Globalization affects society by letting cultures spread around the world. This has mainly had positive effects on communities. But it has affected some negatively.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “this land was built by immigrants”?
It means that nations like the US and Canada were created by many, many cultures and traditions.
Growing up as an Asian-Canadian, I was exposed to multiple cultures.
I practiced Vietnamese traditions at home, western traditions at school and at McDonald’s, and a multitude of other ones when I went to my friends’ houses (I had a diverse group of friends).
And I was able to experience all of these different traditions in one place.
This is how globalization and society are related (well, one connection anyway).
Example of Globalization and Society
In a single neighbourhood, you can walk around and see non-white children playing with white kids at the playground.
You walk a few more blocks and can see an American fast-food restaurant beside a Chinese one.
There’s a corner store across the street. In it, there are snacks from all over the world.
On TV, there are channels with American content, Canadian content, Asian content, and Middle Eastern content.
There are so many foreign cultures and traditions that you can consume.
Though I personally find that multiculturalism is the strongest force that globalization uses to affect society, there are many more.
And not all of them are positive.
For example, there are human rights issues, religious conflicts, ethnic cleansing, and cultural imperialism –all of which exist because of the global society.
How the Global Society Could Be Negative (And An Example)
The conflict between Buddhist monks and Muslims in Myanmar has existed for many decades.
But the most recent outbreak of violence happened in 2012.
Led by a monk named Ashin Wirathu, a posse of Burmese monks attacked Muslims in central Burma (yes, I used the term posse to describe them).
This attack killed 40 people.
And this was just the first day.
The following day, this Buddhist mob rallied and burned down Mosques and homes of Muslims.
But why did they do this? It was because of something from a long time ago.
But the root of the conflict is that the government of Burma wanted to rid their nation of people who practised Islam.
This religion was imported into their country and there was only a minority of people who practised it (the majority follow Buddhism).
It could have been because of discrimination, politics, or the Burmese government just being total jerks.
I don’t know.
But the important thing here is understanding how the free spread of religion (or anything cultural, really) led to a community becoming targets of harassment.
Also, I’m not saying globalization is bad.
However, I am saying that there are negative effects to it and they need to be addressed and fixed.
Conclusion
Globalization positively and negatively affects society. It allows us to experience multiple cultures and traditions in our very own community.
But at the same time, it has caused conflict in some nations.
What’s the most recent global and social issue that you have read about?