Globalisation

DEHUMANIZING EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION

An Indian shaving with a Gillette Mach 3, putting on his Pepe jeans, dancing to the song of Michael Jackson, moving around in his Mercedes, supersizing his burger at Mcdonald's and entering a theatre to watch a James Bond movie. A phenomenon that would have been just a dream, a few years back. The word "Globalization" has made this possible.

The definition of globalization is essentially that because of technology, people around the world can now interact faster and less expensively than ever before.

However there exist dark realities behind this much coveted phenomenon. For the same reason, globalization has today become a major sort of debate among academicians, policy makers and NGOs. Despite the continuing emphasis on promoting global prosperity and achieving a more "just world," negative aspects of globalization remain rife in our globe. Poverties, inequalities, injustices, starvations, backwards and marginalization are all serious problems many societies are still experiencing. The very idea of globalization, like many intractable conflicts, tends to overwhelm people.

Instruments of Globalization

Before understanding the reasons behind why this phenomenon has brought with it so many problems, we need to have a look at the instruments by which globalization is being promoted and enhanced. The most important and predominant instruments influencing this process are the multinational corporations and the new revolution of information technology.

Ð'* Multinational corporations are main instruments of globalization. They possess huge capitals and assets. As profit maximizers, they establish their factors in many developing countries where cheap workers and raw materials are found. Because of their size and their contributions to national economies in terms of taxes and employments, they influence decision-making processes in these countries. Once established, hardly any mechanism exists that prevents them from going to the extreme and exploiting these dependent nations in various sophisticated ways. These nations do not has the ability to stop them from withdrawing their investments or moving their capitals from country to another whenever it is in their advantage to do so. Their activities usually leave serious effects on many host economies sometimes leading to civil unrests.

Ð'* New Information Technology, which is a product of the industrial revolution, is another instrument of globalization. It has helped to minimize distance dilemmas and help the world connect in ways which were never known before. Unfortunately due to economic constraints, the benefits of the same are availed and limited to only some rich advanced nations and the poor nations are hardly benefiting from this revolution.

Dehumanizing Effects of Globalization:

While there are many positive aspects of globalization, its negative effects are Ð''overwhelming' and Ð''far reaching'. In fact the effects of the same behave like slow poison which is why it becomes more important to recognize and stop the negatives. This can be explained as follows:

1. Globalization and culture:

Globalization represents a challenge to cultures and local languages. Globalization needs to be pursued with tolerance and respect for the cultures that we come across. Being hastily judgmental could lead to marginalizing many local cultures. Scientific and economic superiority of the US and the flow of information technology assist in imposing certain languages in particular English as a second language in some developing and developed countries, and as a first language in some others and this could have a significant impact on cultures resulting in the dilution if not wiping out traditions, customs, and values of many societies and marginalizes their cultures.

2. Globalization and developing countries:

Globalization has serious effects on many developing countries:

a. The irresponsible behavior of some multinational corporations toward the environment of developing countries (using these countries as a safe haven) participating in this phenomenon could cause much harm to the latter. Due to lenient policing, expired products are dangerously marketed and natural surroundings are carelessly abused. So globalization in this context changes the world to become a "global pillage instead of being a global village". Besides due to lack of supervisory governmental bodies, such behaviour could also lead to Global Warming Ð'-the consequences of which will not be limited only to the marginalized nations.

b. The real test to globalization is through its success in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor at local, national and global levels. However the widening gap between the East and the West at international level, and between haves and have-nots at national level is another serious aspect of globalization.

c. Globalization has forced many countries in various parts of this world to regulate to a lower league the most fundamental needs of their peoples. The equitable distribution of food, adequate health care facilities, and the quality of education are no longer priority concerns the political agendas of the governments in these countries.

All these indicate that poor societies in the third world not only remain far away from benefiting from globalization, but also they continue to suffer from its calamities, pitfalls and misfortunes. It then contributes to laying the foundation of injustices and social inequalities, and moreover preventing the growth of new markets in these countries because they are unable to compete with the advanced markets.

3. Globalization and morals

The immoral character of globalization is becoming even more serious and its negative impacts in this context have different aspects.

Globalization has internationalized crimes. Drug trafficking and the trafficking of women and children have become much more difficult to control because of their international character. Not only crimes are globalized, but also diseases such as AIDS. Pornography too accounts for the poisoning of young minds and counter productive usage of technology. This has lead to increase in crimes against women and beginning of unhealthy trends in society.

4. Globalization and international politics:

By increasing interdependence among countries, globalization would give economically strong and advanced countries a strong hold on international politics. However