* The Debatewise Blog
How to win an argument (Part 2)
In part 1 we had a look at four problems of reasoning, stemming from generalisations and implications:(1) Destroying the exception - all swans are white... until you find a black one.
(2) Disregarding the exception - all surgeons are criminals cos they cut people up.
(3) Mistaking the direction of the arrow (confirming the consequent) - clouds mean it must be raining.
(4) Mistaking the meaning of the arrow (denying the antecedent) - no rain means there must be no clouds.
In this second part, we will be looking at some more ways to take down an argument; this time by identifying distraction techniques (even when your opponent wasn’t intending to distract).
-- Red Herrings
For some reason, the practice of strongly curing in brine and heavily smoking a kipper has lead to an idiom that means ‘a distraction’. This ‘red herring’ is also a logical fallacy and a debating tactic in which the respondent seeks to divert the opponent. When it’s not done on purpose, though, it’s called ignoratio elenchi. This roughly translates as ‘ignorance of refutation’, which in turn can be better expressed as ‘not understanding what response would correctly refute the argument’.
A ridiculous example might be:
Alice: “Monkeys are intelligent, because they can peel bananas.”
Bert: “You’re wrong, because whales live in the sea.”
Be careful of clever debaters who will employ subtle red herrings to avoid discussing difficulties in their arguments.
-- Scarecrows
Another way you might be duped by a devious debater is via a Straw Man. If you find that your opponent is attacking an argument that is superficially similar to yours, but not quite what you are saying, then they have built up a Straw Man and are attempting (maybe not on purpose) to follow this sort of reasoning:
(1) You present argument X.
(2) They, in what sounds like a refutation of your position, present argument Y that is superficially similar to your argument X, but isn’t the same.
(3) They show argument Y to be wrong in some way and so conclude that argument X is wrong in the same way.
So it looks like they’ve proved your argument wrong, when in fact they just made something up and proved that wrong instead.
Alice: “Monkeys are intelligent, because they can peel bananas.”
Bert: “Just because monkeys eat bananas doesn’t mean they’re intelligent. Bats, parrots, hamsters and mice all eat bananas - and they’re clearly not intelligent.”
-- Mistresses
Our final distraction technique is the loaded question. My favourite name for this fallacy (they all have many names) is the Fallacy of Many Questions. The famous complex question is “When did you stop beating your wife?” To answer this question, whether yes or no, is to implicitly admit to having a wife and having beaten her at some point.
There are three levels of complex question, two of them fallacious, but only one of them counts as a loaded question.
(1) Legitimately complex questions:
“Who is the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?”
To answer this question directly, you would be implicitly accepting that there was such a place as the UK and that it has a queen.
(2) Illegitimately complex questions:
“Who is the present King of France?”
To answer this question directly, you would be implicitly accepting that there was such a place as France and that it has a king - but it doesn’t. So this is a Fallacy of Many Questions.
(3) Controversially complex questions:
“Does your mistress live by herself or with your other wife?”
To answer this question directly, you would be implicitly accepting that that you have both a mistress and a second wife. Not wise. This is both a Fallacy of Many Questions and a loaded question.
The loaded question can be used as a distraction device, but watch out for the more general fallacy when people accidentally use illegitimately complex questions (i.e. ones with false assumptions).
-- Journalists
According to Wikipedia, the loaded question is often mistaken for Begging the Question. I’m not sure why. I think it might be because very few people seem to know what begging the question actually is. Please excuse what is about to be a mini-rant.
I just went to guardian.co.uk and typed into the search box ‘begs the question’. There were 1394 results. Here are the first six (with my italics).
“..hours of dull activity that requires their personal intervention. It begs the question: why do they do it?” (22 Aug)
“...where it conflicts with the "principles of Islam" (which of course begs the question of how the principles of Islam are to be determined)” (5 Aug)
“...by Francis Veber's 1998 French comedy Le Diner de Cons, begs the question – what has happened to mainstream US comedy? “ (2 Aug)
“Even more than most titles based on popular pastimes, it begs the question "why not try the real thing?” (1 Aug)
“That of course begs the question about whether it is strictly necessary...” (28 July)
“Research has shown that boards comprising a variety of people from different backgrounds and experiences are more effective. This also begs the question why the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, making key decisions about everyone's future, is all male?” (19 July)
I would put a lot of money on ninety nine per cent of “begs the question” on most UK newspaper websites being followed with what particular question is being begged. This is very, very, very wrong. What they mean is something like ‘implies the question’, ‘asks the question’, ‘raises the question’, ‘inspires the question’, or even ‘we should ask’.
If an argument begs the question, the question that is being begged is this - and ONLY this:
“How can you justify your conclusion, when you have already assumed its truth in your argument?”
A very simple example:
(Premise 1) Monkeys are intelligent.
(Premise 2) Monkeys can peel bananas.
(Conclusion) Therefore: Monkeys are intelligent.
This argument begs the question, because its conclusion has already been assumed in the argument. It usually isn’t so easy to spot.
One of the most famous examples of question begging is with inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning goes from premises to conclusions mathematically and undoubtedly. Inductive reasoning is the reasoning we use in our everyday thinking. I was tempted to delete this whole section, as it goes off into a little history of philosophy, but I think it illustrates nicely some of the pitfalls arguments can fall into. Please feel free to skip it if you get bored, but that does mean you will go straight to the end of the article.
-- Swans
“Every time I have seen a swan, it was white; therefore, I can reasonably believe that all swans are white.”
Inductive reasoning is going from a finite number of observations to a general rule. (For you pedants out there, this is only one kind of induction, called enumerative induction - but it is the easiest to explain and there are lots of academic papers about how the problem of induction can be translated into these other kinds.)
The rotund Scottish philosopher David Hume was the first to note that this kind of reasoning is problematic. In fact, he concluded that it was entirely irrational. If we construct inductive reasoning in a deductive way, we’ll see why:
(1) So far, all swans have been white.
(2) Nature is uniform - i.e. the future will be much like the past; and ‘over there’ will be much like ‘over here’.
(C) Therefore: ALL swans are (and will be) white.
The problem is with (2) - it needs proving, we can’t just assume it. Hume identified that we couldn’t prove it deductively, because that would mean that we couldn’t conceive of it being any other way - but of course we can, we can imagine a black swan. So we have to try and prove it inductively.
So we might say something like “Nature has been uniform so far, so i can reasonably believe that it will continue to be.” But this argument, however you put it, begs the question. It assumes that nature is uniform in order to prove that nature is uniform. You can’t, concludes Hume, prove induction with an inductive argument. It begs the question. (For further discussion on this topic, particularly about the people who say you can prove induction with inductive arguments, go to the entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.)
That is what ‘begs the question’ means - when an argument’s conclusion is assumed within the argument.
-- End of Part 2
So this time, we’ve seen:
(1) Red Herrings - arguments that don’t address the issue.
(2) Straw Men - arguments that address a superficially similar, but in fact different issue.
(3) Loaded Questions - controversially complex questions that presume things that haven’t been proved.
(4) Begging the Question - when the conclusion is assumed in the argument.
In Part 3, plain old laziness and a discussion of verbal fallacies.
