Debate over globalisation Essay Example for Free

Debate over globalisation Essay Currently in international circles there is a great debate over globalisation and whether it is a force for good or bad. The statement oversimplifies the matter, of course. But the issue of globalisation and our collective response to it promises to define who prospers and who does not well into the 21st century. Globalisation has positive and negative aspects. On top of its positive aspects comes the tremendous development of new information and communication technology, triggers in economic growth through increased trade and job creation around the world. This economical growth can be illustrated by the fact that the world real GDP grew from US$2 trillion to US$28 trillion, which means an increase of 1400%. On a per capita basis, this means an increase of US$614 to US$4908, an increase of about 800%. The quality of life in developed countries has increased However, anti-globalisation supporters affirm that although there was an economical growth, this was not well distributed throughout society, and that over the past 150 years, the rich countries are developing at a faster rate than the poor countries, increasing the difference between them. This happens because dealing with globalisation in a capitalist society, there will always be winners and losers. The winners will be the nations which have more skill, technology, information, power and money, whilst the losers will be the poor countries, which export primarily goods and rely on the rich countries to obtain technology and manufactured goods. As a term, globalisation means different things to different people. To some, it is a purely economic trend, the result of the market system unleashed on a worldwide scale, a century-long process that has now been vastly accelerated by the fall of Communism and the relaxation of other restrictive economic practices. As has the impact and growth of globalisation changed, so has its meaning during the last decades. But what is certain is that globalisation is not something of today or yesterday. Among the so many given definitions, Martin Wolf defines globalisation as a â€Å"journey, but toward an unreachable destination, the globalised world. A globalised economy in which, neither distance nor national borders impede economic transactions. A world where the cost of transport and communication were zero and the barriers created by differing national jurisdictions had vanished†. (Wolf, 2001: 178). But globalisation is a very wide notion, which embraces the social, cultural, and political interdependency of states. Globalisation refers also to the integration and interaction between different people and nations. Take the European Union as an example, where the member states share the same democratic values and norms, or the convergence and similarities of the constitutions of the member states, which could lead to a European law or constitution. To others, it defines the ever widening process of international interchange and interconnection that can be witnessed in so many aspects of life, whether the casual observation that top musical artists draw increasingly on other cultures for their melodies and rhythms, the news that former enemies are now participating in joint peacekeeping missions, or the realisation that there are suddenly many more foreign faces and accents in your hometown than before. No matter what the definition, globalisation is dynamic and real, causing numerous and often radical changes in all but the most remote places. Depending on your point of view, circumstance and prospects, the process can be seen as hugely positive or grossly negative. Those who defend globalisation say it is bringing prosperity to untold millions around the world, breaking down national and cultural barriers, and helping to speed the general process of peace-building. Critics say that the chaotic manner in which market forces have scaled up to the global level has unleashed a destructive whirlwind that treats workers callously, serves too often to further impoverish the poor at the expense of the rich, and wreaks vast amounts of environmental destruction. They say that its side effects are equally horrific, ranging from the spread of AIDS and drug abuse to the creation of a world monoculture that destroys local traditions and squelches diversity. At the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, nations of the world took note of this dualism: Globalization, which is a consequence of increased human mobility, enhanced communications, greatly increased trade and capital flows, and technological developments, opens new opportunities for sustained economic growth and development of the world economy, particularly in developing countries. Globalization also permits countries to share experiences and to learn from one anothers achievements and difficulties, and promotes a cross-fertilization of ideals, cultural values and aspirations. At the same time, the rapid processes of change and adjustment have been accompanied by intensified poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. Threats to human well-being, such as environmental risks, have also been globalized. Inasmuch as the pain caused by some aspects of globalisation is undeniable, the real issue is whether the negative effects of its sweeping processes can be ameliorated and the positive effects enhanced. Because in the opinions of some, the forward march of globalisation is unstoppable. The notion concept of sovereignty refers to the three-fold capacity of a state, which is the â€Å"absolute supremacy over internal affairs within its territory, absolute right to govern its people, and freedom from any external interference in the above matters† (Wang, 2004: 473). So a state is sovereign if it has the ability to make and