Shift happens

The Shift Happens video presents a lot of staggering facts and predictions that are difficult to take in all at once, but that individually challenge one to think in larger, more global terms than normal. I found the population facts about China and India especially surprising, especially when comparing these numbers to the U.S. numbers. It is obvious from these populations shifts and from much of our material this semester that global dynamics will be changing in huge ways. Many Americans assume that the U.S. will always be THE global superpower, but, as we have learned, we are already losing jobs to China, and there is a trade deficit that favors China. With the capabilities that the Chinese (and other countries) are developing in the realms of technology and manpower, the U.S. will soon be ousted from their top position. This is scary to think about, in terms of democracy and human rights. Currently, the U.S. has a lot of power in what is happening in other countries as well as our own, and if China were to gain control of this power, with their track record of suppression of their own people, it is frightening to think of the implications this has on the rest of the world.

Urban/Suburban/Rural Life

I lived in the suburbs between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, for the majority of my life, from the time I was 2 until I moved out of my parents' house and went to college. The suburbs that I lived in were very typical in the way that the book describes the suburbs. Most of our neighbors were also white and middle class.

When I went to college at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, I was exposed to different types of people, though many were still from areas similar to where I was from. There were also people from very small towns and a few people from bigger cities. College Station is mainly a college town, as one would assume from the name, and though it is expanding quickly, it still has a very small-town feel. There are bigger cities within driving distance, such as Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, but many of the permanent residents of College Station enjoy living in a smaller community.

After college, I lived in Okinawa, Japan, on a U.S. military base for four years, where I was able to travel quite a bit to different parts of Asia. I got to see many different living situations in other countries, and it was interesting to compare these countries to what I was familiar with. I traveled to some of the bigger cities in mainland Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagasaki, etc, and comparing these cities with big cities in other countries like China, the Philippines, Thailand, and even Europe and the U.S. was interesting in that Japanese big cities seem very different from other countries' big cities. In Japan, most people dress professionally in public and things are much more organized and clean than in other countries that I've been to. I found South Korean cities to be similar to Japan in this way.

Now that I am back in the states, I definitely miss some things about Japan, especially when I go to the big cities here in the U.S. The courtesy and customer service in Japan could not be matched, and this is seen even in simple exchanges on the streets and on the subway systems, which I think go against what is usually assumed about large cities.

Power in Democracy

After reading the text, I have to agree with C. Wright Mills' theory about the power elite. Clearly, the effects of globalization have included the conglomeration of businesses into large corporations who have most of the control of the economy. In America, it seems that these corporations have most of the influence in the political realm and are gaining even more influence. The book comments about how the government is losing control over processes that are involved in the increasingly global economy, also called the legitimation crisis. It seems that the government cannot control large corporations and also doesn't have enough money available to help counter the effects of corporations' decisions to save money by moving their production plants to countries with cheaper labor. Because of this, people are losing faith in the government. The large corporations monetarily support the few powerful elite politicians who support policies that contribute to the corporations.

Is Walmart Good for America?

After watching the Frontline video on Walmart, I would have to say that the video itself was definitely biased on the question. I think that the video was obviously anti-Walmart and tried to convince viewers that Walmart is bad for America. That being said, I do agree with most of the video's portrayal of opinions, in that I think that Walmart is definitely good for China but bad for America. I think that Walmart is good for those people whose jobs and incomes are not affected by Walmart, but that Walmart's influence is increasing, and that more and more people are being affected.

The low cost of products is good for the American people, but the low wages for Walmart employees and the decrease in available jobs that is a product of Walmart's policy are not good at all. The decrease in income for these people creates a cycle where they are almost forced to shop at Walmart because of the low prices, but then they are supporting the very force that has caused them to be in a low income situation. I don't know if this is something that Walmart does on purpose or not. It reminds me, in a way, of the Fordism policy of raising wages so that people can afford to purchase the products that they are producing. However, it is backwards, because low wages force people to shop at Walmart in order to save money.

I think that part of the influence that Walmart has had is increasing consumerism in America. Many Americans cannot afford the lifestyles to which they have become accustomed, and credit card debt, along with other debt, is a huge problem. Walmart makes some of this consumerism possible for people, and keeps people expecting to be able to make purchases and have things that they do not necessarily want.

The U.S. trade deficit with China is disturbing. The U.S. is being forced into the role of a periphery country in its relationship with China, who is more like a core country in the relationship. The U.S. is exporting raw materials to China and importing finished products from China. We are becoming more and more dependent on China for cheap products that we cannot compete with.

I disagree with the viewpoint of the economist on the video who said that Walmart allows consumers to spend more money in other parts of the economy because they spend less at Walmart and then have extra money to spend elsewhere. I think that the more that people shop at Walmart, the more dependent they become on Walmart for the prices that they find there and realize that they are unable to afford to shop elsewhere. This is what capitalism is all about, finding the best price and having manufacturers compete for consumers' money, but when there are unfair practices going on in other countries like China that don't allow the U.S. to compete, such as unsafe working conditions, Chinese government subsidies, etc. capitalism cannot overcome like it should in theory.