Going Global

A Chinese myth called the Red Thread of Fate claims that the gods tied a red thread around every one of our ankles and attached it to all of the people whose lives we are destined to touch.  I learned of this legend from Touch, an underrated show about a boy who can predict the future and see numbers and patterns that most people cannot.  His father is played by Kiefer Sutherland.  The show focuses on the interconnectedness between people around the world, a concept that sounds quite similar to  globalization.

Globalization began when a man embarked on a journey to a foreign land and brought home something new and exciting that everyone wanted—possibly silks from China or spices from India.  The expansive trade that followed led to the spread of goods as well as ideas and influenced movements such as the Renaissance.  Globalization grew by foot then by horseback then by ship and eventually by trains, planes, and automobiles.  This expansion caused Europeans' "discovery" and settlement of  North America, so without it, the United States would cease to exist.  

During my lifetime, globalization increased technologically more than geographically.
For example, in the 1990s, people only possessed cell phones to call other people, and everyone's phone included an antenna poking out of the top and buttons for numbers.  When I first convinced my parents to buy me a Motorola Razr, only a few of my friends and I could text, and I thought this was the coolest thing ever.  Now, cell phones serve as phones, mp3 players, gaming devices, televisions, and computers, and somehow still fit in our pockets.  We can access the entire world from any place and any time we want.  As a result, cell phones play a critical role in our culture, especially my generation.  I can safely say that most Americans are addicted to their phones and that Apple could control the world.

The Internet itself expands with globalization.  My generation witnessed the emergence of social media particularly Facebook and Twitter.  People can communicate and share events from across the planet in a matter of seconds.  We can find information on virtually any person by simply doing a little research.  Printed books, magazines, and newspapers are nearly irrelevant, because they can all be accessed online.  The Internet opened a world of endless information.  The power to manipulate the Internet, however, can produce issues like plagiarism, spreading of false facts, and leaks of private information.

Globalization is also strongly related to immigration.  America's richly diverse culture grew from the immigration of people from all over the world, and it continues to grow every day.  Hundreds of languages are spoken in the U.S. by people from a wide variety of races, ethnicities, and cultures.  As a teacher, I will work with many students from other countries and languages, and I am working on obtaining my English as a Second Language licensure.  Unfortunately, globalization and immigration have sparked discrimination and hatred among people across the planet chiefly as a result of ignorance.  I believe in extinguishing such hatred and spreading an appreciation for diversity among our students.

Globalization, whether through technology, immigration, transportation, economics, or the simple spreading of ideas, is a powerful concept that constantly shapes our world and connects and intertwines us by more and more red thread.  We truly live in a world without walls.
  

Exploring Below the Surface

A man clad in a plaid kilt, his head engulfed in a flaming red beard and mop of hair, stands atop an emerald hillside surrounded by sheep while playing "Oh Danny Boy" on his bagpipes.  He spends his nights in a village pub drinking Guinness, eating fried potatoes, and frequently dancing a jig.  He greets his friends with a "top of the mornin' to ya" and answers "aye, laddie" when asked if his favorite color is green.  In his spare time, he collects four-leaf clovers and searches for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the Loch Ness monster.  If he ever led an army into battle, he would recite William Wallace's entire speech from the movie Braveheart.  

I imagine such a person whenever I think of an Irishman or Scotsman.  Most Americans probably picture Lucky the leprechaun on the box of Lucky Charms cereal or the small, bearded, green men waving from floats in St. Patrick's Day parades.     

The media thwarts our images of other cultures.  Movies, television, games, books, and consumer products portray cultural stereotypes which represent only the very tip of the iceberg model of culture.  Cultures encompass a multitude of rich characteristics beyond food, music, language, and festivals.  To truly understand and appreciate another culture, we must dive below the surface and explore it, and the best way to do so is travel.  

When arriving in Paris during the honors college Europe trip last summer, our group expected the French to behave rudely and to strongly dislike us Americans.  We even tried speaking in British accents expecting them to act more politely toward us. However, most French people we encountered seemed quite friendly especially the street artists we met near the Sacre Coeur cathedral who were eager to talk to us about their work.  In London, people were also kind and helpful and often offering us directions in busy areas like the Picadilly Circus. 



Cultural awareness develops from interacting with people from other cultures, becoming aware of our own cultural dynamics and behaviors, and recognizing both the positive and negative aspects of cultural differences.  I am working to obtain a license to teach english as a second language, and every one of my ESL classes emphasizes the need to celebrate diversity.  I greatly look forward to immersing ourselves in the true Scottish and Irish cultures and exploring our similarities and differences.