implement laws within its territory, and can function without any external power and assistance, and doesn’t acknowledges any higher authority above itself in the world of independent states. From the above definition one can draw the conclusion that either a state can b e sovereign or not, since sovereignty is defined as the absolute supremacy and right of the government in a given state. A realist like Steven D.Krasner agrees on the collapsing autonomy of states but deny the impact of globalisation on nation state, which could possibly lead to the death of state sovereignty. He argues, â€Å"Those who proclaim the death of sovereignty misread the history. The nation state has a keen instinct for survival and has so far adapted to new challenges, even the challenge of globalization† (Krasner, 2001: 20). He also argues that globalisation is not a new challenge or phenomena. Viewed from a criminological point, â€Å"the perceived normality of high crime rates, together with thee widely acknowledged limitations of criminal justice agencies, have begun to erode one of the foundational myths of modern societies: namely, the myth that the sovereign state is capable of providing security, law and order, crime control within its territorial boundaries† (Garland, 1996: 448). The notion of legitimate organized violence monopoly, which is of great importance for the internal order as well as for the foreign accountability of a state, is challenged by the international criminality. Since states cannot provide security for their citizens and are not capa ble of guaranteeing internal order, one of the fundamental elements of state sovereignty is undermined and questioned. The negative effects of globalisation can be softened only through new and higher levels of international cooperation and consultation, filtered through a new system of moral values that puts human welfare and social justice ahead of the predominantly materialistic paradigm currently in vogue. Call this global governance. Call it world government. But one way or the other, the forces of globalisation will require the creation of some sort of international super authority, one that can ensure that human rights and workers prerogatives are upheld, and that the environment is protected, as globalisation proceeds. Another factor that is observed is that the number of poor people (people living with less than US$1 per day) has increased, and reached almost 1.2 billion people, which is almost one fifth of the world’s total population. This is partly caused by the increase in global population, but also due to the distribution of the money. The ratio of income between the worlds twen ty percent richest and twenty percent poorest has increased from 30:1 to 78:1. Many people also question the issue of globalisation creating more jobs when multinationals establish new factories in foreign countries. Their argument is that although more jobs are created, and that this reduces the unemployment, these jobs don’t require any skill and workers have very bad working conditions, working long hours and receiving little money. And as the workers have no other working options, and working in these factories is their only source of income, they can’t do anything else, but work to try to survive. Besides this, the unemployment levels are very high, which means that there is always someone available to substitute workers that aren’t happy with what they are being offered. These facts make us think in a way of making globalisation fairer, and giving developing countries the chance of benefiting more from it. So that this can happen, there are many things that need to be changed. First of all the development needs to be more focused on the people, and not only in financial reasons. Fairer rules and deeper partnerships should be done between developed and developing countries so they can have a mutually beneficial relationship. Also one of the most important things to ensure that nations can benefit the most from globalisation is that a powerful, democratic and more effective UN helps to control the spread and paths of globalisation. From this we can conclude that globalisation is one of the most important factors of the new century, and that it will continue spreading and growing all around the world, reaching the furthest corners of the planet. The question of whether it is good or bad can never be answered completely, and there isn’t a right or wrong answer, because there will always be good and bad sides to it. At present globalisation seems to be beneficial for some and detrimental to others. For globalisation to be beneficial to the majority depends on how it is treated and controlled. Globalisation could be very beneficial to society as a whole if managed correctly.

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Child Obesity Six through eleven year old obese children have increased from seven percent to eighteen percent, for children of twelve through nineteen the percentage has increased from five percent to eighteen as stated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm. In this new decade, fast, fatty, and sugary, food has become day to day life consumption in our society. America’s children are exposed to these foods and unfortunately take part in this diet because their providers present them with this unhealthy diet. Not only do they have an inadequate nutritious diet, but they also lack of physical activity. There are millions of children who need your help to not be in danger of a serious health problem and die. Child obesity is increasing rapidly in the United States. Let’s begin by addressing the problems that can occur among child obesity. The first problem is that children may not be able to meet all of their physical needs. Example of a fifteen month old weighing fifty five pounds, twenty...

