> Globalization is often seen as global Westernization. On this point, > there is substantial agreement among many proponents and opponents. > Those who take an upbeat view of globalization see it as a marvelous > contribution of Western civilization to the world. There is a nicely > stylized history in which the great developments happened in Europe: > First came the Renaissance, then the Enlightenment and the Industrial > Revolution, and these led to a massive increase in living standards > in the West. And now the great achievements of the West are spreading > to the world. In this view, globalization is not only good, it is > also a gift from the West to the world. The champions of this reading > of history tend to feel upset not just because this great benefaction > is seen as a curse but also because it is undervalued and castigated > by an ungrateful world. > > From the opposite perspective, Western dominance–sometimes seen as a > continuation of Western imperialism–is the devil of the piece. In > this view, contemporary capitalism, driven and led by greedy and > grabby Western countries in Europe and North America, has established > rules of trade and business relations that do not serve the interests > of the poorer people in the world. The celebration of various > non-Western identities–defined by religion (as in Islamic > fundamentalism), region (as in the championing of Asian values), or > culture (as in the glorification of Confucian ethics)–can add fuel to > the fire of confrontation with the West. > > [...]
Link at: http://platosbeard.org/archives/136 -- Support something better than yourself: ;-) PeTA: http://www.peta.org/ GreenPeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/ If you have nothing better to do: http://platosbeard.org/
