12/2/2009
Sadly, what sticks out in my mind so far in class are the depressing statistics we've been exposed to. The fact that 1.1 billion people do not have clean drinking water, and this contaminated water kills more children than HIV, TB, and malaria baffles me. Dr. Pillay really put this fact into perspective when he was speaking to us about Africa. He was lucky growing up in a middle class family in the single most impoverished place on earth. Their HIV rate is scary, but what's even more dangerous is the belief that men can cure this disease by essentially raping young women. This is the biggest humiliation a person could ever endure, and it blows my mind that this permissiveness still exists in todays society. One theme that keeps recirculating in our discussions is how the world has flattened and globalization has become a reality. As the world's borders continue to thin, we are becoming dangerously connected with one another. Coach Morris stated, "We are now classified as 'consumers' instead of our parents and grandparents who were 'workers' and 'citizens.'" These days, we don't even care about where our clothes come from. I think that being green and buying American is a trend now instead of a lifestyle. When people buy shirts from Target that say "Don't be mean, go green," they're most likely made in china and not constructed from organic materials. Coach also brought to our attention that clothing that says it's made in the U.S.A is sometimes imported from the Marinas Islands that are considered part of America. As globalization continues to literally take over the world, I feel like nothing is truly American anymore. In the article "Walls" they talk about how we're constantly building these physical barriers to keep people out, but the reality is that they are torn down by the lack of privacy due to the internet. We've become so over-connected that major companies are starting to take advantage of each other, and fair trade is becoming less and less possible. Even beer is becoming outsourced, and I had no idea that Miller beer was brewed in Africa. As a true St. Louisan, I was upset when Inbev bought out AB, but there was no stopping it because all the share holders cared about was making money.That's what I'm beginning to realize, everything these days is about money. This class leaves me with the question of how the hell can we change the reality that we as Americans do not see on a day to day basis?
Posted at 8:44 PM by Bekah Mathiesen