Maps: (DANIELA)
https://www.1dea.me/2016/10/02/explain-importance-maps-human-geography/
This article, which comes from 1DEA.me, explains the sheer importance of maps in human geography. Maps are critical to research human geography because it provides context to information such as demographic data. Physical maps are also significant because it provides geographers spatial grounding and concrete evidence. This article does a great job explaining how maps are key to showing change over time through demographics or physical landscape. Maps give human geographers the opportunity and ease to look at concrete changes in infrastructure, settlement, and the economy, all very important aspects of the world. Across time, maps have been a universal item that has constantly benefited everyday movements. The effects of maps improve everyone’s lives, not just geographers, and thus, is important that we all recognize this. In summary, maps are a vital tool for human geographers b because it assists with research and presenting data/findings.
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-maps-can-deceive-us-1435680
This article comes from Thoughtco.com. Every day, the importance of maps increases, especially now with the help of new technology, they've become more accessible. However, the maps presented are often times very inaccurate. If one considers the variety of map elements, such as projection, symbolization, and scale, you will realize how inaccurate these elements are. We can thank this distortion to mapmakers. The first way that maps are distorted are due to the fact that mapmakers are trying to portray a 3-D world onto a 2-D surface. Without a doubt, this presents issues because the maps inherently have to be distorted in order to fit the entire world. Additionally, maps have to be readable and easy to understand, therefore, really distorting the realities of the world’s true size. One of the most common questions about mapmaking is in fact how the mapmakers flatten a globe to become 2-D. The answer to this question, which is explained in the article, says that map projections inevitably distort spatial properties and elements when creating the maps. Mapmakers get to choose which property they wish to preserve accurately on the map, depending on the map’s function. For example, a map useful for navigators makes sure the distance between two points on the map is accurate distances. However, this means that other parts of the map are distorted and not as accurate since this map’s function is one specific thing. Similarly, maps also distort geographic features due to areas, lines, and points. Transit maps for example often have distorted geographic attributes. Subway lines, in particular, are not as accurately depicted as they should be due to the lines and curves of the map. In conclusion, be aware of the maps you look at and really take a moment to ask yourself what they’re trying to tell you.
https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/africa/real-size-of-africa/index.html
This CNN article discusses the extreme distortion of countries and continents on world maps. For example, while Canada is a big nation, the way its portrayed on world maps is incredibly inaccurate. In reality, three Canadas would fit inside Africa. European cartographer Geert de Kremer, who is also known as Mercator, created this world map that we use every day in the 16th century. However, this article discusses how the extreme distortions of country and continent sizes on this map is so inaccurate that we need to stop looking at it as a common template of the world. As a result, several Boston schools are not using Mercator’s world map anymore, and are going against the tradition of using a lesser-known map made in the 1970s, which shows the true size of continents. However, even with new maps in the making, there is no perfect map. Due to the fact that earth is a sphere, it is impossible to reflect a 3-D shape onto a flat surprise without error relating to proportion and scale. An alternative map is currently being introduced to the world. Especially in the U.S. and Germany, maps are being created based off of the Winkel Tripel projection, which apparently has a smaller skewness, therefore, less distortion. This particular map is starting to replace Mercator’s map, but Mercator’s map is still dominating. This world map is projected as the map in Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and Bing, which is problematic because its the map that people use and see every day.
Globalization: (LAUREN)
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/globalization/
This source from National Geographic is a good introductory article for students to read about globalization. Globalization is such a broad topic and can be applied to many different ideas, and this source introduces a lot of them. It starts off by giving a comprehensive definition of globalization. The source then discusses globalization in history, showing how it has evolved over time. It goes as far back as ancient greek culture and covers main events up to today. Following is a discussion of globalization in communication, travel, popular culture, economy, and politics. In the communication section it emphasizes how much it has played a role in the increase of globalization. People can now communicate from miles away in seconds. Travel has also increased globalization, becoming faster and easier to move from place to place as time goes on. As for popular culture, it points out how trends have spread across countries. Clothing, foods, music, and movies are all becoming more globalized and more popular in places they did not originate. It then discusses globalization’s large impact on the economy, changing how countries trade and source their goods. Lastly, is the section on politics. The source shows how countries have started to work together on large scale problems and solutions. Overall, this source will introduce students to how broad globalization is and to some of the things it has changed. This article is also much less opinionated than others, allowing students to formulate their own opinions about globalization on different scales.
