John Green - Crash Course On Globalization Essay Example

What are the three reasons John Green gives for the increase in global trade

Multinationals have a global reach and are increasing immensely in power. This might be attributed to their wealth.
Travel and shipping have become affordable and safe. For instance, in the past it took more than one month of struggling to cross Atlantic which was rather cumbersome while today it takes less than five hours by plane and less than one week by ship.
Governments have increased tariffs and regulations in international trades leading to what may sometimes be termed as euphemistically free trade. Due to this you may ask yourself that in case this trade is so free how comes BBC America is in the premium package.

Discuss the “life and travels” of a tee shirt and why this scenario occurs

For clear understanding of the role of the government, we can apply the role of t-shirts. T-shirts especially the ones that are made in America contain almost 100% cotton. This does not imply that the US makes the best cotton or the most efficient one but rather the government tries as much as possible to subsidize cotton production. For instance, 30 years ago US cotton export had reduced so much just like countries such as India, Japan and while African cotton exports had gone up. This is why it is very common to find t-shirts which have been by Brazilian, India and Ugandan cotton or rather a mixture of cotton from around the world.
Since the government does not give subsidies to industries the way it gives to agricultural production, the actual weaving and spinning often occurs in lower wage countries. These countries may include Mexico, Vietnam, Guatemala, China, and India. After this has been done, the finished done are then transported to America and Europe for a process that is termed as screen printing.

Discuss why markets have changed in the last 30 years

According to stories about the industrial revolution, industrial powers produced most of the manufactured goods. These were then sold in the international markets. This does not mean that there was no domestic consumption as it was also very important. Apparently, earlier manufactured goods were produced by the Americans and consumed by them at the same time. In the past 30 years, however, the former non-industrialized parts of the world have been manufacturing goods for domestic markets to consume. For instance, the t- shirt made in China and Dominican Republic are sold in the local markets. This does not apply to only t-shirts but also electronic goods such as computers.
The international manufacturing countries have also been finding new markets to sell their products. This case applies to Brazil, which has huge technological sector. For example, they make things such as iPads which they must find markets for, and this has led to the changing in markets in the past 30 years.

What can we learn about globalization from Cookie Monster?

The story about cookie monster explains that you do not eat a cookie because you do not have the stomach and that it why you put cookie in your mouth. This is the reason if you put it in your mouth it crumbles then just falls. It is true that people will believe you when you state that you love cookies; this is because where you may have stomach you instead have someone’s aims. This is what makes you beautiful and a symbol of contemporary consumption. This means that you just keep eating even though you cannot eat. The lesson learned is that we continue to buy and consume other countries products even though we rarely use what we buy hence they just get wasted. This can be attributed to the fact that many countries also produce their goods.

Is globalization good or bad? Why did you arrive at the conclusion you offered?

Although many people might still not agree, it is apparent that globalization has ended well for a number people. For instance, it has increased a lot of capital economic output worldwide, and also created a lot of efficiency in the markets. Even though America auto workers may suffer from losing their jobs due to globalization, moving the manufacturing jobs from high wage to low wage countries has allowed many people to live better lives than how they used to live during the first and second world wars when few countries monopolized the manufacturing sector. Moreover, due to globalization close to 600 million people have come out poverty and join the wealthy group; besides, for poor countries such as Vietnamese, just stitching a pair of shoes means a lot to them. Finally, globalization also allows for easy credit and leverage as money also flows easily across the local and international boundaries of the countries. Overall, globalization is good since its advantages are more than its disadvantages. For instance, as compared to the number of people who have been hurt, so many families have benefited from it.

What have the consequences been when it comes to global interdependence?

One of the impacts of globalization is that migration has become so easy. Travel is very cheap as you only take a few plane trips in your life.
It has also been very easy and cheap to keep in touch with relatives who are far away using phones and the internet.
Poor countries can also seek economic opportunities that are much better in other countries. Moreover, people working abroad due to globalization can send a lot of cash home.

Discuss how personal freedoms have changed, especially since the 1960s. What consequences are we seeing because of these?

Discuss humanity’s effect on planetary resources and the consequences
In the past few years, there has been a lot of consumption of scarce economic resources. This is true as the human population put a lot of stress on economic resources of the environment. The major cause of this has been the overpopulation of the world. The world's population has grown very fast in the past few years, and the need for human resources has increased tremendously. Apart from overpopulation, some other reasons which have also led to these may include over-consumption and unsustainable developments. That may have even a larger impact on in the near future. This has wide and varied consequences since many countries with time may not be able to sustain themselves leading to a reduction in standard of living. Moreover, overstretched scarce resources have also led to issues such as global warming which is posing a huge risk to many countries.

Discuss how war, democracy, and economic success are impacted by globalization

There is no uniform way through which war, democracy and economic success impact on globalization, but in overall, some have impacted positively while others negatively. For instance, due to war many societies can learn from other societies or countries since intermingle and exchange and learn the cultures of the others. Democracy and economic success likewise have also impacted positively because due to economic success many countries have been able to develop very fast therefore attracting other people from the rest of the world and ensuring that they can achieve their goal of getting good jobs therefore achieving economic freedom. This has in turn led to more globalization spreading even to the remotest parts of the countries.

Do you agree or disagree that globalization is good or bad? Why?

Globalizing is good because it has led to economic development thereby leading to better standards of living among citizens.