1. After our seminar on culture globalization, I feel as if this is one of the biggest issues our people are feeling today. One's culture, traditions and customs define their way of life, their heritage and history. In today's world, these aspects of an individuals life are starting to diminish. Globalization as we know it today is affecting individuals in the world creating a more and more homogeneous world.
2. Although, our world becoming increasingly alike, losing touch with our background is a serious negative side-effect of globalization. I do believe that being a homogeneous world may lead to world peace, but not at the cost of losing our cultural aspects. I say this from a personal perspective as I am a first generation born in the U.S. from an immigrant family. I have had difficulty speaking my mother tongue as well as having to balance out the western way of life opposed to that by which my parents have been raised and passed on to me.
During a recent visit to my parents birthplace, I noticed that English had become more common compared to when I went when I was a kid. Not only English, but the way we dress, music, films, etc. are all adapting to the western way as it is viewed as being "superior". If this trend keeps on going, who knows maybe in a few decades the entire world will be speaking English and only a few people will know their mother tongue as well as their cultural background.
Although globalization can be good, it can also have negative effects on the world.
3. I would like to know why the Western way of life is viewed as being superior and why more and more countries are trying to adapt to this way of life rather than taking pride in their own customs. I feel like this is more common among youngsters.
I think you make an awesome point here with homogenization and its flaws when the price is the loss of diversity in a global culture. It feels so ethnocentric to talk about Western culture as the dominant culture spreading throughout the world. It's especially ironic when western culture is already such a hodge-podge of other perspectives and cultures, it's evident that the popular culture of USA has spread rapidly and can't be ignored. At the same time, I think it's super important to notice the reemergence of national pride and desire for sovereignty when globalization does threaten a certain heritage and culture. Especially in developing countries, even within countries, like Spain for example, the linguistic diversity and the desire for an independent Basque Country is undeniable and has only been emphasized with globalization.
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ReplyDeleteI think you bring a very interesting perspective to the issue of globalization, and specifically the issue of a homogenous global culture as you are a first generation American, and have had the experience of traveling back to the country your parents were born. Most Americans who travel out of the country are going as tourists, and have no heritage type of connection to the place they are visiting, and thus aren't looking for the ways in which that place has been affected by Western culture. I agree that the loss of language us one of the most negative aspect of a global culture, and I would like to see more information on just how many cultures this homogenization has affected.
ReplyDeleteI also have a similar experience as you. I moved to America when I was about 7. I had to learn English and get immersed into the culture so I can succeed the future. Now that I'm older I lost a lot of my vocab from my first language and I find it hard to speak with my parents. When I went back to my home country I saw a build that said "English is the Future". When I watched TV there I saw a lot of American pop culture influence. These things made me realize this homogenization of this big global culture around the world.
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