https://www.thebalance.com/globalization-good-or-bad-for-developed-countries-4011193
This article from The Balance discusses globalization from an economic standpoint. It describes globalization as the increase in the global trade of goods, services, capital, and technology. While many factors have increased global trade, the author attributes most of its growth to supply and demand economics and the desire to increase consumption. The first portion of the article talks about globalization’s benefits. The author argues that the core benefit of globalization is comparative advantage, giving countries the opportunity to produce goods or services at a lower cost than others. This mismatch of supply and demand allows countries to specialize in things that they can produce most efficiently and import the things they can not. The second portion of the article goes into the drawbacks that globalization presents. The author’s first point is that globalization is often criticized for taking jobs away from domestic companies and workers. If the country doesn’t have a comparative advantage in a field, it often disappears because they can not compete. The author also discusses the effects that globalization can have on the wages of the workers that maintain their jobs. Overall, this source can provide students with a better understanding of globalization from an economic standpoint. It does a good job of explaining economic concepts that one might not be familiar with and uses examples of trade in different countries to put the arguments into context. Specialization and supply and demand were topics we discussed in class and are vital to understanding globalization from an economic lens.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/upshot/globalization-pain-and-promise-for-rich-nations.html
This article from the New York Times argues that globalization has slowed down and a backlash to its policies is starting. The author believes that globalization leveled off a decade ago and will risk the recent push to reset the terms of the global economy. While many people believe that globalization is a constant process, this author believes that globalization moves in fits and starts with occasional reversals. He points out the period from 1990 to early 2000s to be the most recent period where economies became increasingly interconnected and believes that globalization has now entered a new phase. This new phase is distinguished with steady cross border trade in goods and services and lower international flows of capital. Looking at the international flow of money, cross border financial flows peaked in 2007 at twenty two percent and were down to only six percent in 2016. While the flow of capital has decreased in this new phase, the author argues that things like greater connectivity and communication that do not show up in this data have increased. More people are using social media platforms to connect, companies rely on freelance labor around the globe, and smaller enterprises are doing business through the internet with partners around the world. Overall, the author of this article believes that globalization should not be viewed as a perpetual system where people are more willing to do the same jobs for lower wages, characteristic of the latest major globalization period. Globalization does not increase steadily and effects different things at different points in time.
Capitalism: (SARAH)
http://justiceunbound.org/journal/the-the-principles-of-capitalism-and-their-effects-in-the-world/
This article, from justiceunbound.org, gives a detailed description of the ten general policies of capitalism that are seen around the world. The first policy is that the economy’s only purpose is to produce a profit. The second is that the gain of individual corporations takes precedence over the gain of countries. The third is that, if they work for it, the rich have unlimited growth regarding their wealth (so they can keep getting richer). The fourth is that economic growth only/mostly occurs through consumption, which is fueled by advertisements. The fifth policy involves deregulating the market through free trade agreements. The sixth policy is that any movement of capital should be without restriction. The seventh involves limiting taxes at the expense of the public and any services that they would be provided with. The eighth policy is that private property comes above everything else. The ninth policy is that natural resources can be made private with no consideration for the countries from which the resources come. The tenth and final policy is that nature can be marketed.
Basically, in a pure capitalist system, if something can make a profit, it’s fair game for privatization. Products are a priority, and everything else (environmental damage, impact on the people, relationships between countries) can be ignored. This system is favored by most private businesses and can seem to be very cutthroat. This information can be used when reading the two articles below, as some of the following facts will make more sense (for example, the lower socioeconomic classes tend to be against capitalism because it does not benefit them, while the opposite holds true for the higher socioeconomic classes.
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/031815/united-states-considered-market-economy-or-mixed-economy.asp
This brief, but informative, article comes from Investopedia. It gives an overview of the current economic system present in the United States, which is a mix of capitalism and socialism. According to the article, this system comes some freedom regarding capital, however the government can intervene for the benefit of the public. Pure capitalism, or an absolute free market system, involves an economy with virtually no government influence (everything is privately owned). This does not apply to the United States, which is why it is known as a mixed market economy.
