Globalisation

Following the destruction of the Soviet Union, globalisation rocketed through the world. In a nutshell, globalisation is "the worldwide integration of humanity and the compression of both the temporal and spatial dimensions of planetwide human interaction." (Truman State University) In the world's current position, people around the globe are more connected and dependant on each other then ever before; information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all other parts of the world. People in Asia can dress and eat in the exact same manner as Europeans, and vice versa. Humankind have inflicted the phenomena Globalisation upon themselves, and it has now become what the name suggests, Global. Coca Cola and McDonalds being consumed in Bali is now a common sight, as is Levi's Jeans on Asian Legs. Toyota's are being driven in Amsterdam, and a Thai Takeaway is available in essentially every reasonably sized country in the world. International Travel is now daily, just like picking up your son from his Bagpipe lesson in Canada with your Mitsubishi car. And this matter is not only involving products, it involves cultures and religion. Buddhism is commonly seen being practiced in Western countries, where the religion people are brought up with is Christianity. Native American Dream-Catchers are not uncommon as ornaments in ordinary people's bedrooms, and we've reached a point where it seems that a country or culture can have nothing to themselves. However, is this all bad? Globalisation promotes multinational trade, which promotes competition between several companies, which eliminates monopoly, and at the end of the day, promotes global economy. This essay will compare and contrast the positive aspects of globalisation with the negative, hopefully providing a neutral overview of the situation we are currently in.

Although it may be true that Globalisation promotes multinational/international trade, this is not all good. Tens of millions of people worldwide have lost their jobs due to the competition from abroad, and still are. As a result, they are forced and at the same time lucky to find new jobs that both pay less and don't use the person's education optimally. This naturally has serious consequences on the personal economy of the fired people, and is a terrible waste of money, since the funding spent on education is rendered useless when the knowledge gained from the education is not put in proper use. The money is also wasted if the person working under his capacity makes less money than if he was if he was working at his full capacity, which has to be calculated as a loss, since money is lost relative to optimal circumstances. Because of the foreign competition, workers are commonly subject to lower pay, longer hours, and worse work conditions from their employers, since the company is falling behind because of the inability to compete against the foreign competition (Businessweek). Furthermore, the companies that spread by Globalization are far from good. One example would be McDonald's. McDonald's has become a synonym with low wages, advertising practices, deforestation, harvesting of animals, and promotion of junk food and an unhealthy diet, and have therefore been one of the most criticized companies by antiglobalists. McDonald's has been taken to court many times by activists, but the outcome hardly mattered