Click here to add your comment
How to win an argument (Part 1)
Can you win an argument without any evidence, or without even being right? By the end of these articles, you should be able to.Think about how many times we have come across someone who is clearly wrong, but seems to have all the answers, all the arguments and absolutely no weak points? They may be suffering from argumentum verbosium, which is when someone
"tries to persuade by overwhelming those considering an argument with such a volume of material that the argument sounds plausible, superficially appears to be well-researched, and it is so laborious to untangle and check supporting facts that the argument might be allowed to slide by unchallenged." Wikipedia
So how do we defeat these ‘masters of argument’?
Identifying the problems, mistakes, assumptions and fallacies in an argument can be tricky. This is especially because the symbols usually used to explain them can be very confusing.
Take this for example:
∃x[sky(x) & blue(x) & ∀y(sky(y) → x=y)]
Which means “The sky is blue.”(1) Great.
I’m going to put together a list of fallacies (misconceptions as a result of incorrect reasoning) while trying not to use the brain-blending symbolism above. I will use symbols, but they will likely be of breasts or bananas, or other things beginning with ‘b’.
There are two broad categories of fallacy: problems with reasoning and problems with words. The latter is usually to do with the fact that words can mean more than one thing. The former is mainly to do with the fact that our natural reasoning is not as rigorous as true, proper, mathematical, godlike logical reasoning. Well, not necessarily godlike. Or true. But that’s another discussion entirely.
Problematic reasoning stems from generalisations, assumed implications, distractions, circularity or just plain old laziness. Today I will talk about generalisations and assumed implications, because I’m just lazy.
Generalisations are the most common mistake people make. We are very good at generalising, it’s hard wired into our brains to look for patterns and generalisations to make our lives easier. The problem comes when we start to construct arguments around them.
We are all guilty of generalising from too little evidence. For a long time people said that all swans were white. Until they found a black one. Then they felt silly. This is known as destroying the exception, because in claiming that all swans are white, you destroy the possibility of there being any black ones (or fuschia ones for that matter).
Another problem with generalisations is called disregarding the exception. Cutting people up with knives is a crime. That clearly doesn’t apply to surgeons. So to argue that because surgeons cut people up with knives, they must all be criminals, is silly. And probably wrong.
Which brings me to an aside. The argument about surgeons being criminals is invalid. This doesn’t mean, however, that its conclusion is wrong. All surgeons might be criminals - but they wouldn’t be criminals because they cut people up with knives. Finding fallacies in an argument does not automatically make the conclusion come out false - it just means that your opponent has to find another argument to support their position.
Another natural mistake in our everyday reasoning is assuming implication. If it is true that one thing implies another, we implicitly allow for the possibility that the implication works the other way round. It is true that rain implies clouds, but not that clouds imply rain. But we do still get the feeling that clouds imply rain. We’re wrong: clouds imply that rain may have occurred or may be occurring or maybe is going to occur. Rain implies clouds. Straight, bang, just like that - no wishy-washy maybes.
In symbolic logic, an arrow is used to describe this relationship. The arrow goes from rain to clouds, but not from clouds to rain. It is unfortunately called confirming the consequent when we assume that the arrow goes the other way. Like this:
(1) "If it is raining, then there are clouds."
- Setting up the arrow from rain to clouds.
(2) "There are clouds."
- Confirming the consequent (the bit after ‘then’).
(3) "Therefore, it is raining."
- Mistaking the direction of the arrow.
It might not be raining. In fact, I just looked out of the window and there are clouds and no rain. Ha. Mistaking the direction of the arrow.
You can also mistake the meaning of the arrow. To be more specific, the arrow means that the existence of rain implies the existence of clouds. It does not mean, as is assumed in the next example, that the non-existence of rain implies the non-existence of clouds.
(1) “If it is raining, then there are clouds.”
- Setting up the arrow from rain to clouds.
(2) “It is not raining.”
- Denying the antecedent (the bit before ‘then’).
(3) “Therefore, there are no clouds.”
- Mistaking the meaning of the arrow.
As we saw in the previous example, we can have clouds without rain.
So far we have seen four fallacies: two from not being careful with generalisations and two from not being careful with implications (or conditional relations).
1. Destroying the exception - all swans are white, until you find a black one.
2. Disregarding the exception - all surgeons are criminals cos they cut people up.
3. Mistaking the direction of the arrow (confirming the consequent) - clouds mean it must be raining.
4. Mistaking the meaning of the arrow (denying the antecedent) - no rain means there must be no clouds.
Next time...
Distractions, circularity and plain old laziness.
---
Footnotes:
(1) Take a deep breath... “There exists a thing, such that the thing is a sky AND the thing is blue AND for all the stuff that might not be the thing, if it’s a sky, then it’s the thing.”
Click here to add your comment
WODC Perspectives: First Round- Pakistan
With Round 2 of the WODC having got underway we have the first of our WODC Perspectives (inspired by an idea) coming from she who shall not be named who is the team captain of Pakistan.PAKISTAN AND THE W.O.D.C:
The World Online Debate Championships augured last year and were discovered by the captain of our team (she, who shall not be named); entirely by chance. Hallelujah sung thrice in her head as she scoured through the first Google result for the entry: ‘World debates cheap’. (Well, second result. The first was admittedly a blog-rant by a fifteen year old about how all the debaters in the world are so cheap.) Excited that such an opportunity existed; she asked if anyone on her Face book friends’ list was interested. About twenty people said something to the effect of ‘Yeah sure; why not? But we’ll only participate in debates we find interesting’. Two divine souls; however: Yumna Sarwar and Hania Jilani promised her their eternal loyalty… not quite…
Well, we were interested in the W.U.D.C which required each of us to pay a specific fee and for our respective universities to pay a much larger fixed amount which we knew was never going to be paid. The W.U.D.C also came with travel costs and very detailed tips on how to debate British Parliamentary style. The W.O.D.C seemed like an easier and less expensive alternative. We (rather I) assumed that this contest being ‘online’ would essentially mean we’d sail through and win it. Wrong!
Rounding twenty people who aren’t actually interested in debating is troublesome when one attempts to coordinate them. Emails headed ‘URGENT/IMPORTANT’ lose their potent credibility just as the boy who cried wolf did; especially when in the first round the other team doesn’t show. Meetings to ensure points already made were not repeated/ deleted bore no fruit. Frustration over the inability to coordinate team members, no sleep (crank calls) and then unprecedented critique from the other side resulted in an incredible loss. We didn’t know that criticizing the other side was a requirement and reprimanded that they should leave the judging to the judges/adjudicators. We (read I) thus appeared to be spoilt rude angst ridden children.
On this WODC we plan to keep our cool, be diligent and critical.
Debate of the Round China V USA 2
Click here to add your comment
Information overload
This is the first in an ongoing (if occassional) series of guest blogs. We start with one from Will Bentinck, who we are delighted to have interning with us at the moment.We have surely entered the information age. We are deep between her thighs and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We should be careful we don’t get overexcited though. We don’t want to lose control and find ourselves overwhelmed.
I talk, of course, of Information Overload. Information has become cheap and easy. We’ve all been there, though, and we know that road leads to poor quality and a bad feeling the next morning. We have the world of knowledge at our fingertips; with our smart-phones (our WiFi-enabled brains), we’d put the QI elves to shame. No longer does someone ask in the pub “I wonder what the hottest chilli in the world is...”, only to inspire two hours of hot (sorry) debate. Now it’s a competition to see who can get Wikipedia to work faster, or who knows the best site to turn to for Scoville-related advice.