The article then describes the many ways in which the government can interfere with the economy. The government is able to control (or at least somewhat influence) many goods and services and provide subsidies to various companies and producers. Additionally, private businesses must be registered, and most professionals must be licensed. Government organizations must approve the majority of goods/products and other regular business operations usually need to comply with sets of government regulations. Additionally, the government has a multitude of financial policies to keep the economy in check.
This source can provide geography students with information about the economy currently present in the United States. This has the potential to give context for the way things are within America, regarding socioeconomic classes and governmental policies/regulations, which can in turn shed some light on America’s foreign policies (that involve economics). For example, this article explains why it is possible for the government to exercise control over America’s trade with foreign nations.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-well-is-american-capitalism-working_us_59f2c98ce4b06ae9067ab7bc
This article from the Huffington Post gives us an overview of the way that America’s current free-market capitalist economy is affecting its citizens. According to the author, the corporate executives are thriving under the nation’s current economical set-up and would fare even better with less government regulations. America’s middle class is struggling, due to how expensive colleges/universities are and the limited financial support available for the retired members of the population. Those in the working class or living in poverty are desperate for change, as they are either homeless, living in squalor, or completely in debt. Then, the article explores what America’s future economy might look like based off two other types of capitalism present in the world. State Capitalism is currently used in Russia and China, which is basically a form of capitalism that involves a few people getting rich, and everyone else becoming poorer. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and France use a system called Social Capitalism, which makes citizens happier and more educated, but taxes the middle and upper classes much more heavily.
The author predicts that America will most likely end up following the Nordic countries’ version of capitalism, because it benefits a greater percentage of American citizens (most of the middle class, working class, and the poor). This source gives an excellent overview of capitalism around the world, as well as giving an overview of how capitalism effects a country’s socioeconomic classes. This source can help familiarize students (as well as a general audience) with varying economies and reminds us that, in general, no economy can be “better” than another. In every economic situation that was presented, someone won, and someone lost. This is a concept that can be remembered and reinforced by many of the topics covered in geography – from social phenomena to resolutions of the problems that the world faces.
Externalities: (ELLIE)
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/nov/26/capitalism-environment-green-greed-slow-life-symposium-tony-juniper
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/11/lost-hands-making-flatscreens-no-help
In another article from the Guardian, Rosa Morena details a personal account of losing both of her hands as a result of a very unfortunate machinery mishap and poor factory management. Unfortunately, Rosa’s experience is not isolated, but instead exists among countless others as victims of inhumane treatment and poor working conditions at the hands of greed. Her story begins as an average day at the HD Electronics factory, until one of the large pieces of machinery falls on top of her, effectively crushing her hands. After 10 minutes of waiting with her hands crushed, a fellow co worker managed to wedge something under the machinery long enough her her to pull out her mangled hands. She had to have both of her hands and parts of her arms amputated, and worried how she would continue to support her six children as a single parent with a serious injury and no ability to work for a wage. She had no assistance getting proper legal assistance, and was even told to beg for money on the streets. After finally getting a lawyer by her own, unrelenting efforts, her trial was called off due to a technicality and she was given no chance to respond. Currently, she is surviving on a small disability benefit from the government and the wage her eldest daughter makes instead of attending school. This disheartening account of injustice is the result of externalizing the cost of labor to areas that don’t enforce protective laws or have minimum wages. That idea along with the profit motive of capitalism are concepts discussed in the course and remain applicable to this source.
https://truthout.org/articles/capitalist-economies-create-waste-not-social-value/
This article features an excerpt from a book by Fred Magdoff and Chris Williams titled Creating an Ecological Society: a Revolutionary Transformation that seeks to explore the answers to the question of what a “truly just, equal, and ecologically sustainable future look like” and why it would require us to leave capitalism behind. This article details hoe Magdoff and Williams expose the massive amounts of waste generated by capitalism in the modern day, including by the prison-industrial complex, housing and food system in the United States — not to mention the immensely expensive and wasteful US military. The ideas of planned and perceived obsolescence are discussed in the context of capitalism’s pursuit to generate mass amounts of wealth even if it means creating unnecessary waste of perfectly functioning products. The article explores the economic surplus that accumulates at alarming levels, subsequently impacting the state of consumption and the culture that surrounds it. The hyper-production, consumption, and eventual disposal of all the goods leads to a devastatingly unsustainable system that survives off of temporary solutions and the pursuit of private profit. This profit motive negatively influences every aspect of society, whether it be the wasting of edible food, the increased use of shipping material and gas for e-commerce, or the mass consumption of fossil fuels by the U.S. military. The concepts of planned and perceived obsolescence, as well as the detrimental effects of externalities all remain relevant to the ideas that were taught during the course. Capitalism and its cyclical, dead-end system also remains applicable to the ideas we learned in class.
