Westernization vs. Globalization

One of the many McDonald's restaurants on a city street
in Gothenburg, Sweden

To what extent is globalization influenced by the Western world? These past two weeks have been filled with a lot of discussions-- especially ones centered around the idea of Westernization vs. Globalization. Along with Westernization, we have focused a bit on the idea of cultural homogenization and whether or not, as Steger claims, “Western norms and lifestyles are overwhelming more vulnerable cultures” (E&Z, 147). The concept of the effect of the Westernization-- and particularly Americanization-- within the global community has always been fascinating-- especially because it does seem to influence many cultural aspects in other countries. From my own experience, I was shocked when I saw children in Sweden wearing shirts with the American flag on them or New York Yankees hats despite not speaking English or having been to America. The concentration on the “American” image-- especially on American brands like Clavin Klein, Victoria’s Secret, McDonalds, and Apple-- seems to be one obvious effect of American influence within globalization. To me, American and Western influence within globalization is quite strong, and, as we talked about in class, this influence can be found in media, the economy, politics, culture, communication, and almost any other mode of expanding ideals. When thinking about Westernization and why it is so common, I am often drawn to think about the UN Security Council's five permanent members: France, China, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Three of the five permanent members are Western nations. Where is representation of Africa? Where is representation of South America? When, through politics and history, we continue to learn about and see Western states* as the most powerful, and, therefore the most important, we forget that opposing ideals are common and completely valid.

One of the interesting parts of Steger’s essay is the contrast of optimistic and pessimistic viewers of globalization. Steger discusses how globalization optimists like Francis Fukuyama “explicitly welcome[s] the global spread of Anglo-American values and lifestyles, equating the Americanization of the world with the expansion of democracy and free markets” (E&Z, 148). In class, we also talked about what happens when these democratic ideals are forced upon a country that is not ready for them. Often, these ideals will never be completely and willingly adopted in a country because of the country’s culture and beliefs. To see an example of Western/American influence on a country with strong cultural values that contrast American ideals, we’ll look at Bolivia.

This documentary by a New York Times reporter, Matheis Meier, serves as an example of the negative aspects that Westernization has on some cultures. Although many people believe that child labor is something that should be eradicated, the documentary offers an alternate perspective-- that of Andean culture-- and its reliance on child labor both culturally and economically. So, from the American perspective, we most likely see this child labor as wrong, but why? We have learned to view child labor as something negative, but the video's opposing argument offers, "In Bolivia, to eradicate child labor you would have to eradicate Andean culture". Not only this, but is it right for Bolivia to face economic sanctions if they are to keep the law allowing children of 10 years or older to work? How, if this is such a strong part of Andean culture, is it right for economic sanctions to further threaten the economic conditions of Bolivians who already rely on the money made by children who work? The video also mentions that the International Labour Union (a UN agency) plans to send a delegation to Bolivia to attempt to enforce the prohibition of child labor. This ties back into the discussion on what happens when democratic ideals are forced on a country when the country is not ready, as well as what happens when Western ideals are forced on a country that has a developed culture that contradicts those Western values.

Based on the information provided by this video, I don't believe that the answer lies in economic sanctions on Bolivia by external states, but rather in the stability of the institutions within Bolivia that prevent child labor from being exploited. I would be interested to learn more about the actual function of child labor in Andean culture rather than its economic function. Personally, I think that before international organizations begin to force the prohibition of child labor, more consideration should go into the value of child labor in Andean culture and in the lives of Bolivians. I offer these questions in attempt to point out flaws in the expansion of Western ideals. We may have varying opinions on how to answer some of the questions that I have posed, but it is important that we understand that Bolivian culture is completely valid and legitimate. Maybe discussing these questions will help us on our continuous journey to be global citizens.

*(This includes Canada, the United States, Western Europe, and Australia)