So what happens when this question is asked?
“Should Wikileaks have released all those Afganistan documents?”
Well, most people will vomit up the received opinion they’ve dutifully memorised from The Sun or The Guardian (depending on which pub you’re in) and then everyone will agree with whatever they think is socially acceptable (again, dependent on the pub) and then go home, thinking they’re engaged in political debate and are thoroughly good citizens.
But we’re not, are we? We’re not politically engaged. We are passive consumers of opinion, withering away at our computers; not active members of international democracy, all hands on hips, inflated chests and billowing capes. We stand rank and file in the servitude of the popular media. Political scientists across the Western world are despairing at the thunderous decline in political engagement, particularly in our youth. And what do they recommend we do about it? The Internet of course!
It is hardly surprising, ten years into the 21st century, that our panacea is digital; even less so that it is on-line. So what is my radium-infused solution for our lack of engagement? It is called Debatewise.org and it should be taken once a day at minimum.
Debatewise, for those of you that haven’t spotted the clever pun, is a debating website. This is a very simple and quite misleading description. For a start, it doesn’t stand across from you and tell you that you’re wrong. Instead, debates are created, added to and edited by anyone. In a wiki-style, crowd-sourcing, gathering of communal knowledge and opinion, Debatewise is the daddy of argument. You want to make your mind up on an issue? Go to Debatewise. You want to tell other people what you think about an issue? Go to Debatewise.
Take a look at the debate about Wikileaks and Afganistan. No really, even if you just go to have a look at the format. Red on one side, blue on the other. FOR and AGAINST, YES and NO. This is not impartial, this is not just facts and figures; this is opinion and argument and persuasion. This is where to make decisions.
So, lost under the sheets with our cheap and easy information, we can be sated and spent, knowing that we didn't get overwhelmed. We can be smug in the knowledge that we took the information just as we wanted it and gave it the time of its life.
Click here to add your comment
WODC First round preview
Today the first two debates of twenty eight matches in the World Online Debating Championship 2010 begin at 12.00 GMT (13.00BST) and four teams out of the twenty nine nations taking part begin their hopefully two month campaign to become the second WODC champions after last years winners Lithuania ,who are not defending their title in this year’s competition.Last year it was all about the east ,with countries from East Asia and East and Central Europe taking part and performing strongly. This year’s WODC promises to be more of a mixture with five teams from Africa competing (including Botswana and Zimbabwe) and some of the old debating powers emerging in the form of Australia and New Zealand. Some old faces such as Venezuela and the USA who field two teams amongst others make a welcome return to the fray as well as some other new ones such as (but not only) Malaysia and Mongolia make their equally welcome debuts in this second edition of the World Online Debating Championships
Changes in the debates include a limit on characters at least for the first round of 20,000 characters. This means that each team gets a maximum set of six points (not counting the opportunity to rebut) and a summary in which to make their arguments. This means that hopefully things should be easier to read and take part in.
A word about the format of the tournament: particularly in this first round. Last year twelve teams went through along with three top losers in the second round with one team getting a bye. Well this year there are no top losers so right from the start the winners go on and the losers will log off. There are also no more random draws unlike last year. So each winner of a first round debate will debate the winner of the other debate that started on the same day so winner of the first debate on the day faces the winner of debate 2 and so on right up to the final.
Added to that there are three countries have got byes in to the second round as opposed to South Korea being the only one last year. They are newcomers Greece who debate the winners of Pakistan versus Nepal which begins on Tuesday the 3rd , Last years Quarter Finalists Mexico await the Asia Pacific clash of Indonesia v New Zealand which starts a day later. And then on Friday, Team Canada begin the final stage of their wait to find out who they will face in the second round as Pakistan Versus Latvia begins. By August the 15th at the earliest we should know which teams will be competing in the second round
For those of whom who are wondering about the home nations, last year’s runners up and this year’s sole representatives from the Isles England begin their campaign against Mongolia on Sunday. Whoever wins in that match faces African competition in the form the winner of the other debate on the day: Uganda versus Ghana. I wonder who the Scots amongst others will be rooting for? (Anyone but England?!...)
Anyway I’d better cut off my idle speculation to give you a reminder that there are three ways teams can win a debate (apart from forfeiting it of course) something that people will be relieved to know hasn’t changed. Firstly a team of wisers can win by a unanimous decision from two adjudicators (judges) who will be marking the debate based on a number of factors such as a well constructed argument . Secondly if the adjudicators are stuck then it goes down to you and how you the users of the site have voted on the debate (hopefully not just on what you think about the issue being debated). If both the public vote and the adjudicators are tied then the chief adjudicator Neill Harvey Smith makes the final decision on which team wins. So your vote can still count in possibly deciding the fate of the competition.
So with Twenty six teams set to type off over the next eight days we’re in for an interesting contest hopefully blending the clash of politics at Westminster with the length of test cricket and now a bit of rugby league too!
First Round
Monday 2nd August
China v USA 2
Zimbabwe v Macedonia
Tuesday 3rd August
Greece BYE
Pakistan v Nepal
Wednesday 4th August
New Zealand v Indonesia
Mexico BYE
Thursday 5th August
Estonia v Australia
Botswana v Venezuela
Friday 6th August
Canada BYE
Palestine v Latvia
Saturday 7th August
Malaysia v India
Romania v Colombia
Sunday 8th August
England v Mongolia
Uganda v Ghana
Monday 9th August
Rwanda v Czech Republic
Israel v USA 1
Click here to add your comment
Would you like to be a world champion?
We are proud to announce that the second World Online Debating Championships will place in August and September of this year. Thirty-two teams from thirty-two countries will battle it out to be crowned the best online debaters in the world and you are cordially invited to be one of them.Last year teams from Eastern and Western Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia tackled subjects as diverse as euthanasia, terrorism, vegetarianism, aliens, marriage, alcohol, drugs, gambling, banking and the environment. The subjects are announced on the day but you have 24 hours to present your arguments and the internet is at your disposal.
All debates take place in English under what is close to British Parliamentary rules. Judging will be done by ex-world champions, chief adjudicators and other highly experienced debaters, so ensuring your work will get the kind of feedback that allows you to develop your debating expertise regardless whether you win or lose.
Entrance costs $20 per person or $100 per team no matter how many members it has. Bursaries are available for those who need them. To enter or apply for a bursary please email us at . Registration closes on the 30th June so don’t delay, enter now.
The WODC is sponsored by the OSI Youth Initiative and is partnered by IDEA - the International Debate Education Association To enter or find out more:
Last year’s debates: debatewise.org/wodc-debates
Download our flyer to send to your friends
- Our leaflet (12Mb)
- A4 flyer
Why you should enter
- Fantastic prizes
- Chance to call yourself a World Champion
- Hone your debating skills
- Permanent recognition in the Debatewise Hall of Fame
- Certificates of achievement for all 32 finalists
Useful links
- More details on the competition (pdf)
- Tips and tricks (pdf)
- The rules (pdf)
Click here to add your comment
Electoral reform: do we need it?
The second of our articles on issues affecting the election is on electoral reform by Carina Elizabeth Lewis.Electoral reform: do we need it?
We all know that the upcoming General Election has been the most hotly contested in years and the surge in support for the Liberal Democrats, as well as the idea that one party could win a majority of seats without securing the majority votes, have led the British electorate to consider the question of electoral reform more seriously. Would proportional representation lead to a fairer system of voting? Should powers be further devolved to the local parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? And should the House of Lords remain unelected?