Solutions: (AVA)
https://sustainableconnections.org/why-buy-local/
This source provides a very simple, visually engaging, and easy to understand explanation of the benefits of buying locally sourced goods. At the top of the web page, there is also a link leading to a variety of studies that explain the economic and environmental benefits of buying local products. As explained in the blog posts, one of the biggest solutions to protecting the environment and minimizing externalized costs is attempting to focus on local goods and services. This source supports and educates about how local services and economies can protect the environment and protect the people impacted by the negative effects of capitalism. On this website, you can also find other information on ways to live sustainably in general, providing opportunities for further learning and development of a fair and sustainable lifestyle.
When we think about motivating ourselves to change the narrative surrounding the negative effects of globalization, one of the biggest things that we can do to protect our planet and protect the rights of people who often have their livelihood stolen by the externalized costs of globalization is invest in our local economies. Local goods directly support local economies, and often times have less impact on the environment as they do not have to be transported from distant locations in order to reach the consumer. Additionally, when products are produced locally, the don’t exploit cheap labor sources from other countries, thus protecting the rights of countless people. Take a look and see how you could protect our world and buy local.
https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/2017/08/22/ultimate-guide-eco-friendly-living/
As many of the blog posts on this webpage have mentioned, one of the most important things that we can do to make this world a better place is to focus on sustainability and the ways that we can protect the environment. Often times, the prospect of saving the world is only viewed from a larger scale: what can lawmakers do, what can the government do, what can companies do. However, the truth is that ever little action that every person takes eventually adds up makes a difference for the planet. One of the main reasons that this web page stands out is the multitude of different actions that they suggest one can take to protect the planet. It truly offers an option for everyone, and with such an extensive list, you can choose to commit yourself to whatever seems most reasonable and doable for you. Also, the web page is incredibly simple to navigate, is visually engaging, and provides solutions in comprehensive language. It is a quick, but incredibly valuable read.
The topics discussed on this web page directly connect to the concepts of minimizing the externalities of globalization. In contrast to the website listed first, this page offers a broad overview of the actions that one can take to protect the environment. Globalization tends to focus on capitalistic beliefs of maximizing profits, no matter the toll it takes. The environment ends up suffering as a result of CO2 emissions from factory production and transportation. Any move that we make to protect the environment goes further than we think, and it all begins with the willingness to change.
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-make-the-world-a-better-place
This connects to globalization because these are the human externalities of a world fully engulfed by the effects of capitalisms’ spread around the world. The externalized costs to the lives of so many people are a problem that must be fixed if we hope to create a fairer and more equal world. This webpage offers simple and practical solutions to being to minimize the effects of externalities, thus working to little by little, and person by person, make this crazy world that we are living in a better place for everyone.
https://www.1dea.me/2016/10/02/explain-importance-maps-human-geography/
This article, which comes from 1DEA.me, explains the sheer importance of maps in human geography. Maps are critical to research human geography because it provides context to information such as demographic data. Physical maps are also significant because it provides geographers spatial grounding and concrete evidence. This article does a great job explaining how maps are key to showing change over time through demographics or physical landscape. Maps give human geographers the opportunity and ease to look at concrete changes in infrastructure, settlement, and the economy, all very important aspects of the world. Across time, maps have been a universal item that has constantly benefited everyday movements. The effects of maps improve everyone’s lives, not just geographers, and thus, is important that we all recognize this. In summary, maps are a vital tool for human geographers b because it assists with research and presenting data/findings.
