Summing Up - Unit 4

"To what extent should I, as a citizen, respond to globalization?"

This has been the main, guiding question behind our studies for Unit 4. When we get dressed in the morning, not many of us consider where that favourite sweatshirt was actually manufactured. Maybe low-paid workers in a Chinese sweatshop sewed together that cloth. Who knows? And where were the coffee beans that are essential to your morning cup of joe actually picked? Perhaps they were grown by a poor farmer in Ecuador, who was forced to sell them through free-trade instead of fair-trade. The main thing is, when you get dressed in the morning or drink a cup of coffee, do you even consider these possibilities? I believe that people who do are "aware" of the world around them. And I think that by becoming aware, we are taking the first steps to becoming a global citizen, and to actually responding to globalization.

I also believe that in our everyday lives, we are always responding to globalization in some way. By chatting online, using your MP3 player to watch a podcast or listen to your favourite music, or even just by eating the foods that you do, you are embracing globalization, and therefore responding to it, also. Without the ever-expanding world of globalization, we wouldn't have the MP3 players, the Internet, or the exotic foods that are available to us whenever we choose because of the trade system.

There are many ways that we can consciously react to globalization, also. There are organizations like PETA, which campaigns for better treatment of animals in today's society, or like Oxfam, which works to get rid of poverty. By joining an organizaiton that is related to an issue that is important to you, you are responding to globalization by joining a group either locally or globally that can make a difference in an area of the world around you.

Finally, I think that in order to make a difference in a troubled area of society or the world, we have to take a stand against it. Whether it seems like something small, such as starting an organization against bullying in our own school or joining a major organization that is against the declining state of the environment, everything can make a difference. By becoming a global citizen and being aware of the issues that are out there, we can make a bigger difference than we realize. I think that responding to globalization in the first place is the key: after that, if we continue to respond to issues in our global communities, there is no end to the help we can provide. So, in response to the unit question, I think that, as a citizen, I should respond to the issues of globalization as much as I can (without, of course, going overboard and overreacting) to make a difference in my community and in the world.

Lesson 4c

What is a global citizen? According to Oxfam (an NGO working to make poverty history), a global citizen as a person who: is aware of the wider world, respects and values diversity, is willing to act to help others, and accepts responsibility for his or her own actions. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the world could be described this way? If everyone realized that we are all crew aboard the Spaceship Earth, and the borders between countries don't really matter when we are all so truly connected, floating in space on the same chunk of land and water.

There will always be an issue for any of us to respond to that stems from globalization. If we decide to become active global citizens, which could be within civil society or simply within our own school environment, there is no end to the help that we could provide for the world's less fortunate. If we are aware that globalization has both harmed and helped our world, in respect to issues such as global warming (negative) or the interconnectedness of everyone through the Internet (which can be seen as positive - it has helped many non-profit organizations to get their message heard to many more people than thought possible before), we can find an area that needs volunteers that is important to us, and in this way we can respond to the effects of globalization - by being an active global citizen.

Lesson 4b

I believe that we choose our own roles in the globalizing world that we live in. We have to choose to take action when we want something to change in our community, or even in our world, and without our own persuasion to act, nothing would have happened in the first place. People like Mother Theresa wouldn't be considered "active citizens" unless they had the persistence and drive to make something happen, without relying on anyone else to give them that drive.

Even as students, we can make a difference. By starting an organization to fight a certain area of trouble in our community, we can greatly affect that area because we are standing up and taking action. Just like the Harry Ainley students' program, Breaking Borders, we can also break borders in our own schools or communities.

So, anyone can choose to become an active citizen, either locally or globally, or even both. We just need to muster the perseverance to get it done and to respond to whatever level we see fit to the effects of globalization.

Also, in today's reading we read about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and a speech that he gave that was on the topic of being a global citizen. I believe that, as he said, more and more of Canada is around the world. I hope that what we're exporting is positive: a helpful attitude and awareness of issues around the world, especially as more and more people are moving around the world from our country. We can respond to being a global citizen like Tutu explains by staying patient, polite, and helpful as we move about the world, and continue to help in areas that we are passionate about.

Lesson 4a - The Global Citizen

We are all passengers aboard the "Spaceship Earth". Some of us may even consider ourselves crew members - I believe that, like the crew of a real spaceship, the crew members will be the ones who are actively fighting for a greater, healthier, cleaner future, or "flightpath" for our spaceship. As a passenger or crew member aboard our spaceship, that also makes us a global citizen - we're all connected to each other in one way or another, and looking at a photo of the Earth just makes you realize how truly interdepent and close to everyone we actually are.