To answer these questions briefly, let me first make it clear that I do not believe our current electoral system to be perfect. If it is true that only those of us living in the one-fifth of constituencies described as “marginal” have the ability to influence the government, this is surely not an ideal situation. Nevertheless, I firmly believe the current system of voting to be superior to the alternatives espoused by parties such as the Liberal Democrats.
Firstly, on the topic of proportional representation. There is no doubt it has its advantages, but these are arguably outweighed by its drawbacks. We have all heard David Cameron recently warning about the dangers of weak governments, the kind of government which proportional representation all too often creates. Forcing parties into unnatural coalitions in order to hold some kind of majority does nothing but dilute policies and cause the kind of backroom dealings which we should be seeking to eradicate from politics.
This is not to mention the topic of extremism. It has been suggested that under a PR system, parties such as the BNP could gain up to 60 seats in the House of Commons . This is a startlingly high number, which would give the party the ability to influence legislation and even enter into coalitions. Yes, the BNP are a legal party and it is the democratic right of the population to vote for whomsoever they choose, but should the rights of minority groups be endangered because of this?
Next, let us take the issue of devolution. This is an issue about which I can speak with some authority, having spent my summer working for a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), and if it taught me anything, it is this: devolution does nothing to help the concerns of the average voter. To have to go to one’s MP for help on one issue, and to one’s MSP, who may belong to a different party or even to a differently named constituency, for another, is not helpful, but confusing, time-consuming and overly bureaucratic. As admirable as the aim of localising government may be, devolving further powers to the parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would only serve to complicate matters. Let us take the example of the recent Calman Commission, which recommended the devolution of powers such as setting speeding and drink-driving limits to the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. Measures like this are confusing and unnecessary to the general public: how can a person be considered to be driving safely on one side of a border, when several miles away the same person would be defined as speeding and drunk?
Finally, on the House of Lords. It has been suggested that the Lords in their current form are undemocratic and unaccountable, and that elections should be introduced to combat this. Ideas such as this, however, forget the purpose of the House of Lords: to scrutinise the legislation proposed by the House of Commons. The Lords include successful and intelligent people from all walks of life: industry, science etc. who are not necessarily drawn to a life in politics and would not be comfortable with standing for election. Yet it is exactly the specialist skills and knowledge of these people which we need, skills which our House of Commons can sometimes lack. Also, let us not forget the relative independence of the House of Lords: where party whips have less sway and elections are not a constant worry, one is free to fully consider the issue in hand rather than merely offering a party line. To fully elect the House of Lords would be to trade this specialist knowledge and ability to judge each issue on its relative merits for sheer populism and careerism.
To summarise, then, whilst the ideas for electoral reform proposed by parties such as the Liberal Democrats may sound attractive on paper, it is my belief that in practice they would have effects quite opposite to those intended. No, our electoral system is not perfect: but let us consider carefully the nature of the problems at hand before proposing sweeping, and frankly unnecessary, changes.
Carina Elizabeth Lewis
Click here to add your comment
Change we can’t afford?
As part of our coverage of the election we have a group of volunteers writing debates on the issues coming up in the election, some of them are also writing articles that are going up here.The first is by Mohsin Zeb
Change we can’t afford?
The impressive display by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg during last Thursday’s Prime ministerial debate has thrown the upcoming election wide open. For the first time in a political era, an election is not a foregone conclusion. We may well end up with a near three way split, which would both signal the return of the Liberals as a major political force after nearly a century in the political wilderness, and concurrently signal the end of the existing dominance of the two major parties.
That the first debate has had such an impact makes the upcoming debate that much more important. The issues it will address, namely Britain’s foreign relations, are unmatched in their importance. Our engagement in controversial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has defined the political landscape for the past decade and issues related to our foreign engagements and related defence issues are set to dominate the upcoming parliament alongside the ongoing economic crisis. For that reason, I feel it pertinent to give my thoughts on the issues of our involvement in conflicts and on our nuclear deterrent, hours before the ‘three wise men’ say what they think we want to hear.
Let me set my stall out immediately so that my position is clear. I am not a Hawk, a neo-Imperialist or a cold-blooded Realist. I have a firm believe in cooperative politics and the value of institutions as sustainers of peace, but whilst I reject the rabid militarism so fondly held to by the likes of Douglas Murray, I am by no means a peacenik. There is a time and a place for war. From my perspective, neither Iraq nor Afghanistan are necessary conflicts for Britain. Our young men and women need not lose life and limb in the dusty streets of Iraq or the rugged hills of Afghanistan; neither conflict is being fought to sustain British interests. Our involvement occurred to sustain our place as the most allied of allies to Washington. On this point, I welcome the Liberal agenda. To the credit of the Liberal Democrats, they have opposed the wars long before it became socially or politically fashionable to do so, and continuing to define British interests in narrow terms can only work in their favour.
However, those of who listened attentively last week, assuming for a moment the listener wasn’t on the lunatic fringe of the political left in the UK, would have been taken aback by the lack of commitment from Clegg and his party to the nuclear deterrence of the UK. I understand fully the arguments espoused by the party, nuclear weapons are expensive, both to build and to maintain and their functionality in this day and age may not be immediately apparent. It is true that security threats have shifted from state centric as they were during the Cold War, to today being largely manifest in the form of Non-State Actors. This lack of obvious target raises the question of where exactly, or against whom one would use the ultimate weapon. You can’t nuke the Taliban or Al Qaeda, and a shift to a more flexible deterrent may be appealing today. However, the Liberal policy has two massive flaws.
Firstly, it is incredibly myopic strategically. Yes today we face threats from non-traditional sources, but who can predict the events in 10 or 20 years, at the time our present system would be reaching the end of its shelf life? Surely, it is responsible to have the platform, in our case a successor to the Trident nuclear attack submarines, and never have to use it, then to scrap it and one day find you wish you had it in place. The primary responsibility for any government is to ensure the safety of the state and sustain its ability to defend itself. Stripping our nuclear deterrent would leave us potentially at the mercy of numerous powers.
Secondly, the Liberal policy goes against a clear trend of proliferation globally. When many of the world’s most unpredictable regimes are going nuclear, how irrational is it to forsake your own equalizer? Without our deterrent, there is nothing from stopping an aggressor from choosing total war, save perhaps the protective arm of Washington which may act as a deterrent for its time tested ally. Such reliance on another power leaves one at its mercy.
With North Korea going nuclear and Iran possibly going nuclear, plus the risk of other states opting to ensure their existence by acquiring weapons of mass destruction, entertaining the thought of abandoning our own nuclear deterrent is frankly objectionable and irresponsible. Whatever the cost, the defence of the realm is an obligation, and one the Liberal Democrats seem too willing to ignore.
For all his style, and the moral mileage in opposing the wars in the greater Middle East, the lack of commitment to our primary means of national security makes the Liberal Democrats change we simply may not be able to risk.
1 comment. Click here to read it and add yours
Yu Austin Liu’s view of globalisation
In a sense, I am already a product of globalization and its effects. Although I was born in Singapore, my father was from China and my mother from Singapore. That they met in a university in the United States and later settled in Singapore is largely a result of modern globalisation.Globalisation is the increasing economic, social, cultural and political integration in the world today, made possible by technological advances which have effectively reduced distances between various parts of the world. Globalization can be considered to have begun since the middle to late 19th century due to colonialism and the accelerated economic integration that followed. The influx of migrants into Singapore was spurred by the ease of transportation and the attraction of better wages and hence the foundation of Singapore was built by globalization.