For the reasons explained in the above article, it is critical for everyone to know the positive effects of maps. However, although they’re beneficial to the world, our geography 101 course has shown us how the use of maps can be severely skewed, presenting incorrect information to lead the audience to think a certain way. therefore, it is important to carefully analyze maps when seeing them and ask yourself what the article/context is actually trying to tell you, rather than what the map is trying to show. Maps are more commonly skewed, presenting incorrect information more often than you would think. If your curiosity is captured, take a look at the tag “Maps” on our website. There you will be sure to find articles that explain and show severe cases where the maps presented in news articles are completely emitting false and incorrect information.
This article comes from Thoughtco.com. Every day, the importance of maps increases, especially now with the help of new technology, they've become more accessible. However, the maps presented are often times very inaccurate. If one considers the variety of map elements, such as projection, symbolization, and scale, you will realize how inaccurate these elements are. We can thank this distortion to mapmakers. The first way that maps are distorted are due to the fact that mapmakers are trying to portray a 3-D world onto a 2-D surface. Without a doubt, this presents issues because the maps inherently have to be distorted in order to fit the entire world. Additionally, maps have to be readable and easy to understand, therefore, really distorting the realities of the world’s true size. One of the most common questions about mapmaking is in fact how the mapmakers flatten a globe to become 2-D. The answer to this question, which is explained in the article, says that map projections inevitably distort spatial properties and elements when creating the maps. Mapmakers get to choose which property they wish to preserve accurately on the map, depending on the map’s function. For example, a map useful for navigators makes sure the distance between two points on the map is accurate distances. However, this means that other parts of the map are distorted and not as accurate since this map’s function is one specific thing. Similarly, maps also distort geographic features due to areas, lines, and points. Transit maps for example often have distorted geographic attributes. Subway lines, in particular, are not as accurately depicted as they should be due to the lines and curves of the map. In conclusion, be aware of the maps you look at and really take a moment to ask yourself what they’re trying to tell you.
This CNN article discusses the extreme distortion of countries and continents on world maps. For example, while Canada is a big nation, the way its portrayed on world maps is incredibly inaccurate. In reality, three Canadas would fit inside Africa. European cartographer Geert de Kremer, who is also known as Mercator, created this world map that we use every day in the 16th century. However, this article discusses how the extreme distortions of country and continent sizes on this map is so inaccurate that we need to stop looking at it as a common template of the world. As a result, several Boston schools are not using Mercator’s world map anymore, and are going against the tradition of using a lesser-known map made in the 1970s, which shows the true size of continents. However, even with new maps in the making, there is no perfect map. Due to the fact that earth is a sphere, it is impossible to reflect a 3-D shape onto a flat surprise without error relating to proportion and scale. An alternative map is currently being introduced to the world. Especially in the U.S. and Germany, maps are being created based off of the Winkel Tripel projection, which apparently has a smaller skewness, therefore, less distortion. This particular map is starting to replace Mercator’s map, but Mercator’s map is still dominating. This world map is projected as the map in Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and Bing, which is problematic because its the map that people use and see every day.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/globalization/
This source from National Geographic is a good introductory article for students to read about globalization. Globalization is such a broad topic and can be applied to many different ideas, and this source introduces a lot of them. It starts off by giving a comprehensive definition of globalization. The source then discusses globalization in history, showing how it has evolved over time. It goes as far back as ancient greek culture and covers main events up to today. Following is a discussion of globalization in communication, travel, popular culture, economy, and politics. In the communication section it emphasizes how much it has played a role in the increase of globalization. People can now communicate from miles away in seconds. Travel has also increased globalization, becoming faster and easier to move from place to place as time goes on. As for popular culture, it points out how trends have spread across countries. Clothing, foods, music, and movies are all becoming more globalized and more popular in places they did not originate. It then discusses globalization’s large impact on the economy, changing how countries trade and source their goods. Lastly, is the section on politics. The source shows how countries have started to work together on large scale problems and solutions. Overall, this source will introduce students to how broad globalization is and to some of the things it has changed. This article is also much less opinionated than others, allowing students to formulate their own opinions about globalization on different scales.
