GLOBALIZATION

“Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology.” In other words, globalization is a worldwide movement towards economic, trade and communication embodiment. Globalization affects everyone in the whole world in one way or another, and it brings us to a common place of interest and links us together.

The video clip “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As3pWXoq_as” gave some examples of wide spread globalization. I loved the stop motion video, especially the zoom out and back on the world. Technology is a huge part of our ever changing society. The first personal computer came out in 1981 by IBM. Can you imagine life without your smart phone and tablet? How would we BLOG?? Another example used in the video was McDonalds. McDonalds has spread worldwide with over 34,000 restaurants in 118 countries. Did you know that McDonald’s opened its first franchise in 1955? That is less than 60 years ago! McDonalds now serves 1% of the world population daily. But globalization is more than technology and a fast food chain; we see it in our currency, our media, our trading, and government policies.

I looked up globalization in the thesaurus and it gave me five words, but two of those words really stuck out, Growth and Development. The world is ever changing, nothing is statue quo, and if we are to keep up in it we have to have knowledge of the international innovations that are beyond our traditions.

Globalization does have pros and cons. An example of a con would be exploitation of child labor to get the prices so low that no one can beat it; where a pro may include the fact that socially we have become more open and tolerant towards each other, and people who live in the other part of the world are not considered aliens. Those are just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Globalization is here to stay.

Cultural Awareness

Although I had never seen it before, culture is often compared to an iceberg. The Iceberg Model of Culture shows cultural aspects that are more obvious at the "tip" and things that may not be as apparent below the surface. The more visible characteristics of one culture might include the flag, language, holidays, music and arts. It is important to remember that what lies beneath the surface, even though less visible, plays an important role in the characteristics we do see. One example used in the article was religious beliefs influence on holiday customs. We have to dig into the "why" under the surface to fully understand, and more importantly, appreciate the diversity of our world.

My perception of the Scottish/Irish/Celtic man would be Mel Gibson in Braveheart. I think Warrior!! I could actually go further by saying, I think whiskey drinking, less disciplined warrior; but, fierce fighter all the same. However, as I become aware of the facts I see that Celtics are more than fighter or bagpipe players. They were farmers, musicians, loyal family men and so much more. In order for my cultural awakening to take place I must understand the Four Degrees of Cultural Awareness; Parochial Culture Stage, Ethnocentric Culture Stage, Synergistic Culture Stage, and Participatory Third Culture Stage.

The Parochial Culture Stage would be described as one who thinks everyone everywhere does things just like they do. The Ethnocentric Culture Stage acknowledges others have different ways, but believes their way is just better than anyone else. The Synergistic Culture Stage people are aware of the differences in culture and are willing to do what is best for the situation. People in this stage realize that diversity is helpful.
The Participatory Third  Culture Stage brings different cultures together to create a new shared culture.

It is my opinion, the best stage for me while traveling abroad is the Synergistic Culture Stage. I feel I want to treasure my own customs, beliefs, and traditions while having the opportunity to experience that of a different country. The fact that the other country was home to my ancestors makes it even more important for me to see and learn.