Globalization, Western Lifestyles, and Poverty

Globalization has allowed for a great deal of amazing, and at the same time terrible things to occur. Ideas, capital, and goods move with an ease previously unimaginable. New markets are opened up, and new resources made available. On the surface it seems that all benefit. People in one country can sell there natural resources, or their produced goods when previously they could not. In reality the system does not provide a mutually beneficial exchange. On paper millions have been raised out of "poverty," but is immigration to slums from rural villages really an escape from poverty? Huge super cities like Mumbai, Mexico City, Rio, and Dhaka have enormous slums. Where do theses slums come from? One argument is that conditions of loans to Third World governments from organizations like the IMF create them. How?
A loan is given with certain conditions. They give preferential treatment to foreign multinationals to have access to labor or resources. In return the elite of whatever country get huge loans to divy up as they see fit. This creates an economic boom of sorts. Governmental policies further encourage labor, or resource development. The governments of these countries have a vested interest in continuing to receive money. The new economic circumstances encourages, and at times forces people to move toward the jobs.
Labor: A large new population provides a very competitive market. Another condition of these loans is that hourly wages, or limits on hours in a work day are prohibited. This creates a perfect set of circumstances. If you own a multinational producing goods with unskilled labor. The newly urbanized rural populations have not choice, but to work wherever they can to survive. This enables companies to pay laborers nothing, and provide them with horrid conditions.


Granted the above description is very simplified, but I could write pages in more detail about it.


What does this have to do with me? Did you ever think how is it walmart is profitable? How can it cost five dollars for a pair of shoes that has been shipped by plane, train, and automobile all the way from China? It had to be shipped using how much fuel, coal, or other resource? How can this possible be profitable?

If you have to pay nothing, or next to nothing labor your profit margin looks pretty good.

If you buy an article of clothing, toy, electronic, or countless other goods think about it. Do I really need this? Do I need this toy knowing that it means a fellow human being suffered to make it? All that keeps the sweat shops going is the fact that the Western world buys stuff we do not need. Is having the newest I phone worth the fact that central African peasants had to mine for rare metals in unsafe conditions? Is a new set of shoes worth knowing a child had to work 16 hours at a machine instead of going to school?

It could all end tomorrow. All we have to do is stop buying stuff that will never make us happy in the first place.

Good post. This is very time appropriate as well seeing that Christmas has just ended. What's unfortunate is the mentality that tells us westerners that we gain value from stuff. I'm actually writing a book that deals with this. You're right, it could stop tomorrow, but before the purchasing of "free" goods ends, the mentality must. We must encourage our youth to understand exactly how they get all their stuff, in an effort to reduce consumerism. The more I attempt to talk to with my family and friends, the more I'm realizing how "gone" they are. What's Christmas without the presents? I need to buy you something for your birthday. This kind of thinking has to stop. We cannot relate success and love with crap.

It's funny you mention the new iphone. I went into a Verizon store trying to purchase a new battery for my four year old phone. I was told they didn't have the battery, and that my phone was "obsolete"! It blew me away. My phone works great! Just an example of how America has fallen. Does anyone know of any good documentaries about child labor, sweatshops, the process of how we get our $5 shoes?

Globalization is a bad thing, overall, I think. I fail to see how people who have survived for millennia with the same culture are poor. Like moving into a city slum is sooo much better.

We are still in a darwinian lifestyle sadly. Except it is no longer which species is to become number 1, now we have moved to which society will be.

Until technology allows for resources to be a non-issue, then this is simply a fact of life for the moment. It is not fair, but life at the moment isn't fair.

It is not fair for cows and chickens to be herded up for our food from a grander perspective, so you must stop caring about that aspect to move on.

One day in the future, when we have our replicators and free clean energy for all, we will look back and blindly judge previous generations as somehow barbaric because of this..but if they have their replicators and such ripped from them, and resources do again play a critical role in society survival, well, things will return back to survival of the fittest.

I feel bad for the rampant poverty and clear class warfare the world is at now, however, the only way this will be solved is not through laws or regulations..or prayer circles. It will be through advanced technological breakthroughs. Thats it.

Originally posted by gnosticquasar
Globalization is a bad thing, overall, I think. I fail to see how people who have survived for millennia with the same culture are poor. Like moving into a city slum is sooo much better.

