Conclusion

We live in a very dangerous, dirty, and sometimes deadly world, however it is also a world filled with hope, beauty, peace, and countless possibilities for good. In this unit we have discovered how we as a society and as individuals can effect the world and influence globalization for a better world. The key to doing this is to raise the awareness levels of people worldwide so that we can actively work for change. This requires cooperation from all nationalities, races, and cultures, which can together unite governments, businesses and the civil society; and with this unity will come peace, peace for all peoples and there can be a free society where Americans, (both North and South) Africans, Europeans, and Asians can peacefully work together in unity and brotherhood to repair the damages of the past and a future of freedom.

Active Awareness

In order to affect change we have learned that we must increase our awareness, but this is not enough we then have the obligation to act upon our knowledge to help others and ourselves. There are many ways we can be active, we can join organization that are fighting for a just cause like NGO's and add our voice to many others which gives more power. Another way we can actively be involved is through our consumer choices. If for example we choose not to purchase items that have been made where people were receiving low wages, or work in terrible or even dangerous conditions, or where basic human rights are being denied; then we can change these conditions for these people simply by choosing a different item to purchase. Decisions like these ultimately lead to major business decisions which can be beneficial to both humans and the environment.

Global Citizens

In this rapidly globalizing world a type of status, global citizenship is evolving around the world and these people will have the largest effect on the course globalization takes. To become a global citizen we have to constantly be aware of current issues in order that that you can influence a change in the unjust policies of both the governments and transnational corporations. The only way to create a genuinely free society is for complete cooperation from all nations, religions, and races in the single cause of a better world.

My Stand on our Response to Globalization

Throughout this unit I have discovered many aspects of globalization and how it effects myself and others, and I have come to the conclusion that we as a society cannot stand idly by, but that we our effect on globalization has to be a large. Globalization affects society imensly in many ways both good and bad, and it would seem that for the most part there are many more negative effects of globalization than the positive effects. If this cycle is to be reversed then people around the world need to be aware of the myriad of situations so that together we may take a stand to control globalization and our futures.

The Three Contributors of Globalization

Three major groupings have the power and voice to affect the direction of globalization and these are: business, government, and civil society. The first two groups we have discussed in quite detail in the past couple entries, however the third group, civil society, is a rather newly formed group. This group is to which the majority of the population of the world belongs to and is the group that ordinary people can control. Organizations such as NGO's, community groups, universities etc. are the dominant voices of civil society, but they allow an opportunity for you and I to help influence the path of globalization in the future.

Oil Sands

Today's age of globalization is run on electricity which is generally made from fossil fuels for example; oil and natural gas. Many other technology's rely on oil and natural gas as well, like automobiles and heating our houses. Electricity production and automotive are two of the largest and most lucrative industries in the world, which means competition for oil is extremely and blood is often shed in obtaining it (Iraq, Sudan, U.S., Britain, and many other countries have gone to war). As well as the loss of lives the process of obtaining the oil destroys large areas of natural environment. The huge demand for oil has caused many problems and so far not many solutions have been found, but it is definitely an area of globalization that effects all of us so in turn we need to effect it and how it will shape the future.

Global Communities

We all live in communities however large or small it is and this community can be a physical, geographical location or a group of people with similar interests. These communities have a large impact on our lives and experiences and as we grow our communities often grow as well, as we meet more people around the world and expand our interests. Immigration is a major component of the expanding of our communities, many people move in or out of our physical areas from many nations around the world and through this process our communitys grow. As the people move in or out of our areas we also have the opportunity to experience other cultures and our communitys become much more diverse.

Global Awareness

The only way to effect change is to raise awareness levels so that people will be aware of the current issues so that something can be done about it. We have experienced countless times where change came about because of increased awareness levels. The developed countries of the world are generally democratic societies in which only the voice of the people can bring about change and force our elected governments to be reponsible to their obligations take action. In this way we can all have a part in changing the world for the better.

