In 1991, the world bid farewell to one of the most devastating and fearful regimes in modern history: the Cold War. Yet, as nations said their joyfully goodbye's, they unknowingly ushered in a new international system, one, the youth's of today are familiar with; globalization. This system, which is so intense and renown, has its own set of rules, logic and problems; ones, we are still figuring out, decades later. Globalization, which refers to the widespread of free-market capitalism (basically technology, businesses and culture) across the world, is seen as both a blessing and a curse by different organizations and governments. Although globalization, in a way, promotes a sense of diversity, has so many negative effects on societies, it is a wonder some can view this phenomena in a positive light at all. Through Americanization and the exploitation of wage and labor laws around the world, globalization does indeed cheat the world's poor.

Americanization is one of the many ways globalization cheats the world's poor though, not only in terms of finance. Americanization cheats the world's poor out of a national identity, conforming a particular country, to the ways of the United States (Legrain 290). McDonald's is the most prominent example for this argument, due to the fact ever since Dick and Mac McDonald opened the doors in 1952; it has exploded in terms of economic prosperity, earning over 30 billion dollars per year (McDonalds). Now, no matter where one is in the world, one can rest easy knowing they can super size their Big Mac and fries in one of McDonald's 31000 restaurants, in over 119 countries (McDonalds). Cultures just do not eat at McDonald's anymore; McDonald's has begun eating cultures. Around the world, mostly in Europe and Latin America, Americanization is becoming a growing fear (Legrain 295). Countries dread the ever-looming threat of their cultures dissolving into one that closely resembles the U.S, namely in terms of "values and products" (Legrain 295). On a similar notion, Americanization infects a society, slowly merging American ideas with national beliefs and customs. This is shown in countries like France, where a tall glass of chilled beer is served along side a box of McNuggets and in India, where you can order lamb as a replacement for beef in burgers (Legrain 299). The world's most popular example of this global assimilation took place even before globalization became the threat it is today. From the early 1940's to the late 1970's, America had a puppet regime controlling Iran with Shah Reza Pahlavi (Schaeffer 194). With an American paycheck, Pahlavi modernized Iran, opening up fast food establishments (namely McDonald's and Taco Bell), shopping malls and movie theaters (Schaeffer 196). By the time the 1960's swung around, it was impossible to differentiate between the people of Iraq and the plethora of American tourists (Schaeffer 196). Women walked around in bikinis and men cut their hair and smoked; all of which go directly against the teachings in the Koran (the Islam holy book) (Schaeffer 197). In 1962, Pahlavi introduced his White Revolution (American ideas and customs) to the people of Iran (Schaeffer 197). This was the last straw for some people who were disgusted by how their country so easily succumbed to Americanization (Helliwell 80). In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeni finally stood up and openly called the United States 'The Great Satan' before exiling the Shah and returning Iran's heritage to what it rightfully was (Helliwell 84). Whether it is through its companies or political influence, the United States is by far not only the tie that binds, but also the one that assimilates.

Moreover, globalization cheats the world's poor through exploiting wage and labor laws of Third World Countries. Products such as shoes, textiles and electronics are easy and cheap to mass-produce (Beynon and Dunkerley 272). Where costs start to rise is when companies have to pay employees minimum wage for work completed, have to allocate time for breaks, lunch and sick leave, have to pay for unions, benefits and insurance (Beynon and Dunkerley 272). In order to make a profit on their goods, companies such as Nike and GAP manufacture their products in the Third World and Eastern European countries, because real wage is a little over 70 times lower than that of the United States, Europe or Japan (Charlton 322). Due to the fact there are no laws that prevent the exploitation of wage and labor in certain countries, multinational companies are able to pay workers in countries like India, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan as little as humanly possible while working them to the point of exhaustion and in the end make a profit of 300% on certain items (Beynon and Dunkerley 273). 120 million children as young as the age of three were placed to work in clothing, textile and smelting plants to help provide for their family, taking in a meager income of 20 cents a day, if lucky (Beynon and Dunkerley 269). Nike has undergone intense media scrutiny in the past concerning their exploitation of wage and labor laws around the world (Beynon and Dunkerley 273). Nike shoes, which on average cost about 40 cents to produce, are sold for over 200 dollars in some retailers (Beynon and Dunkerley 273). The reasons for such an increase are due to advertisement and paying for celebrity endorsements. In 1999, Nike paid Tiger Woods 10 million dollars to wear their brand of golf shoe in the PGA tour (Nike). Air Jordan's, which are sold for close to 250 dollars are endorsed by NBA legend Michael Jordan at the cost of 100 million dollars (Nike). Most recently, Nike paid high school basketball prodigy Lebron James 90 million dollars to wear their line of shoes, socks and shorts; and this is even before the teenager was drafted by the NBA! (Nike). