You may not have to leave home and go beyond the borders in order to have a product from a foreign country. If you were to look through your house right now, there is something that is not made in the country you are currently living in. According to our text Beyond Borders “Thinking Critically about Global Issues”, written by Paula S. Rothenberg, foreign markets and trade started with the British with slave trade, of slaves being transferred from Africa to America, in addition to tobacco and cotton. Recognizing the importance of trade “The aim was trade, and particularly trade which exploited the profitability of cheap labor in the overseas territories”, Rothenberg text page ninety four. Rivavalry among others such as the French, the Germans, the Belgians and the Dutch was apparent. Resources had to be pooled in order for this global system of exploitation to be successful. London was a place of key importance for trade issues, an intertwine of bankers, network of credit agencies, those who made commodities, bankers and insurance agencies worked together in order to have a prosperous civilization. Some may argue that the United States can be in comparison of how Britain plundered its wealth of other nations after World War I, in relation to trade, as the United States generally takes the lead in anything that affects the world today, for instance the disaster we have in Haiti at this time. Let it be known that after the buildup of Haiti, which is a good cause, it will be evident that United States and other countries have changed the cultural aspects of the country, by means of instated their laws, visions, goals, products, etc. Obliviously it’s no secret that the countries who trade the most between themselves and other countries are the United States and China. Throughout the world, there is a strong possible that each country culture authencity is ultimately affected due to the massive global trade today in addition to the fight to get money for their country after last year massive recession. Valuable information can be found on the Global Trade Information Services website which boosts information on over seventy reporting countries information of their imports and exports. After looking into this topic, I sort of wish I could be a fly on the wall and listen to the words from meetings of twenty world leaders, during the G20 conferences, concerning the financial crisis. It’s evident that the ability of one’s countries uniqueness is becoming no more, as we continue to merge and bind into a working world.
Article “Global Trade Deal Hopes Dwindle”, found on the BBC News Network website reports that problematic differences among London and Geneva can’t be solved, concerning trade barriers. Our access to foreign items such as food, clothes music art and literature has allowed diversity to prosper and given many a broader understanding of cultures. Many may discuss how influence of others have sparked a creativity process throughout the world, and argue that the process of countries/ cultures influencing one another creates a strong similarity taken away from their individuality of a particular culture/country. Apparently the fact is that cultures lose their distinctiveness and merge into one. Is it true that globalization has taken the identity of individual cultures and merged them together or is that individuals themselves have decided to merge into a different culture for their own benefit? One may argue that we are all individuals and have a right to diversity ourselves. It’s somewhat true that the choices individuals have such as the food they eat and the items they purchase will create a form of similarity among cultures. Who knows maybe there will actually be a Wal-Mart in every country or a McDonald’s and Starbucks littered throughout one’s country if there isn’t already, well not that I went on my own, thank you United States Air Force for sending me to twenty two countries that had a Starbucks. Well from viewing this website http://ictsd.org/ which offers us a brief guideline on how trade throughout the world is guided such as the discussion of Multilateral Trading System, Aid For Trade Programe, Competitiveness and Development Programme, Agricutlure Programme, China Programme, Disputed Settlement and Legal Aspects of International Trade,EPAs and Regionalism Progamme, Global Platform on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainable Energy and Environment with Natural Resources Programme, one could come to a better understanding of the makeup and interaction of trade, which I’m still lost at it. I do know that during last year political debate and according to MSNBC trade was a major concern, articled titled “ Trade, outsourcing and tariffs top’08 concerns’ where the presidential candidates discussing their views on the trade situation in America, perhaps their would be no issue, if we just created our own products, which would possible cause a problem. Although it’s no laughing matter and no offense to the country of China (I’m hopefully visiting the Great Wall this year) sometimes cultural authenticity must be affected/changed for health reasons like the incident of lead poisoning in jewelry, kids toys and other products from China, from viewing in article titled “ Feds Probe Cadmium in Kid’s Jewelry from China. There are numerous reasons that cultural authenticity may be altered.
When countries are developing, they often lack their own individuality because they have received help from another country or pulled from others own their own. Honestly, I can’t pinpoint where certain items originated from just by looking at them and I’m sure the majority of Americans can not either, without looking at that tag on their shirt or reading the label on the back of a food product or other consumer good. The fact that our world has becoming, so intertwine does not give any country or culture a chance to be truly different, because a twist is put on everything. For instance the type of food one eats is the same but may have a different flavor, does that make it unique or are people just being creative, because I can guarantee, that same recipe will not taste the same at a restaurant down the road in the same country. I can only pinpoint possibly vacation spots due to their location, makes a place different, but the goods that are their can be found in a different country. Although America is truly a diverse place to live, its roots lie with the millions of immigrants who have truly formed our nation, to be the one that it is. In terms of trade goods similarity and attraction played a key role. The economic competition for a nation to better than the other has truly spark the interest of many, in terms of finding cheap labor, parts, shipment cost and overall annual cost, countries like Korea, Japan and China are competing against one another, so that the American culture can buy from them. I can recall from my past visits of those particular countries, there are tons of products in country that they ship to the United States and from looking in my house, also shopping at Wal-Mart; it’s again evident that I don’t have to leave my house in order to find a product from another country. Many people may want an authentic item from a particular country as my relatives do when the visit Hawaii for the first time, it’s truly hard to have cultural differentiation in today’s world. When my visitors do come from “the mainland” and I take them for the island visitation, it’s honestly hard for me to distinguish certain things that are orginaly from Samoa or Fiji. Perhaps it’s because “Numerous studies have explored the extent to which a person likes others because of similar attitudes, values, beliefs, social status, or physical appearance”, Parrillo textbook pg 3 that has caused many countries to copy one another. The only suggestion that I can think of to solve cultural authenticity is that when trading products, restrictions of certain distinguish items be kept like they are, which details their uniqueness, almost as if they were going to a museum.
Reference Articles:
http://www.gtis.com/english/GTIS_WTA.html
http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/14/news/economy/g20_powerplay/index.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4422976.stm
http://ictsd.org/
http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/26011549/ns/politics-briefing_book_issues_08/page/2/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582734,00.html
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