Foreign Debt

Another aspect that effects human rights and quality of life is foreign debt and the impact it has on countries around the world. Many developing countries receive large loans that are used for a variety of things; unfortunately most of the money from of the money from these loans is lost to government facilities and higher officials corrupt pockets, and little to none is actually used for the betterment of the population. There are several exceptions that try to expand infrastructure and the economy but fail to pay off the debt and enter a viscious cycle. These countries need our aid to break them from this cycle so that they can take the next step and become a developed rich nation.

Labour Standards and Fair Trade

As I have discussed in the past few posts there are people around the world who are being taken advantage of and are denied many basic human rights. This is espescially true in labour, there are many instances where people are abused by their working conditions, employers, and pay. Unfortunately there are very few international labour laws that are difficult to enforce and therefore are generally ignored. However lately there have been many improvements in this area and as more people are made aware of the situation change is coming about and more people are being heard and assisted. One of these improvements is a practice called fair-trade; this type of trade gives more money to the growers and producers of items, particularly clothing and food. This works as a result of more direct trade so that there is less handling of the productsand therefore a bigger "piece of pie" for the producers. These types of innovations are beneficial to everyone and assist greatly in a better standard of living for the often overlooked producers of the products.

The Gender Gap

Around the world, women generally have a lot less rights than men espescially when it comes to jobs. In Alberta for example there are very few oppurtunities for women to become the heads of businesses or even on the board of directors, although there are many qualified women that would contribute to these positions there are just severly limited oppurtunities for them to do so. There are many other such instances around the world where women chances for work are very limited and although it is continually getting better the improvements are extremely slow and don't affect much. No women should be prejudiced because of gender, and something has to change so that there can be full gender equality, the rate of improvement has to be increased and more need to be aware of the problem so that they can influence a change.

Freedom of Speech

A very basic but very vital human right is the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. There have been many disasters throughout history that could have been avoided had this right been obtained and used. This right is readily available to us in Canada and the U.S. yet there most countries in the world do not allow their citizens the freedom of speech. Even developed nations such as Russia and China do not have this right and 42 out of 48 nations in Africa have democratic elections, but because this cruial right of a free press is not enjoyed by those popultions they do not truly enjoy democracy.

Human Trafficking

A sad reality in this world is the fact that many humans around the world in every nation are being sold into slavery and most of these people are rather young. These people are usually refugees and/or impoverished are being tricked, exploited, or sold into slavery, or into the sex trade. This absolutely disgusting, revolting international crime is yet another reason that people around the world have to stand up for their right and for the rights of others. Governments have an obligation and a responsibility to protect their citizens wherever they are. We who live in truly democratic nations have to force our governments to honour those obligations and to assist other governments to do likewise in order to rid the world of the horrible reality of human trafficking.

Insuring Human Rights For All

An extremely important aspect of the insurance of human rights for each person, are the pieces of legislation that dictate those rights and insure that they are available and enforced. These works such as the U.S. Bill of Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights; have gained international acclaim and have set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Making the governments responsible for the enforcement of these rights is critical in guaranteeing basic human rights are available for all people and for future generations.

Human Rights

I believe that we as a society have the responsibility to ensure equal and fair rights for every person on this planet. If we don't who else will? It is up to us who live in the developed areas of the world to insist that our rights are respected and to assist those people in other underdeveloped nations to gain those inalienable rights. Many of these rights can be found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is put out by the United Nations. It is an incredible document that outlines the reponsibilities of "the State", ourselves, and society as a whole.

Introduction: To what extent should I, as a citizen respond to globalization

We live in a world today that is affected by all aspects of globalization and so the question arises "Should we be affected by globalization, or should we affect globalization's path in the future?" Globalization is here for good now so we have to figure we are going to do on an international, national, and personal level. I personally am not sure now what I can do about it now but through the course of this unit I hope to be able to take a stand with globalization.