Analyzing Countee Cullen’s poem “Incident”

The poem â€Å"Incident† (1925) is one Countee Cullen’s famous literary works which essentially narrates the experience of the speaker in Baltimore at a young age. Although Cullen is considered as Black, he did not want other people to refer to him as a Black poet but simply a poet for he believes that poetry is without race. In Countee Cullen’s poem, the speaker narrates the treatment the speaker received from a Baltimorean of almost the same age which reflects the idea that during those times discrimination based on color is evident. Being called a â€Å"Nigger† in the poem, the speaker attempts to emphasize the idea that the social atmosphere in Baltimore during those days was not conducive to Blacks. In analyzing the poem, I intend to use the structuralist frameworks of Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes. Although both are huge thinkers under the umbrella of semiology, there are apparent distinctions between the approaches taken by both philosophers. Moreover, these distinctions will help us look deeper into the poem from seemingly distinct point of views, thereby allowing the reader to acknowledge the fact that, under the helm of structuralism, there are structural relationships between concepts and that these relationships differ among various cultures or languages. Consequently, the theory asserts that these relationships can be explored and substantially exposed with an underlying purpose. In essence, the paper attempts to critically analyze Countee Cullen's poem â€Å"Incident† by using the structuralist theoretical frameworks of Roland Barthes and Ferdinand de Saussure. The analysis further attempts to elucidate several significant contentions embedded into the poem. Ferdinand de Saussure: signifier and signified Ferdinand de Saussure is the proponent of the dualistic notion of signs where he proposed the idea of signifier and signified. In essence, a signifier is the phrase uttered or the form of the word expressed while on the other hand a signified is a mental concept. Saussure further proposed that the signifier can be related to the signified or that there is a relationship between the two concepts. Distancing himself from the Platonic doctrine of the relationship between the signifier and the object it signifies, Saussure rather contended that there is no apparent or necessary connection between the sign and its presumed meaning. His contention rests on his presumption that the sign by nature is entirely arbitrary which corresponds to the idea that one can come up with a sign for a certain object yet there is no necessary or fixed connection between the signifier and its meaning for the reason that the sign is arbitrarily created. Perhaps Ferdinand de Saussure is also known for his claim that no word is inherently meaningful primarily because a word serves only as a signifier or as the representation of an object. Further, the signifier should be corroborated with the signified or the thing itself within the brain so as to create a meaning-imbued ‘sign'. Roland Barthes: bourgeois interrogations Roland Barthes can be credited for the claim that semiology is of substantial help in interrogating fragments of cultural material in order to reveal how the bourgeois society used these fragments of cultural material in order to assert the values of the bourgeois society upon other individuals. He explained that the ‘myths' created by the bourgeois society are mere significations or second-order signs such as the case where the portrayal of wine as a lively and healthy habit in the societies in France is an ideal perception of these bourgeois societies which, on the other hand, are contradicted by several realities such as the reality that wine can also be inebriating as well as unhealthy. Critical literary analysis In the first two lines of the poem, it can be noted that the speaker was traveling or, more precisely, â€Å"riding in old Baltimore† who appears to be happy that day. While riding, the speaker saw a Baltimorean kept on â€Å"looking straight† at the speaker. These first two lines give us the idea that there is a differing attitude of local Baltimoreans during those days towards Black people. At this point in the poem, it can be noted that a Black individual with a â€Å"heart-filled, head-filled with glee† is an ironic statement since Baltimore, Maryland has a history of Black slavery (Phillips 18). Hence, a Black individual roaming the locality of Baltimore with a cheerful countenance appears to strike the attention of those who have lived there and those who have an understanding of the historical context of the society. Hence, it is no surprise that the Baltimorean kept â€Å"looking straight† at the speaker. In the context of Saussure, the concept of â€Å"old Baltimore† may suggest the presumption that it may not necessarily be the case that the area of â€Å"Baltimore† is not to be taken strictly in the sense of being â€Å"old† in terms of age. Rather, there may still be other ‘meanings' which can be attached to it such as the concept of being ‘weak', ‘physically impaired', or ‘handicapped' in many different ways such as handicapped in terms of being able to provide the protection for its citizens or individuals who are situated in Baltimore. These are just a few of the possible meanings which can be attached to the concept of ‘old Baltimore'. Saussure opens several other possibilities other than what Cullen explicitly states in his poem. In essence, these first two lines indicate that the whole poem is open to several interpretations. The contention of structuralists can be juxtaposed with the reality during the time when the poem was written. Being a state that held slaves of which it was made legal prior to 1850 and where Blacks had a significant presence in the locality, the history of Baltimore and the larger state of Maryland encapsulates a significant degree of importance on the social roles and identity of blacks during those times. In the poem, the speaker highlights the fact that, although Blacks took an important role in the development of Baltimore historically speaking, treatment towards them from local people was still tainted with a discriminatory nature. Roland Barthes, for this matter, will contend that the concept of ‘old Baltimore' may reveal the idea that Baltimore is equivalent to that of a bourgeois society who maintained