https://www.thebalance.com/globalization-good-or-bad-for-developed-countries-4011193
This article from The Balance discusses globalization from an economic standpoint. It describes globalization as the increase in the global trade of goods, services, capital, and technology. While many factors have increased global trade, the author attributes most of its growth to supply and demand economics and the desire to increase consumption. The first portion of the article talks about globalization’s benefits. The author argues that the core benefit of globalization is comparative advantage, giving countries the opportunity to produce goods or services at a lower cost than others. This mismatch of supply and demand allows countries to specialize in things that they can produce most efficiently and import the things they can not. The second portion of the article goes into the drawbacks that globalization presents. The author’s first point is that globalization is often criticized for taking jobs away from domestic companies and workers. If the country doesn’t have a comparative advantage in a field, it often disappears because they can not compete. The author also discusses the effects that globalization can have on the wages of the workers that maintain their jobs. Overall, this source can provide students with a better understanding of globalization from an economic standpoint. It does a good job of explaining economic concepts that one might not be familiar with and uses examples of trade in different countries to put the arguments into context. Specialization and supply and demand were topics we discussed in class and are vital to understanding globalization from an economic lens.
This article from the New York Times argues that globalization has slowed down and a backlash to its policies is starting. The author believes that globalization leveled off a decade ago and will risk the recent push to reset the terms of the global economy. While many people believe that globalization is a constant process, this author believes that globalization moves in fits and starts with occasional reversals. He points out the period from 1990 to early 2000s to be the most recent period where economies became increasingly interconnected and believes that globalization has now entered a new phase. This new phase is distinguished with steady cross border trade in goods and services and lower international flows of capital. Looking at the international flow of money, cross border financial flows peaked in 2007 at twenty two percent and were down to only six percent in 2016. While the flow of capital has decreased in this new phase, the author argues that things like greater connectivity and communication that do not show up in this data have increased. More people are using social media platforms to connect, companies rely on freelance labor around the globe, and smaller enterprises are doing business through the internet with partners around the world. Overall, the author of this article believes that globalization should not be viewed as a perpetual system where people are more willing to do the same jobs for lower wages, characteristic of the latest major globalization period. Globalization does not increase steadily and effects different things at different points in time.
http://justiceunbound.org/journal/the-the-principles-of-capitalism-and-their-effects-in-the-world/
This article, from justiceunbound.org, gives a detailed description of the ten general policies of capitalism that are seen around the world. The first policy is that the economy’s only purpose is to produce a profit. The second is that the gain of individual corporations takes precedence over the gain of countries. The third is that, if they work for it, the rich have unlimited growth regarding their wealth (so they can keep getting richer). The fourth is that economic growth only/mostly occurs through consumption, which is fueled by advertisements. The fifth policy involves deregulating the market through free trade agreements. The sixth policy is that any movement of capital should be without restriction. The seventh involves limiting taxes at the expense of the public and any services that they would be provided with. The eighth policy is that private property comes above everything else. The ninth policy is that natural resources can be made private with no consideration for the countries from which the resources come. The tenth and final policy is that nature can be marketed.
Basically, in a pure capitalist system, if something can make a profit, it’s fair game for privatization. Products are a priority, and everything else (environmental damage, impact on the people, relationships between countries) can be ignored. This system is favored by most private businesses and can seem to be very cutthroat. This information can be used when reading the two articles below, as some of the following facts will make more sense (for example, the lower socioeconomic classes tend to be against capitalism because it does not benefit them, while the opposite holds true for the higher socioeconomic classes.
This brief, but informative, article comes from Investopedia. It gives an overview of the current economic system present in the United States, which is a mix of capitalism and socialism. According to the article, this system comes some freedom regarding capital, however the government can intervene for the benefit of the public. Pure capitalism, or an absolute free market system, involves an economy with virtually no government influence (everything is privately owned). This does not apply to the United States, which is why it is known as a mixed market economy.
The article then describes the many ways in which the government can interfere with the economy. The government is able to control (or at least somewhat influence) many goods and services and provide subsidies to various companies and producers. Additionally, private businesses must be registered, and most professionals must be licensed. Government organizations must approve the majority of goods/products and other regular business operations usually need to comply with sets of government regulations. Additionally, the government has a multitude of financial policies to keep the economy in check.
This source can provide geography students with information about the economy currently present in the United States. This has the potential to give context for the way things are within America, regarding socioeconomic classes and governmental policies/regulations, which can in turn shed some light on America’s foreign policies (that involve economics). For example, this article explains why it is possible for the government to exercise control over America’s trade with foreign nations.