More recently, Singapore has been affected by globalization in various other ways. The comparatively high standard of living here is due to global trade. Singapore is lucky to be in such a strategic geographical location, allowing it to become an important port, benefiting from trade and related activities, such as importing raw goods and exporting refined products. The economy of Singapore also benefits from the increased tourism brought about by globalization, which has made travel easier and more attractive.
As a result of this, my friends and I enjoy a reasonably high standard of living and much of the country has access to information around the world through various media such as television and the Internet. As a consequence, Singaporeans are exposed to many new ideas in their daily life. An effect of this is the general embracing of Western ideals and values, especially among the youth. This includes the rise of individualism and in some cases a desire for greater freedom of speech and press. A natural consequence of this is the decreasing interest in traditional language and culture and a decreased sense of cultural awareness among Singaporeans, who are largely ethnic Chinese, Malays and Indians. The desire for greater freedom to grow and develop has also led to some amount of “brain drain”, although the inflow of talent into Singapore is also quite sizeable.
The future of Singapore will also be intimately associated with globalization and its effects. Whether this is for the better or worse, however, will to a large extent depend on how our citizens and the government make the best out of the situation.
Yu Austin Liu, Singapore
Click here to add your comment
Tet with a Non-Vietnamese
I was scurrying in front of the arrival gate at Tan Son Nhat airport. My friend ought to have checked out already because it was displayed that her flight had arrived. It was very hot and sunny, a typical day at Ho Chi Minh City. “There she is!” Alice, in her verdant green tee, smiled a big grin and gave me a warm hug after jamming through a line of tourists. We took a cab home. Because it was the first time I had taken a foreigner friend home, I was both carried way and worried the night before that she might not feel comfortable living in a real Vietnamese household. Cultural shock, that is quite understandable. Anyway, I had cleaned up the house and stocked up the fridge with a variety of food in case she would miss the Western cuisine, so it would at least not be awkward.It was only two days before Tet. Wanting to show her as much as possible the biggest holiday in Vietnam, I took her around, trying to be at my best informative. “Fake clothes, house and vehicles are burnt so that our loved ones in the other world could receive them. See this dollar bill! The yellow paper symbols gold, and the white one, silver.” Alice stared at me in amusement. She later confessed that the first time she saw those things burnt was in her neighborhood in Hanoi a few months ago. “I thought it was such an insane thing to burn clothes, but then I realized they were not real ones,” she confessed. Although she did not look quite convinced, or rather did not quite believe, in the practicability of the practice, she joined me in burning those fake items.
“Okay, now both of you can get in!” Alice and my younger sister, born in the year of the dog and the year of the horse, were the first visitors to my house this year. This practice is meant to bring prosperity and good luck to the family throughout the whole year. Alice seemed quite happy that she had brought prosperity and good luck to my family this year. She beamed at me and said, “Now you’re all lucky.”
The first day of Tet was spent at my paternal grandparents’ house. The house was noisy with my little cousins playing around rambunctiously. “I’ve never seen such a huge family!” exclaimed Alice as soon as she realized almost thirty people were there. “So this’s what I mean by “huge”.” I turned to Alice, continued, “Tet’s also the biggest family gathering. It’s like Christmas in Europe and America, I guess.” Then came the food! Alice is quite an easy eater and loved almost everything. She tried all that she did not know, and her favorite is pickle, the one eaten with “banh chung” (rice stuffed cake). She did not quite like baloney but never said no to mango. “There’re many kinds of fruit I never saw before I came to Vietnam,” she told me when I gave her a star-fruit. “Like rambutan fruit, dragon fruit and logan.” Plus, contrary to my initial thought, Alice loved white milk sold along the streets and acclaimed that it was the best white milk. It relieved me to see her enjoy almost everything because I was worried that she might be picky about food.
We went to the flower fair at night. Alice heard about it from one of my great aunt and insisted that we would go there. The cab left us at the rear of the fair, and we walked inside. It was after a day of good food, so we were both happy to have a walk. Alice loves taking photos as long as she is not in those. Knowing that, I kept teasing her by asking, “Do you want a photo?” before moving to the second part,” I mean without you in it.” She would give me a look meaning “You know what I mean, don’t you?” Then both of us would laugh. Her favorite part in the fair was the lanterns. “You love lanterns that much?” “Yes, very much. I’ll have some in my own house,” she smiled a big smile while enthusiastically expressing her affection for the hand-made lanterns.
It took us about one and a half hour to get home from the flower fair. Of course, we walked. On the way home, I let her try other kinds of sweet like “com dep”, “banh nuong” and “bo bia ngot”. Alice did not have much appetite for the first, liked the second and was in love with the third. “Bo bia ngot” is the name for a kind of sweet rolls. The wrapper is opaque white, unlike the translucent rice paper used for spring rolls and egg rolls; and the stuffing includes dried coconut (Jeez, Alice loves coconut and anything that has coconut in its name!), sesame and thin sugar bar (Despite the name, the sugar bar is crispy and does not hurt the teeth! :D). After the first roll, Alice decided that she would have another one immediately.
Alice looked quite tired. “OMG, it was so noisy I couldn’t help,” she confessed after we got home. “It’s really different in my hometown in Germany.” I listened tentatively as she went on,” I don’t understand why people were so noisy.” “Ah, come on, we were playing cards. And that wasn’t noisy, mind you! It’s a whole lot noisier at other houses.” She rolled her eyes to high heaven as though I was giving her the most glory details from an imaginary place. “Ha, not everything is perfect.” I tried to enlighten the conversation, “At least, you liked being given lucky money, don’t you?” I grinned. “Hum, you know how to get me, don’t you?!?” I still remember Alice almost cried when she got her first lucky money from my mom. “It’s just nominal, but it’s to bring you good luck,” said my mom before she reached the greeting part and handling the little red envelop to Alice.
“Let me know when you come,” we hugged each other good-bye before she checked in. I know Alice is easily moved at the air-port (actually, she told me that she can’t stop tears from rolling down on her cheeks to see people at the air-port), so we both made the “painful” part as quick as possible. “Okay, I will. Take care!” Then she lifted her back-pack up and got in. She did not look back, yet she must have been smiling. Or perhaps tears were full in her eyes…
Quynh Van Duong, Vietnam
Click here to add your comment
Globalisation as seen from Nepal
“Nepal” a country in the southern lap of the Himalayas has always been a mesmerizing tourist destination because of its Himalayas, landscapes, temples ,and many to other places people long to visit .The richness of culture, various ethnic groups celebrating different festivals, the chiming bells, delicious Nepali cuisine dal,bhat, tarkari , the beautiful costumes and ancient sculptures have touched the hearts of millions of people from all around the world.
Earlier here in Nepal, there were only a few schools that too which was controlled by the government and only a certain group of people like the royal family and sophisticated people went to school. There were very less hospitals. Communication was very poor people had to write down letters to hear from their loved ones which took months and months to reach.
