Globalization

Has Globalization been a Positive or Negative Force' There has always been debate on whether “Globalization” is positive, negative for the economies of the world. Two articles put both of these ideas in perspective for me. The first article was found on respected internet research site buzzle.com, written in 2008 by esteemed author, Prabhakar Pilai entitled: “The negative effects of Globalization”. Education.gov posted an article entitled: “Globalization: Positive or Negative which discussed the positive aspects of Globalization and its relationship to the world economy. Pilai presented the negative side of the fight listing many highly emotional (pathos) arguments such as the exploitation of labor, citing low wages and relaxed safety standards as problems and pollution caused by countries that have lax pollution regulation standards. Education.com took the positive side of the fight using ethos, citing its positive aspects of such as new job and industry creation in developing countries. Obviously these are emotionally charged issues…on both sides of the argument. Even with all of the persuasive negative aspects cited by Pilai, Education.coms’ view by using convincing logos -- is that globalism, if given a chance, will eventually prove to be beneficial carrying many from a life to poverty to prosperity. Pilai begins by listing many the many negative aspects of globalism using both pathos and ethos such as: 1- Developing nations have outsourced manufacturing and white collar jobs. This means less jobs for their people 2- Globalization has led to the exploitation of labor….Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods 3- Deadly diseases are spread by travelers to the remotest corners of the globe. Education .com begins in much the same way as Pilai by listing the many beneficial aspects of globalism, trying to appeal to both to the pathos and ethos of the audience in order to win their support. They list reasons such as: 1- Globalization has created the concept of outsourcing. Work such as software development, customer support, marketing, accounting and insurance is outsourced to developing countries like India. So the company that outsourced the work enjoys the benefit of lower costs because the wages in developing countries is far lower than that of developed countries. The workers in developing countries get employment. Developing countries get access to the latest technology. 2- Increased competition forces companies to lower prices. This benefits the end consumer. 3- Increased media coverage draws the attention of the world to human rights violations. This leads to improvement in human rights. While both articles making convincing appeals use both pathos and ethos appealing to their audiences’ logic and reason, education.coms positive stance is more convincing in that it continually cites instances of positive gain for the worker, employer and consumer making globalism a force that should not be discarded before it is given a real chance to succeed. The topic of globalization is a highly emotional and complicated. There are many legitimate reasons for and against globalization, but there is little doubt that globalization is the only way that nations large and small can truly benefit as a whole and develop the potential of the world economy.