainly being exploited by transnational corporations for cheap labour.
Topic #3: How do global connections affect people?
With global trade and commerce communities have been affected in certain ways. One way is that transnational corporations have undercut local business and retailers through cheap prices using economies of scale. There is however a different viewpoint. Despite the lack of local commerce global trade has stimulated economies, resulting in growth and development.
Globalization and specifically, the internet. Has provided the opportunity for users on the internet to join together creating virtual communities. These communities have people who have never seen one another in real life, but share interests and talk with one another.
Quality of life and health are affected heavily by globalization. The greatest factor being the spread of knowledge on how to treat illness, deal with outbreaks, etc. This share of knowledge has resulted in vaccines and other pharmaceuticals being produced internationally. This has positively affected the general health of people across the globe. On the other, more negative side of things. From globalization has come the hyper competitive global market, striving to lower prices for consumers while lowering production costs. As you might imagine, corporations have sought out poorer, developing countries with a lack of labour standards. Allowing for the corporation to pay less to workers, making shifts longer, and disregarding safety concerns. This undermines the health of the population as they face far more danger working then from sickness and disease.
Awareness in populations has lead to protests and other calls for change in many countries. Such is the case with Chinese protesters calling for a governmental change to put into place a democratic system. Didn't end well for the citizens.
Topic #4: To what extent should I embrace global citizenship?
Global Citizenship by Christian Schwemler: A person that acts is accountable for their actions, supports global efforts, and respects everyone. Nobody is born a global citizen, they have to consciously accept their responsibilities and act accordingly. Global citizens work together to solve global issues, and work to ensure sustainability globally.
Global citizenship is something that I believe should be adopted by as many people as possible. It only does good by allowing people to put aside their differences and work together to solve global issues such as poverty.