I believe that being a global citizen is different from being a citizen of the country in which you were born or currently live. Even though we live on the Earth, we don't have a passport or birth certificate that applies on a global level. I think that we can choose to become a true global citizen by taking action against some sort of global issue that can be responded to in our communities today.

By becoming a true global citizen, we are also responding to globalization to whatever extent we choose to take. By being aware of the issues around the world and considering our options on how to help the people who are directly affected by these issues, we are embracing the global citizen within, whether it be working towards a healthier environment with an environemntal organization within civil society, or supporting a governmental action against poverty. By making an effort, no matter how small, I believe that we are becoming a citizen of global proportions, as well as responding to the effects of globalization.

Lesson 3d - End of Lesson 3

When you think about it, in almost every aspect of our lives we are responding to globalization. Buying bananas grown in Ecuador is a response to globalization; chatting online with someone who you've never actually met is also a response. By living in the time we are living in now, almost everything we do is a response to globalization, either in the past or happening now.



Our communities today consist of more people than would have ever been possible before, because of the many means of communication and travel that are available to us. Our internet buddies are part of our community, as well as family, friends, and other citizens of both the global community and the smaller ones that we build our houses and lives in. When we log on to check our messages on a web site in the morning, we are responding to globalization by using one of the results of worldwide connectivity. But how MUCH should we respond? I think that, in this area, by using the Internet to expand your community, you can also expand your knowledge and friend base. Therefore, I think that it would be possible to go overboard and live your entire life on the web, but I also think it can be fun and informative to have friends that live across the oceans.

Organizations, governments, and everyday consumers all have ways of responding to globalization, and even making a difference in the lives of others affected negatively by it. If big organizations such as transnationals or governments can make a big difference if they decide they need to change a law or improve the quality of life for certain people or a society. We can also work through our governments if we feel strongly about a certain issue by bringing up the problem to them. As consumers, we can choose to buy fair-trade coffee instead of free-trade. We can buy organically-grown bananas instead of generic ones. We can make decisions that can greatly affect the people who grew the bananas you chop up in your cereal this morning, if we are aware of issues that exist around these areas.

So, I believe that we can respond to some aspects of globalization within reason: we don't want to go overboard, as I mentioned before, but having friends across the world doesn't have to work negatively for everyone. In other aspects of globalization, it can help to take a more active role in responding to those issues, such as environmental issues by joining an orgnanization or taking a certain issue to the government. I think that it depends on the issue that is on the table as to how much we should respond.

Lesson 3c

Many people around the world are very globally aware. They know what happens in other parts of the world, and in the ways that they can, they try to change it. They are responding to global issues and issues that result from globalization; all of them to a different degree or to a different issue. Not everyone will react the same way when they learn of torture in a third-world country, but deciding to make a difference in the life of one of those victims is what matters.

We can work to help people in other countries through many different means. By being a consumer, you can choose to buy fair-trade coffee, and the grower of the beans will get his fair share of the profits, which means he will be able to buy his family dinner tonight.

By becoming a part of civil society through community groups, NGOs, etc., you can make a difference by working towards goals set out by you and your group, and many groups in this sector of society have great influence on larger, even more influential groups, such as governments or groups like the UN.

Businesses and governments are also working towards goals that they have set. Some corporations have adopted ISO standards, to protect both the environment and their workers. Transnationals hold a position of power also - they are more than capable of making a difference in the world if they try hard enough. The government also holds a position like this - should they decide to change our countries to achieve their goals of fairness and equity, they are in a great position to reinforce a law like this.

Finally, I don't think it's how much we respond to issues caused by globalization, it's just that we do. No matter how small, I think that every action can make a difference.

Lesson 3b

The Black Death. The Spanish Flu. SARS. All three of these names may bring back awful memories, or strike fear into the hearts of people around the world. They are pandemics, epidemics that spread to the far reaches of the globe and back again. The Black Death killed about 75 million; the Spanish flu, about 100 million. SARS is the most recent epidemic, with the first case in 2002, and causing 774 deaths - fairly minor compared to the other two mentioned pandemics.


One of the reasons for SARS not getting majorly out of control, but the World Health Organization and other national health agencies that are developed specifically to deal with health issues like these took the actions necessary to protect the world's citizens. In a way, these organizations themselves are a response to globalization; without our ability to travel faster and further than ever before, pandemics would probably have a much harder time spreading.


But how can, or should, I respond to some of these aspects of expanding globalization? I think I can protect myself against diseases in other countries by following proper protection strategies if I travel to countries that have issues with certain diseases. Organizations such as the WHO protect citizens such as myself from issues like these everyday, and therefore, it is only right for me to follow their advice and precautions when travelling as well as everyday. This is one way to respond to this aspect of globalization.