This article from the Huffington Post gives us an overview of the way that America’s current free-market capitalist economy is affecting its citizens. According to the author, the corporate executives are thriving under the nation’s current economical set-up and would fare even better with less government regulations. America’s middle class is struggling, due to how expensive colleges/universities are and the limited financial support available for the retired members of the population. Those in the working class or living in poverty are desperate for change, as they are either homeless, living in squalor, or completely in debt. Then, the article explores what America’s future economy might look like based off two other types of capitalism present in the world. State Capitalism is currently used in Russia and China, which is basically a form of capitalism that involves a few people getting rich, and everyone else becoming poorer. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and France use a system called Social Capitalism, which makes citizens happier and more educated, but taxes the middle and upper classes much more heavily.
The author predicts that America will most likely end up following the Nordic countries’ version of capitalism, because it benefits a greater percentage of American citizens (most of the middle class, working class, and the poor). This source gives an excellent overview of capitalism around the world, as well as giving an overview of how capitalism effects a country’s socioeconomic classes. This source can help familiarize students (as well as a general audience) with varying economies and reminds us that, in general, no economy can be “better” than another. In every economic situation that was presented, someone won, and someone lost. This is a concept that can be remembered and reinforced by many of the topics covered in geography – from social phenomena to resolutions of the problems that the world faces.
Externalities: (ELLIE)
This article in The Guardian seeks to examine whether it is even possible for our society to continue operating in a constantly expanding capitalist economy, or if the deeply rooted profit motive is enough to cause the whole system to self-destruct. The author discusses the harsh demands of capitalism and its limiting opportunities, as well as what it means for the ability of those who want to be more environmentally conscious. Ultimately, the article arrives at the conclusion that, while capitalism doesn’t seem to be slowing any time soon, its effects are urgent and capable of mass destruction. The negative externalities that exist are basically the “public costs that come from the private pursuit of profit”. The author explores some of the seemingly common sense, feasible ways of strivinging towards a more environmentally conscious version of capitalism, but many companies still insist on ignoring the long term effects. If institutions continue depleting space and resources, it is inevitable that the consequential emise is not only for the public, but of the institutions themselves. Finally, the article arrives at an ultimatum. We as a society either collectively work towards an alternative version of capitalism, or the system we know becomes destroyed and we wait to see what comes of it. The major concepts reflected in this article that are relevant to those in the course would be how globalization and it’d increased connectivity facilitates the expansion of capitalism, whose pursuit of private profit drives many institutions to externalize their costs in effort to find a spatial fix and accumulate the most wealth as possible.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/11/lost-hands-making-flatscreens-no-help
In another article from the Guardian, Rosa Morena details a personal account of losing both of her hands as a result of a very unfortunate machinery mishap and poor factory management. Unfortunately, Rosa’s experience is not isolated, but instead exists among countless others as victims of inhumane treatment and poor working conditions at the hands of greed. Her story begins as an average day at the HD Electronics factory, until one of the large pieces of machinery falls on top of her, effectively crushing her hands. After 10 minutes of waiting with her hands crushed, a fellow co worker managed to wedge something under the machinery long enough her her to pull out her mangled hands. She had to have both of her hands and parts of her arms amputated, and worried how she would continue to support her six children as a single parent with a serious injury and no ability to work for a wage. She had no assistance getting proper legal assistance, and was even told to beg for money on the streets. After finally getting a lawyer by her own, unrelenting efforts, her trial was called off due to a technicality and she was given no chance to respond. Currently, she is surviving on a small disability benefit from the government and the wage her eldest daughter makes instead of attending school. This disheartening account of injustice is the result of externalizing the cost of labor to areas that don’t enforce protective laws or have minimum wages. That idea along with the profit motive of capitalism are concepts discussed in the course and remain applicable to this source.
