the 'G' word

Sometimes I get amazed by the intensity of emotion that the ‘G’ word provokes.  Whether it’s an activist underground rock concert, workers’ rights group rallies, or the fallout of the World Social Forum, the ‘G’ word gets people riled up.

But it also makes sense.  It’s the word that people have camped around; or is the stake in the ground where people decide which side they are going to take.  On one end, you’ve got those who benefit from it and say that the rest will eventually, someday, in the future sometime also benefit.  Then you’ve got those who are getting the shaft and are tired of it.

For me, globalization is just a word and is as old as apple pie. Louis L’amour wrote a historical novel set in the 12th century called the Walking Drum.  I read it in my freshman high school world history class, and what I took from it is that from the beginning of time, people have crossed regions and borders to share (and sometimes steal) ideas and technology.  

Admittedly, there are ‘new-ish’ aspects to the current brand that should be noted, i.e. the intensity and pace globalization today versus, for instance, the 12th century, as well as the way that it is managed.  The game is currently rigged to benefit some and not others.

And that is what I think we should focus on, the management of globalization and the special interests that have taken control of it, versus attacking a word that has taken on a human and almost sinister personality.  In so doing, you attack a problem at its root, you become more accurate, and you make it alot harder for special interest to dismiss you.