ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

History of Technology 2: Pros and Cons of Globalization 160 Views


Share It!


Description:

Globalization is coming. Fun fact, that was the motto of House Stark before they changed it to "winter is coming." ...Don't hold us to that.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:02

Like everything else that exists globalization has some big advantages

00:06

and some big disadvantages let's start with the pluses like positive around [Rocks fall on person]

00:11

here all right probably the most widely

00:14

agreed-upon advantage of globalization is that it allows a massive exchange of

00:18

information better faster and more popular information technologies are

00:23

spreading around the world and allowing the free dissemination of info and cat

00:28

videos galore hey we're still trying to stay positive here or paw-sitive.... [Man watching video of a cat]

00:32

well some say that globalization is also

00:35

starting to give the world a sense of cultural unity lots of people think that

00:39

the sharing of information languages cultures ideas and stuff will help to

00:43

unite the globe you know like hey we're all humans in this thing together no [People battling with swords]

00:48

matter what our religious or ideological divisions are yay isn't it fun that we

00:53

all believe that and we're not constantly in some terrifying global

00:58

conflict well who knows... maybe one day the entire human population will

01:01

simultaneously hold hands and sing around of kumbaya [family singing songs by a piano]

01:05

all right well globalization is also helping to provide low-cost consumer

01:08

goods through the magical math of globalized economies cheap labor cheap

01:13

natural resources cheap transportation and tons of consumers equals $2 shirts [People grabbing 2 dollar shirts off a rack]

01:19

at Walmart what we never said they were stylish $2 shirts

01:22

well globalization is also creating larger market that's the tons of

01:27

consumers part from the earlier equation if the whole world is our markets and [Earth spinning]

01:31

businesses and corporations and ultimately individuals have the

01:35

potential to make bunches of money while technological equality is also helped

01:39

along by globalization this is another biggie...

01:42

so stop doodling pictures of dogs riding unicycles in your notebook school for [Boy doodling in notebook and man throws book away]

01:47

most of the 20th century there's been a huge technology divide between the super

01:50

developed West and the developing world through globalization that gap is [Man stood outside GAP]

01:55

closing yep charity commercials might show us

01:59

Africa being full of mud huts and sad children with flies on their faces [Children in Africa on the TV]

02:04

but Africans are totally taking advantage of a wave of new technologies

02:07

which is great, slow progress but progress nonetheless...

02:11

okay enough positives when lets change the music here to show we mean business

02:14

that's better nice and gloomy it's time to dig into globalization's [People eating at a cafe]

02:19

downside like how about wealth inequality all that wealth generating

02:24

stuff we mentioned before has a tendency to generate great wealth [Money raining]

02:28

for a select few the workers in the textile factories are definitely not

02:32

benefiting as much from the global economy some might even say that the

02:36

global economy is totally taking advantage event [Boss feeding an elephant]

02:39

well globalization has also created an increase in corporate power ginormous

02:43

corporations have tended to be the main folks regulating the global economy

02:47

which makes them bigger which gives them more dollars which makes them more [Building increases and dollar signs fall from sky]

02:51

powerful well it's kind of like how the Incredible Hulk gets bigger and stronger

02:54

the madder his enemies make him.. some people are totally fine with that but

02:58

others worry about giving power to folks who care more about money than local

03:01

communities.. Well globalization also increases the chances of environmental [Cons of globalization]

03:06

damage we've mostly talked about the money side of making that $2 t-shirt but

03:10

cotton doesn't fall from the sky which wouldn't be all that bad considering [Cotton balls fall from the sky]

03:15

sometimes giant chunks of ice fall from the sky and we take cotton any day every

03:19

stage of production has some pretty nasty environmental side effects too

03:23

growing more cotton means clearing more land and using the soil more intensively [Plane pours water over crops]

03:28

and spraying more chemicals, while harvesting it and transporting it takes

03:32

ton of fossil fuels and turning cotton into t-shirts in solution well throwing the

03:37

t-shirt away when it's stained in six months means growing landfills c'mom guys

03:42

buy a tie to go right... well some also complain that globalization is

03:47

creating a loss of cultural diversity well you know that whole sense of global

03:51

oneness well some people argue that it's taking away the unique awesomeness of [Family enjoying meal at the table]

03:56

each individual culture and smooshing us all toward one huge melting pot well

04:01

after all TGI Fridays is great but does it need to be just everywhere well some

04:07

also worried about financial instability that globalization can cause it looks

04:11

like this gigantic interconnected global economy isn't always stronger when [Economy working out]

04:15

everything happens instantaneously and everything is connected small events on

04:19

one side of the world can have a huge ripple effect [Butterfly flying over map of Earth]

04:22

like how the Great Recession in the US recently rippled across the world so

04:26

what's the verdict is globalization good or bad well it's a whole lot of both it

04:30

seems but either way it's coming and like yet another mediocre Fast and the [Vin Diesel standing as cars whizz past]

04:34

Furious sequel it cannot be stopped.

Up Next

GED Social Studies 1.1 Civics and Government
39791 Views

GED Social Studies 1.1 Civics and Government

Related Videos

Fake News
11936 Views

How do you tell fake news from real news?

Jane Eyre Summary
123033 Views

When you're about to marry the love of your life, not many things could stop you. However, finding out that your future hubby is keeping his crazy...

What is Shmoop?
91299 Views

Here at Shmoop, we work for kids, not just the bottom line. Founded by David Siminoff and his wife Ellen Siminoff, Shmoop was originally conceived...

ACT Math 4.5 Elementary Algebra
492 Views

ACT Math: Elementary Algebra Drill 4, Problem 5. What is the solution to the problem shown?