https://truthout.org/articles/capitalist-economies-create-waste-not-social-value/
This article features an excerpt from a book by Fred Magdoff and Chris Williams titled Creating an Ecological Society: a Revolutionary Transformation that seeks to explore the answers to the question of what a “truly just, equal, and ecologically sustainable future look like” and why it would require us to leave capitalism behind. This article details hoe Magdoff and Williams expose the massive amounts of waste generated by capitalism in the modern day, including by the prison-industrial complex, housing and food system in the United States — not to mention the immensely expensive and wasteful US military. The ideas of planned and perceived obsolescence are discussed in the context of capitalism’s pursuit to generate mass amounts of wealth even if it means creating unnecessary waste of perfectly functioning products. The article explores the economic surplus that accumulates at alarming levels, subsequently impacting the state of consumption and the culture that surrounds it. The hyper-production, consumption, and eventual disposal of all the goods leads to a devastatingly unsustainable system that survives off of temporary solutions and the pursuit of private profit. This profit motive negatively influences every aspect of society, whether it be the wasting of edible food, the increased use of shipping material and gas for e-commerce, or the mass consumption of fossil fuels by the U.S. military. The concepts of planned and perceived obsolescence, as well as the detrimental effects of externalities all remain relevant to the ideas that were taught during the course. Capitalism and its cyclical, dead-end system also remains applicable to the ideas we learned in class.
This source provides a very simple, visually engaging, and easy to understand explanation of the benefits of buying locally sourced goods. At the top of the web page, there is also a link leading to a variety of studies that explain the economic and environmental benefits of buying local products. As explained in the blog posts, one of the biggest solutions to protecting the environment and minimizing externalized costs is attempting to focus on local goods and services. This source supports and educates about how local services and economies can protect the environment and protect the people impacted by the negative effects of capitalism. On this website, you can also find other information on ways to live sustainably in general, providing opportunities for further learning and development of a fair and sustainable lifestyle.
When we think about motivating ourselves to change the narrative surrounding the negative effects of globalization, one of the biggest things that we can do to protect our planet and protect the rights of people who often have their livelihood stolen by the externalized costs of globalization is invest in our local economies. Local goods directly support local economies, and often times have less impact on the environment as they do not have to be transported from distant locations in order to reach the consumer. Additionally, when products are produced locally, the don’t exploit cheap labor sources from other countries, thus protecting the rights of countless people. Take a look and see how you could protect our world and buy local.
As many of the blog posts on this webpage have mentioned, one of the most important things that we can do to make this world a better place is to focus on sustainability and the ways that we can protect the environment. Often times, the prospect of saving the world is only viewed from a larger scale: what can lawmakers do, what can the government do, what can companies do. However, the truth is that ever little action that every person takes eventually adds up makes a difference for the planet. One of the main reasons that this web page stands out is the multitude of different actions that they suggest one can take to protect the planet. It truly offers an option for everyone, and with such an extensive list, you can choose to commit yourself to whatever seems most reasonable and doable for you. Also, the web page is incredibly simple to navigate, is visually engaging, and provides solutions in comprehensive language. It is a quick, but incredibly valuable read.
The topics discussed on this web page directly connect to the concepts of minimizing the externalities of globalization. In contrast to the website listed first, this page offers a broad overview of the actions that one can take to protect the environment. Globalization tends to focus on capitalistic beliefs of maximizing profits, no matter the toll it takes. The environment ends up suffering as a result of CO2 emissions from factory production and transportation. Any move that we make to protect the environment goes further than we think, and it all begins with the willingness to change.
At the end of the day, most of us just want to do the best that we can for the people around us, the planet we live on, and for ourselves. It can be very easy to get caught up in the hustle of our daily lives, but if we just slow down, we can realize that there is so much we can do to make this world that we all live in a better place. This website really stood out because it divides the actions that we can take to improve our world into several simple and well divided categories that clearly explain the ways that you can help to improve the quality of life of people in your community and communities around the world. In many developing nations, it is the grip of capitalism that has prevented the development of a high quality of life and wellbeing of those living there. Because capitalism exploits cheap labor sources overseas forces people to work long hours to simply make a livable wage, often times the countries where these factories are housed end up with poor living conditions and little hope for the future.
This connects to globalization because these are the human externalities of a world fully engulfed by the effects of capitalisms’ spread around the world. The externalized costs to the lives of so many people are a problem that must be fixed if we hope to create a fairer and more equal world. This webpage offers simple and practical solutions to being to minimize the effects of externalities, thus working to little by little, and person by person, make this crazy world that we are living in a better place for everyone.
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