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Topic of the Week: Globalization
Topic Started: Jul 1 2015, 12:49 PM (56 Views)
Larsland
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Off the back of a certain gay marriage court ruling, we can talk about that I guess...

But let's talk about something that I think will be way more contentious! Globalization is all about how we're all coming closer together. On the good side, we have more trade, and as a result, more stuff. On the bad side, labor markets are disrupted, and a globalized economy can create things like recessions that are outside of the control of the government. This loss of control is seen as un-democratic. The most contentious impact is usually on culture, as opposed to economics or politics however. Is a multicultural society better, or a closed-off, monocultural society? And does that outweigh the other costs and benefits of globalization?

What do you think?
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Electus Dei
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Hmm... so? It's happening whether we like it or not, especially in today's age. BUT Gay marriage, now I can argue about that!
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Triodard and Florard
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Sure, it's happening, and I don't think it can really be avoided. But that's no reason not to talk about its implications and effects. For example, it's a certainty that one day the Sun will die, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss it because it's inevitable.

Personally, based on the limited knowledge I have on the subject, globalization is a really mixed bag. However, I am more willing to speak on multiculturalism and its effects. On a case by case basis, there have been good and bad examples of multiculturalism. For example, where I live - Dearborn - has a very large Arabic population. For the most part, this doesn't have a big negative effect within the community because you simply can't avoid something like passing by women in hijabs or signs in Arabic and English advertising halal products, and eventually the vast majority of non-Arabic people come to conclusion that the immigrants, in fact, are not evil terrorists or a danger to America. Naturally there are stereotypes and prejudices, but even within a monocultural society you have stereotypes and prejudices along different lines, like sex, career, or hobbies. A positive effect of this multiculturalism is that people get an example of Muslims beyond what they see in the news, many people are bilingual, and we have some great foods. All in all, a great example of multiculturalism.

Multiculturalism can have many negative effects as well, especially when different cultures are within the same borders but do not come into contact with each other very often, such as in Iraq. I'm sure you all know the situation there, so I won't go into much detail on it.

I think the key to successful multiculturalism is actually experiencing people from other cultures as actual people. When your only vision of another culture is the one portrayed by stereotypes or the media, it's easy to fall into the trap of prejudice. However, it's much harder to hate someone or something you've seen face to face and can relate to.
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Antonia and Brookwood
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About gay marriage, it was the best possible choice done in the worst possible way.

Anyway, I think globalization is beneficial as it allows countries to truly succeed at what they are good at on a worldwide level, allowing others to do the same. It also creates a more open minded society in the ways of culture and ideas. A golden example of an idea being spread to another place allowing an economy to thrive is Hong Kong, one of Asia's richest cities/city-states.
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Larsland
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Hey T&F - you live in Dearborn!? I know a guy who lives just outside of Dearborn. I argued with him recently about whether the Arabs there are radical terrorists. Are there a lot of radicals there? And if so, would you say they became radicalized by Dearborn?
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Electus Dei
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Dearborn? And what view is that?
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Larsland
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Dearborn is a place in the USA.
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Triodard and Florard
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I have never met a radical here, but I'm sure they exist. Most of the Muslims I know are perfectly normal people, and the most extreme thing they do is wear a hijab. I don't know any statistics for how many Muslims here are radicals, but seeing as I've never heard of any religiously motivated violence in Dearborn I'd imagine, even if they are radical, their bark is worse than their bite.

Not to mention I don't speak Arabic, so for all I know they're planning the next big attack at the grocery store.

I think a good example of this is when a southern preacher, Pastor Jones I think his name was, came to Dearborn and staged a protest against the Islamic population. He was saying that we were under Sharia Law or some other complete nonsense. There were peaceful counter-demonstrations, but that was it.

If by radical you mean fundamentalist, then yes, there is a large fundamentalist crowd. It's not uncommon to see women covered head to toe, and most of the Muslim population partakes in Ramadan, which takes a lot of commitment. For those of you that don't know, it's basically a period that lasts for a month where you cannot eat or drink anything, including water, from sunrise to sunset. I know I could never do it. But it really isn't dangerous to "outsiders." You could always argue that it is oppressive towards women, and I'd agree with you that a lot of the time it is, but I'm not sure you could call it radical.

Really it's no worse than how radical Christians can get in some other parts of the country. If I went into a public place and yelled, "Allah is not the true God!" I'd probably get cursed out and possibly even have something thrown at me, but imagine if you said "Allah is the one true God!" in public pretty much anywhere else in the US? The Muslim population is far from perfect, but they aren't as bad as a lot of people think them to be.
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