However, with globalization ,we got an access to better opportunities ,education having an involvement of various private sectors .We have private clinics in almost all the parts . Technologies have developed to such and extent that we can connect the world In seconds . The use of computers, mobile phones , iPods have become really common these days . Various cars and other means of transport has made the life’s of the people easy.
Moreover, we have foreign multinationals and franchises opening branches in our country, so we have an opportunity to wear foreign brands and go to renowned restaurants staying in the home country .Like Pizza Hut s, KFCs ,Baskin Robins which has become very popular among the teenagers .
With the advancement in technology and choices, globalization has also brought changes in people’s perspectives, lifestyle which is a key factor for development .
Its good to modernize with time and learn different different culture , try different food but we shouldn’t forget what we actually are . What I have seen in most of the teenagers is , in the name of modernization,they are westernising .They criticize the Nepalese culture and change their religion , celebrate some other festivals to be accepted amongst their groups or to show off that they are advanced .This is a wrong concept though .
I was surprised when I interviewed the person working on a Nike store when he said that he only wears branded clothes and also some girls on the Shopping malls saying that wearing guniyo cholo and dhotis ( their traditional clothes) is being a way to laugh amongst colleagues .
Another surprising thing is Nepalese people prefer advertising for foreign brands rather than promoting their own brands .
We are not against them trying new things , being modern but forgetting one’s norms and values is destroying our images .The future is in our hands .If we start behaving like foreigners and adopt their culture then what will the foreigners come to Nepal for? Its because of our beauty , culture , hospitality that these people travel here .If we destroy that, then there is no use of them coming here ..
So the message here is yes Nepal has developed because of Globalisation but if the Nepalese try to modernize in the name of globalization, then it will dent its image
Snigdha Baral, Nepal
Click here to add your comment
Roxy James’ Globalisation Blog
Looking at a map, there are definite boundaries that separate the various countries and cities of the world which serve to reinforce a sense of territoriality, nationality and indemnity. However, these physical distinctions are constantly being eroding in today’s society, simply because they have become undermined by the phenomenon of globalization.Globalization can be defined as the integration of economic, political and social cultures, and is encompassed in the modernization theory, where there is an almost uncharacteristic and startling diffusion of cultural mores and ideas throughout the globe.
Countries in the Caribbean region-particularly Jamaica and Barbados- have been actively pursuing policies to aid in the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which are driving the globalization process to create a knowledge-based society that would contribute positively to the economic growth and development of the region.
The advantages of MNCs in the Caribbean are undeniable-employment and the multiplier effect on the local economy that facilitates and promotes the growth of support services. Many countries have profited from the increased foreign exchange flows from multinational investments- Barbados and the Bahamas have benefited from tourism, Jamaica through bauxite and alumina and Trinidad through petroleum. According to Lent, “The strong presence of TNCs in the Caribbean has tied the economy and politics of each country to those of the large industrial nations, particularly the United States” (Lent 1991, 74).
Despite this, developing countries, such as those in the Caribbean, often feel a threat to their independence in having to deal with large corporations possibly because of the delicate reminder of the past as a colonized region and the submission to the more powerful, imperial nations. MNCs are also accused of merely investing in countries like Jamaica and Guyana without a single care for the environment. They are solely concerned with economic growth as opposed to sustainable development and thus, they neglect aspects such as pollution control and safety for workers.
Globalization, is accused of widening the gap between the rich and the poor, something completely contradictory to what it was originally intended to do (erode distinctions and level the playing field). This rapid growth in the disparity between the information-rich and in the information-poor is becoming increasingly noticeable especially since the process is occurring between the largely underdeveloped (the majority of the world’s population) and the industrialised countries, which form a small elite.
An aspect of globalization is therefore the introduction of crime into the Caribbean region, as the people who are the lower end of the poverty line are exposed to various types of criminal activities ranging from drugs, prostitution, trafficking, child labour-just a few forms of corruption that has been enhanced by globalization.
Globalisation is related to what I’d call the invasion of foreign media, often in an uncontrolled way. This flow of images from foreign countries has many negative aspects such as cultural erasure where our local Caribbean culture is disappearing in favour for the glitz and glam of North America.
Despite these negativities, I credit globalization since it provides the necessary forums needed to place the Caribbean on the international stage. For instance, the international diffusion of Jamaican popular culture throughout the globe, and Trinidad’s Carnival and its followers that are “a popular globalised celebration of hybridity and cultural identity...which facilitates the centring of the periphery” (Nurse, 200,109).
The dawn of globalization has produced its fair share of advantages as well as issues, ranging from critical issues from the economic, social and political spheres-communications, ecology, biotechnology and genetic engineering, health and education (provision of distance and interactive self-teaching facilities), food, employment and quality of life. It has promoted a degree of interconnectedness between states and people.
Although globalization has certainly done its share in terms of demolishing previous physical boundaries, it has simultaneously created a subtle divide, creating more pronounced distinctions between developed and developing countries.
Additionally, despite the fact that globalization may have resulted in the deliberate and unintentional hegemony of foreign giants as well as subjected the region to US and European sovereignty, it’s good to know that the Caribbean has not been just standing by sponging in foreign culture, but rather, a vibrant producer and exporter of popular culture.
Roxy James, Trinidad
Click here to add your comment
Nadia Siddiqi’s view of globalisation
I’m from Karachi Pakistan; the Karachi Stock exchange was declared the ‘Best Performing Stock Market of the World for the year 2002’ when Pervez Musharraf our most recent resident dictator was in power; things have not been as rosy since. Karachi though is better known for terrorism during and after that period (post 9/11 2001); the place where Daniel Pearl was killed. His French wife corroborated with Hollywood’s star couple `Branjelina` to make a film on his killing by a British(son of Pakistani immigrants) terrorist ;oddly the filming was in India (no permission from the Pakistani government) and featured only two Pakistani actors (in a cast of hundreds of Indians).How is this related to globalisation? Please review the number of nationalities involved in the project.Karachi fashion week (like Pakistan fashion week) recently only featured western clothes to be worn by Pakistanis. When Benazir Bhutto (who went to school in Karachi; before Harvard, then Oxford; becoming a notoriously corrupt self-exiled politician and then getting killed in Rawalpindi) called Asia the continent of the 21st century; the influence of the west on everything from what we eat, wear and bathe with was not as evident as it is now. From the bath&body works right across the street, the airport McDonald's, Benneton, Levi Strauss, Gucci, Chanel, Armani (Shaukat Aziz wore Armani suits) and then the infusion of the west into the clothes Pakistani designers make: gowns by Freiha Altaf; there is not a single clothing item made by our top designers (HSY,Maria B,Nadia Mistry,Deepak Perwani &Ammar Belal) that does not reveal legs/cleavage: Strange when you look back a decade.
Why has this happened? because we have significantly more designer imports (clothes and accessories) than exports. People buy foreign designer wear. Women in Burqahs ubiquitously carry big fat GUCCI bags. Burqahs themselves are imported from other countries. Muslim Scarves are almost always Italian.
We’re also influenced by Arabs; Jamiat-islamia; an organization responsible for a lot of violence funded mainly if not entirely by Saudi Sheikhs. There are high-walled Sheikh palaces all over the city of Karachi. Arab terrorists have allegedly settled in Northern Pakistan.