Actually, western slums are far better than the standards of life for some 3rd world nations

in a ghetto, you get running water, electricity, police and fire services. You get food stamps, nearby soup kitchens, clothes, etc...
our poor live like kings to other 3rd world nation's poor.

There is a reason they are sending their kids to work...its not a slave camp, its a family pulling together to get food on the table and clean water...something us westerners take for granted

Due to this wonderful economy, I have stopped buying a long time ago, I am living in poverty, but it's ok I guess, I have no wife nor children.

In my impoverished state I see I have more than that little girl. It's a shame, the way the overseas companies hide their child labourers from the buyers.

I will not support foreign made products, I had stopped supporting foreign products a long time ago, it is the job exportation that I feel has lead to my poverty (well to be honest in reality it is my own fault, but situations are connected)

DaveakaRNG- I agree with you completely. We need to move past associated notions of self worth, and how much you love someone with objects. As long as you tie up how you think of yourself with what you have your gonna be introuble.


gnosticquasar-The difference in my experience in rural poverty, and slums in cities is psychological. Life is hard in the village don't get my wrong, but they have generations of experience there. They have the security and stability that comes with family, community, and history.

SaturnFX- I believe the technology is already here. We could solve all are woes if our political, economic, and social systems did not control the cost and availability of such technologies.

Originally posted by stephinrazin
Globalization has allowed for a great deal of amazing, and at the same time terrible things to occur.

Well, you realize that 'globalization' is just another way for man, or companies, to make more money.

What does this have to do with me? Did you ever think how is it walmart is profitable? How can it cost five dollars for a pair of shoes that has been shipped by plane, train, and automobile all the way from China? It had to be shipped using how much fuel, coal, or other resource? How can this possible be profitable?

If you have to pay nothing, or next to nothing labor your profit margin looks pretty good.

If you buy an article of clothing, toy, electronic, or countless other goods think about it. Do I really need this? Do I need this toy knowing that it means a fellow human being suffered to make it? All that keeps the sweat shops going is the fact that the Western world buys stuff we do not need. Is having the newest I phone worth the fact that central African peasants had to mine for rare metals in unsafe conditions? Is a new set of shoes worth knowing a child had to work 16 hours at a machine instead of going to school?

It could all end tomorrow. All we have to do is stop buying stuff that will never make us happy in the first place.

Ahh...the never ending quest for more 'profits'.
You see, this is just the beginning of understanding greed and why it will be the destruction of so many things.

To me, seeing all this 'globalization' just further proves my thought process when it comes to this world.
For some strange reason, man has an obsession with wealth.
It has built empires, and destroyed them.
But then again, I look at the conspiratory side of things and see that there is a plan for this world.
At least, the higher ups have plan.

I think the real question is, how much is enough?
To what cost will these people be happy?

The answer is never.
I guess there isn't enough money in the world to make these people happy.
By these people, I mean corporations, gov't, and elites.

The direction, it seems, is to make a one world economy...in order to acquire more wealth.
We are being bombarded with this 'globalization' by our own countries everyday.
As if its a good thing.

The only reason I think that globalization is a bad thing is pretty simple.
WE (the USA) can't even pay our own debts and protect our own borders...
So why spread ourselves even thinner by going 'global'?

It's all a plan.

Great thread.

reply to post by DaveakaRNG

Does anyone know of any good documentaries about child labor, sweatshops, the process of how we get our $5 shoes?

ihscslnews.org...
www.lizmichael.com...

VIDEOS
www.youtube.com...
video.google.com...

There are plenty more just google: china slave labor walmart

reply to post by stephinrazin


These are my two favorite articles on the IMF/World Bank SAPs

www.whirledbank.org...
www.thirdworldtraveler.com...

"Today I resigned from the staff of the International Monetary Fund after over 12 years, and after 1000 days of official fund work in the field, hawking your medicine and your bag of tricks to governments and to peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa. To me, resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind's eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers. It dries up too; it cakes all over me; sometimes I feel that there is not enough soap in the whole world to cleanse me from the things that I did do in your name and in the name of your predecessors, and under your official seal. "

With those words, Davison Budhoo, a senior economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for more than 12 years, publicly resigned in May, 1988.

John Perkins was a high up player in the game of dragging the third world into unfair loans with institutions to control their wealth.