Introduction
The description of globalization has been as dynamic as the extent of its influence. In the contemporary society, the word globalization is used to refer to the continuous process through which economies, societies and cultures are brought together by global communication and networks of exchange (Pederson, 2011).
Globalization is one of the global issues that have attracted heated debates. A considerable faction of the world population support the idea of globalization, while an even larger faction is against the idea based on the effects that globalization has hitherto had on the world.
The greatest arguments against globalizations are, perhaps, its contribution to inequality, its ability to spread financial shocks throughout the world, its effect on cultures and the spread of businesses and diseases across borders, which affect people negatively. This paper is an in-depth investigation of the individual arguments of the opponents of globalization.
Wealth disparities
One area where globalization has failed miserably is its inability to rid the world of poverty. The design of globalization ideas and strategies is made with the objective of making globalization an unstoppable force driving global development. However, globalization has proved to be, more or less, of an economic temptress. This is because globalization gives the promise of riches to everyone but it only delivers the riches to a few.
To prove this, the global per capita average income was on the rise in the 20th century but the income gap between countries widened for decades (Williamson, 2002). In summary, globalization has contributed to the ever-increasing wealth disparity between and within countries.
To exemplify the contribution of globalization to wealth disparities within nations, it is common knowledge that countries in Southeast Asia grew considerably in the decades that have just passed. However, the growth in these countries was not homogenous. It was mainly enjoyed by the upper class that saw a tremendous rise in incomes, while the poor only got negligible rise in incomes (Osland, 2003).
Mistakes in individual countries affect the whole world
Another major argument against globalization is the fact that globalization makes countries operate like individuals in a village, where a mistake by one individual is bound to affect the rest of the villagers. This has been especially the case with markets for products and financial matters in general.
In the past, before globalization took root, financial mistakes by individual countries had little, if any, effect on the other countries. The situation has however, changed with the advent of globalization. In the current state of affairs, if an upcoming country like Mexico or Brazil experiences a financial downturn, most of the other countries in the world will be immensely affected by this downturn.
A real-life and specific example of this effect of globalization are the banking crisis that was experienced in the U.S (London, 2011). The aforementioned banking crisis led to economic downturns across the world. The world is yet to recover fully from the crisis that was created by the Banking crisis in America.
Homogenization of world cultures
Globalization can also be blamed for the change in cultures that has been evident world over. Globalization has enabled countries to find markets for their cultural products in global markets. This has made people in different countries to consume cultural products that have come from cultures that are very different from their culture.
Such products include music, clothes, art works, entertainment etc. This, in turn, leads to lose of cultural values in areas where the imported cultures are valued more than the indigenous cultures (Collins, 2010). The long-term product of the effect of globalization on cultures is that cultures will eventually be homogenized, since countries will follow cultures that are regarded as the best, or at least the most influential.
Other more commercial products also have their effect on cultures. For instance, when countries open their trade borders, many foreign corporations enter the countries to do their business there. The effect of this kind of move is that influential foreign brands like Wall-mart, McDonald’s, and Starbucks of the United States trading culture will be part of the culture of the destination country.
It is feared that in the end, such powerful brands will absorb the cultures of foreign countries and that in every country, the Wall-mart and McDonald’s will be the dominant brands. The end-result will thus be a homogenous culture across the globe (Osland, 2003).
The spread of business and diseases affects people
Globalization affects local businesses and some local workers negatively. In the U.S. for example, all TVs were locally manufactured in the past. Nowadays, the U.S. imports all Televisions. This has indubitably, had a negative effect on local manufacturers and workers who are skilled in the manufacture of TVs. Similarly, the U.S exports some of its foodstuffs to Mexico. This implies that farmers in Mexico have been negatively affected by these food imports, and they may be driven out of business by the large American farmers.
Diseases can also be spread easily thanks to globalization. A person infected with a contagious disease could be in Australia and move to the U.S. in hours. HIV and AIDs has also been spread in every corner of the globe thanks to globalization.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is apparent that globalization has had many negative effects on countries across the globe. Despite the fact that the positive side of globalization presents opportunities to individuals and countries that can be exploited to counter most of the negative effects, other negative effects like the spread of diseases and cultures cannot be countered. It is thus apparent that globalization is an unfortunate advancement that the world made.
Reference List
Collins, M. (2010). The Pros And Cons Of Globalization. Web.
London, S. (2011). The Perils of Globalization: An Interview with Jerry Mander. Web.
Osland, J. (2003). Broadening the debate: the pros and cons of globalization. Journal of Management Inquiry. Web.
Pederson, K. (2011). The Pros and Cons of Globalization. Web.
Williamson, L. (2002). Globalization: good or bad? Web.