Oriental-staffed Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurants invaded this city long before McDonald's did. There is the French Cafe Flo and Italian pizzerias. Karachi-ites from even the most rundown localities predominantly watch Bollywood and Hollywood films. Lolly-wood alienated itself from the city as the province of Punjab did. Other than that there is the Goethe institute for German and Alliance Française de Karachi for French aficionados. Embassies house people from everywhere in the world and many families are racially/ethnically-mixed.
Other Effects: There’s exposure and tolerance of cosmopolitan diversity in this metropolis but on the other hand there is tension/conflict. Smuggled foreign-designer-wear is sold in flea-markets sprawled all over the city; expensive cell/mobile phones are robbed at gunpoint in every public arena. These cell-phones are then sold cheap and people buy them because we don’t want to be robbed of an expensive investment. Economic decline results from not cutting Imports.
Nadia Siddiqi, Pakistan
1 comment. Click here to read it and add yours
Me, My Country and globalisation
Name for the process of increasing the connectivity and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses I used to see globalization like a kind of panacea for all economies, cultures and people of the world problems, by being connected and well integrated in one same sphere. But seeing how things are like today makes me quite doubtful about the effects of globalisation, especially in south countries like Cameroon, where I do live. Yes, globalisation is a reality. It affects me and, that sort of standardization of world’s systems makes me anxious about my future.The way globalization affects me
● The more obvious effects are positive ones like access to information, knowledges, “cultures” from other countries. Thanks to Internet and other Medias I learn many things from around the world everyday. Today, I use Facebook, Myspace…, I do exchange and I’m connected with other persons from everywhere. I do consume products from many countries. In a nutshell, I can say that I’m a “globalized man”. But the other side of the medal is not so glittering.
● “Afro-pessimistic” people always say that globalization is a threat to south countries economies and cultures. In some way, it’s true. It’s clear that cultures are to change in times, but globalization also trend to lead to some bad changes.
For example, as I am opened to other cultures, some people in my country see me as an “uprooted man”. According to them, being so opened to stranger cultures makes me loose my own one. I sometimes feel like I’m not enough “Cameroonian”, neither European, nor American, Asian…in my habits. It’s like I’m from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Concerning economy, globalisation is more a threat to my country ones. national enterprises are not strong enough to face globalisation effects. We are literally “invaded” by products from coming from outside, particularly from developed countries like USA, France, and especially nowadays from China! Because some of those products (Chinese ones) have low cost, we buy them more than local ones, and this contribute to kill our national economy.
Some options for the future
With the increasing polarisation of world’s economic activities in developed countries ( USA, England, Japan…), I think in countries like mine, as we don’t possess enough means to face the growing influence of globalization, we have to elaborate real strong and sustainable development plans for the future. Otherwise, we’ll always leeway to make up compared with developed ones, while trying to benefit from globalization too. We have to purpose our knowledge; promote our local know-how, to benefit from it, like countries like China, India, Vietnam…did. But sadly, with our social realities (particularly our bad mentalities) i think globalization will continue to affect me and all my society, more in bad manner.
Philippe, Cameroon
2 comments. Click here to read them and add yours
Globalisation from a Malaysian viewpoint
Thanks to the advent of technology, human manages to extend their arms further to another end of the globe than ever before. By reaching out, we automatically expose ourselves to all the influences of a totally alien environment, both the good and the bad. That is globalisation - the expansion of boundaries unlimited by space and distance.From an Asian’s perspective, erosion of our strong traditional and cultural values is often highlighted as a direct result of such integration. Nevertheless at a personal level, globalisation has affected me in a more positive way than the other.
My experience with globalisation began when I flew over to Glasgow, Scotland to complete my Bachelor’s degree. The most memorable one of course, was with my fellow classmates. We worked together on several projects, including one which aimed to bridge the gaps between the Malaysian students and the Scottish students, named the Buddy System. Through interaction with my Scottish friends, I improved on my communication skills. From them, I learnt to be honest with my feelings. From them, I discovered that Asian culture was not the only one that was unique. From them, I found values that I could adapt to make myself a better person.
On the other hand, living in a foreign country was completely eye-opening. Coming from another constitutional monarchy myself, I saw how such a country could be managed differently than the one I had been living in for the past 20 years. I saw a society that handles gender equality and racism issues better than my own. I saw the importance of having a responsible government. I saw how normal layman like you and me could play a part in a country’s progress and have a say in the government’s policy. I saw the path that my country could follow to become a developed nation!
It would not be exaggerating for me to say that my Glasgow experience was both inspiring and enlightening. I returned to Malaysia as a new person, a better person. With me I brought back additional qualities I picked up from my Scottish buddies, and a brainload of ideas which I am ready to contribute actively to my people and my country.
Globalisation brought me to a foreign land, given me exposure and allowed me to learn from a new culture.
It has not let me to forget my root and my cultural heritage.
In fact, I spread and shared them with everyone in the UK, as a part of me.
Lim KK, Malaysia
Click here to add your comment
Harrison Carter’s view of globalisation
My name’s Harry Carter, I’m 16 years old and I live in Sheffield. As a Member of the European Youth Parliament, globalisation is obviously at the heart of what I do and it’s my role in the European Youth Parliament which has educated and informed me about the important part it plays in the world today.In the European Youth Parliament, I am responsible for creating links and contacts between young activists across Europe. This remit is vital to globalisation. By forging this mindset of cooperation with other countries, and by forging it at such a young age, I believe that globalisation will continue to grow and be accepted as the way we can proceed and grow as an international community.
Globalisation is important for me because, I believe it enhances the melting pot of cultures which make countries better and stronger. It also allows specifically the young people of different nationalities to experience and further their understanding of how others live their lives.
The CISV programme, building global friendships is a brilliant example of young people and globalisation. It offers young people a comprehensive experience of other nation’s national identity and traditions. The friendships forged at the CISV camps cross national boundaries and are key to expanding the principles of globalisation.
However as an EYP I have also noticed the problems globalisation can cause when international interests conflict heavily with a national priorities. For example health in the United Kingdom is centred around the institution of the NHS which gives free health care for all. Internationally however, health care functions best when under the structure or a privatised system. In developing countries health has become a commodity. This strikes against the ideals of globalisation which aims to better the world by pooling resources of all nations.
So for me, globalisation show cases and often achieves many positive things for many people but it still has areas where improvement is needed.
Harry Carter, UK
Click here to add your comment
Globetrotting and General Gains from Globalisation
The application in one of the social networks I use just informed me that I’ve already visited 24 countries in 4 continents. Today only, I’ve already communicated with wonderful and diverse characters from 5 different time zones - friends I made during my thrilling trips. Today, I lived my daily life using casual goods made all around the world, without even thinking about it. Sounds like a casual day of the 21st century?Seems like it. Open borders, free flow of goods, advancements in technology, increasing social, political and economic relations, global village - concepts mentioned everyday, huh? The possibilities and opportunities available to the youth nowadays, however, could hardly been envisioned only 20 years ago. Likewise, the people of this generation can hardly conceptualize the world two decades ago. I was born and raised Lithuanian, a citizen of a country which was under the Iron curtain and thus isolated from the rest of the world 20 years ago. The fall of the Berlin wall opened borders, flow of ideas, and globalization generally revealed new horizons to all of society. Thanks to globalization, my passion for travels and adventures is now realistic. Family vacations in Southern Europe or Northern Africa, international projects and conferences all over the EU, the seminars on Leadership in Hungary, Climate Change in Germany, and the international cooperation projects in the UK have all contributed to who I am.