slavery as a common practice in order to sustain the perception that it is ideal in the promotion of the welfare of the whole society. In the second stanza of the poem, the speaker narrates his experience that time when he was â€Å"eight and very small†. Eventually, after noticing the Baltimorean who kept looking, the speaker â€Å"smiled† knowing that the Baltimorean â€Å"was no whit bigger†. The speaker, then, tried to highlight the idea that, while Blacks attempted to portray a cheerful countenance or at least a normal perception of their society that for once held their race as slaves, their society in return gave them a negative response. This is made evident in the last two lines in the second stanza of the poem where the Baltimorean â€Å"poked out his tongue† and called the speaker â€Å"Nigger† even though the speaker merely â€Å"smiled† at him. The act of poking out the tongue is a gesture that is commonly taken to mean as an unkind gesture, one that depicts sarcasm, mockery, or an insult towards one’s being. Moreover, for a child, the act of poking out the tongue towards somebody of almost the same age or size is an act that shows hatred, disgust, or ideas similar to that. Apparently, this observation reinforces the contention of Roland Barthes that, indeed, there is an underlying bourgeois precept lingering in Baltimore during those times. What is more striking is that the Baltimorean did not only make the gesture of poking out his tongue. He also called the speaker â€Å"Nigger† which, during those early days, translates into a form of mockery or insult. It highlights the idea that, by calling a person â€Å"Nigger†, that person is treated to be as someone who belongs to the lower levels of the larger society. And while Maryland is historically known to have made slavery legal back in the 1800s (Phillips 18), Black people would have been treated as lesser than being human beings. In essence, Barthes' contention of an underlying bourgeois precept in Baltimore during those days is easily seen in the poem. The system of slavery and the racial prejudice present the idea that these concepts are significations where, perhaps, the Baltimorean society altered the way in which the perceptions of races are viewed in order to favor the bias towards the white race and heighten the prejudice towards the Blacks. In the poem where the speaker is called by the Baltimorean as â€Å"Nigger†, one can note the idea that there is social segregation or the idea that there is the separation or delineation of Blacks from the rest of those who lived in the area. By suggesting the idea of social segregation, the poem attempts emphasize the separate treatment for Blacks, delegating them under a lower status and social indifference. It gives us the sense that, while there are perceived demarcations in social hierarchy at least in the context of Baltimore, Maryland, there remains the larger truth that slavery poses a great deal of role in this demarcation. Roland Barthes might very well agree with these contentions for the reason that the social indifference towards the Blacks is a result of the significations brought about by the individuals who hold the financial foundations for the means of building or maintaining the society. As a child of eight years, the psychological effects of the experience of being called a â€Å"Nigger† is emotionally or psychologically devastating which is the idea being presented in the last stanza (Piaget 81). In the third and final stanza, the speaker narrates that he was able to see and experience â€Å"the whole of Baltimore from May until December.† For some reason, the speaker went on to stay in Baltimore for almost seven months, lingering with various people in the place and experiencing many other things as a child of eight years. And during those seven months and â€Å"of all the things that happened there†, the speaker is only able to remember the day when he was given an indifferent treatment from the Baltimorean. Saussure may suggest the idea that the psychological impact of that experience which lingered for all those months, and even perhaps until the speaker grew older, is still open to further interpretation. When an individual is still able to remember every detail of an event or experience that transpired long ago, it might entail that the event or experience was unforgettable which was greatly absorbed into the memory of the person. It suggests the idea that being called a â€Å"Nigger† will not be forgotten. On the other hand, it might also entail that event being signified is relatively flexible in terms of interpretation such that the event experienced by the narrator will apparently be forgotten. In essence, what Saussure might suggest is the presumption that these events, including all of the signifiers and signified concepts and the relationships that appear to be involved, have no fixed meanings. These things are subject to human interpretation as the meanings of these things are not in any way fixed. Works Cited Cullen, Countee. â€Å"Incident.†Ã‚   Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse by Black Poets of the Twenties. New York, N.Y.: Citadel, 1993. 187. Phillips, Christopher. â€Å"Slavery and the Growth of Baltimore.†Ã‚   Freedom's Port: The African American Community of Baltimore, 1790-1860 (Blacks in the New World). Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997. 18. Piaget, Jean. â€Å"Memory and the Structure of Imge-Memories.†Ã‚   The Psychology of the Child. New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, 2000. 81.   

Benefits And Benefits Of Membership Programs Essay

The use of membership programs is an international phenomenon and has been growing in the profit and non-profit sectors (Slater, 2005). Many organizations have utilized membership programs to encourage or facilitate interaction and collaboration with their current consumers, as well as to promote and recruit new ones. As important competitive marketing tools, tens of thousands of membership programs with millions of members exist in a variety of settings, including museums, galleries, zoological and botanical gardens, theaters, and other cultural heritage-related attractions, and at festivals and events (Klenosky, Oh, Panek, Luebke, 2008; Olsson, 2010; Slater, 2005). Memberships are based on the idea of mutual benefits of a relationship. 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