In our last post, we touched upon the danger of only seeing situations from one perspective. We said that the only way to grow and understand our neighbors is to at least be aware of their philosophies and what is important to them. However, this is not enough. It rarely is. On that note, we are forced to take yet another shot at globalization. To us, globalization is a mostly financial movement. New ideas and innovations, no pun intended, are transported from one nation to all others in a mutually beneficial system. This seems to be a perfect system. Nevertheless, it is important to ask whether or not most Americans actually stop to consider what they are learning. Does anyone actually understand the significance of the new ideas presented? We think not.

It seems to us that most people absorb enough information about foreign cultures to get through the day, or the current business deal, but do not approach the ideas with the proper amount of respect. In this country we have stores like Smiling Buddha Tattoos, and no one says anything. A “Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret” cd has songs titled “Assoholic” and “Once a killer” and no one finds this offensive. However, one of us might be horrified to discover Jesus flakes being sold in an Asian market. Of course, the tagline would have to be “For that truly sanctified taste.” Thus is the problem with globalization: its levels of understanding and tolerance are superficial at best. This intolerance has the potential to lead to a serious misunderstanding between peoples. Imagine a foreign dignitary coming to tour the United States and seeing a blasphemous image of a religious figure. The ambassador may misconstrue this commercialism as a slap in the face of his/her culture. Imagine the negative feelings that could create. Imagine the trade relationships that may suffer when one nation feels wronged or disrespected.

A line has to be drawn somewhere. Everything can not be reduced to an all consuming drive for money. That’s the problem. Globalization has no limits. Nothing is sacred as long as there is some money to be had. Despite what globalization implies, there isn’t enough money in the world to heal a bruised ego, a damaged relationship or a violation of trust.

References

<http://www.amazon.com/Smilin-Buddha-Cabaret-54-40/dp/B00003IQHM>

Images taken from

<http://www.savannahtours.com/links.html

<http://www.thekarmacompany.com/viewalltees.html>