The greatest adventure of my life is happening right now. My curiosity and passion for adventures encouraged me to participate in a high school foreign exchange program in the other part of the world. Only thanks to globalization I am now living in Chicago, U.S. and I am able to develop myself as a personality while becoming responsible for my decisions and overcoming new challenges. The chance to live in a different culture is amazing, for it provides a new perspective towards life. Handling the smallest aspects of everyday life has contributed to my overall maturity. For instance, I was using the bathtub for the first week, because I lacked the skill to operate an American (oh yeah!) sink faucet, but once I managed to overcome this challenge, I gained more self-confidence! Whether a common or highly important, every experience is valuable. Therefore I am involved in the Model United Nations club here, and this helps me develop my critical thinking, public speaking and organizational skills. Competitions in a foreign language inspire me to strive to accomplish the impossible. Winning an international Model United Nations conference is a wonderful experience, but I would have never encountered it if I wasn’t able to travel or simply study a foreign language. Due to globalisation-related experiences, I'm becoming a more well-rounded individual and developing a more mature perspective towards life.
When you are reading this, wherever you are, just think about how lucky we are. Whatever our background is, wherever we are from, we have the access to opportunities, because globalisation established “a global platform that allowed more people to plug and play, collaborate and compete, share knowledge and share work, more than anything we have ever seen in the history of the world” (Thomas Friedman). Next time you travel, or simply reconnect with your friends on the other side of the globe think about the opportunities we have due to globalisation. Appreciate it and don’t abuse this wondrous gift.
Dominykas Milasius, Lithuania
Click here to add your comment
Nisha Thanki’s view of globalisaiton
‘A spectre is haunting cities around the world: the spectre of globalisation’ (Peter Marcuse)Globalisation is, without doubt, a buzzword of our generation. It is normally described as the ‘increased interconnectedness of the world’ and the increased interdependence of countries with global institutions. Maybe this will come across a little too stereotypical for a left wing student but when I hear the word globalisation immediately I can see the fluorescent arch of McDonalds and the Starbucks logo just pop into my head.
As a student in London too, this sight is far too familiar along with a million other chains that dominate the streets of London. Culture is definitely affected by globalisation which can most simply be seen in the choice of food available to us, for example one could argue that how curry is a national dish of Britain or the kebab the national dish of Germany could be considered as a sign of globalisation.
It would be fair to say that diversity can be linked to globalisation however, I come from a small town in East Anglia called Wellingborough and for years there have been talk of redevelopment but the only notable changes have been the introduction of a Costa Coffee, Subway and Burger King. This is definitely one aspect of globalisation that I find negative as many of these big corporations are not ethical and often have poor environmental records.
So as a student how does globalisation affect me, aside from cheap fast food and overpriced coffees? I think the answer is quite simple, we are now faced with an increased interconnected world, which means we have more opportunities available to us than ever before. We have the chance to live, study and work abroad.
Globalisation means that there are more and more links with other countries whether economic, political, cultural or even educational. With Britain’s participation in the Bologna Process there are now attempts to harmonise the education systems across Europe making them more comparable and therefore it is really beneficial for students.
It also encourages students to spend a semester studying abroad, which is what I am doing now, and I have to say it has been an amazing chance to really become independent and also to meet people from all over the world. Therefore I would argue that there are at least some positive aspects of globalisation.
Click here to add your comment
Globalisation of the Indian Economy
The advent of globalisation in India can be traced to the New Economic Policy that was pursued by the government way back in 1991 to put the ailing economy in place by generating a new wave of reforms which could boost the economic growth and usher in a new era of development and progress. The aim of the new policy was to bring about a realignment of domestic demand with available resources and to initiate changes in supply and production structures with a view to eliminating the external imbalance. The economy was to be liberalized and gradually integrated with the world economy by the dismantling of tariff walls, the protection of foreign direct investment and upgrading the technology of production in various fields. The broad thrusts of the programmes were financial stability, outward-looking policies and deregulation of domestic markets. Globalisation, Liberalisation and Privatisation were thus the broad contours of the New Economic Policy.A new spirit economic freedom is now stirring in the country, bringing sweeping changes in its wake. A series of ambitious economic reforms aimed at deregulating the Indian economy and stimulating foreign investment have moved India firmly into the front ranks of the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific region and unleashed the latent strengths of a complex and rapidly changing nation. The opportunities generated consequently are galore and the leading MNCs have been typically quick on the uptake. Post 1991, India’s dynamic and highly competitive private sector has been the backbone of its economic policy. It accounts for over 75 percent of its Gross Domestic Product and offers considerable scope for joint ventures and collaborations.
As of now, India is the most sought after market in the world and it is rapidly emerging as a stronghold in the world economy all owing to the process of globalisation. Foreign Direct Investment has immensely increased and India has embarked on an ambitious plan to emulate the success of globalisation and has thus opened up its economy to the world market. The term globalisation refers to the integration of the economies of the world through uninhibited trade and financial flows, as also through mutual exchange of technology and knowledge. In the context of our country it has implied opening up the economy to FDI by enabling foreign companies and international conglomerates to invest in different fields of economic activities and thereby carrying out massive import liberalization programmes by switching over from quantitative restrictions to reduction of tariffs, quotas and import duties.
In a nutshell it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Globalisation has allowed companies to increase their base of operations, expand their workforce with minimal investments, and provide new services to a broad range of consumers. India has gained highly from the globalisation as its GDP increased to 9.7% in 2007-2008. In respect of market capitalization, India ranks fourth in the world but something needs to done so as to improve the share of agriculture in GDP which is a dismal 17% despite the fact that India is primarily an agrarian economy.
Umang Joshi
Click here to add your comment
Crystal Yan’s view of globalisation
"噢, 我不明白! 这不好玩!", the boys snickered to each other."Shhhh..." a girl nearby whispered. "She can hear you!"
Rolling their eyes, the two shot back, "Yeah, like she can understand Chinese."
Smiling secretively, she raised her hand. "Eh, excusez-moi, Madame? Est-ce que vous pouvez comprendre le chinois?"
The new teacher smiled back. "Mais bien sûr! 当然! 你为什 么问?"
It's a French 2 classroom, at a public high school in California with a student body of more than 65% students of color. Turns out the new teacher was more well-traveled than these students had thought. An American, she had taught English in France and in China to local students, thereby picking up the languages and now teaches French to American students.
While the term globalization is most commonly associated only with the study of macroeconomics and battles of businesses big and small around the world, to me, I experience more commonly globalization via the integration of international cultures. I have friends who are Indian-American who dress up as actors and actresses from Korean dramas for Halloween, friends who are African-American who gush about Bollywood movies and learning Arabic, and friends who are Hispanic and know their manga to a level that can only be described as fervent obsession.
For me, globalization of culture means defining my unique cultural identity. I question myself whether to define myself as Chinese or American and really, only feel comfortable with Chinese-American, a hybrid of my Chinese tendency to be humble and American tendency to take initiative, and because really, I don't know that many Chinese pop stars and my family spends Thanksgivings making dumplings.
That globalization of culture can be nonpartisan, that people my age are much more open to learning more about something that seems just a little bit different gives me hope.
So what about you? What's your story? Leave a comment below. As a writer, I always hope someone learns something from what I write. And as a student and lifelong learner, I hope that I can learn something from you too.
1 comment. Click here to read it and add yours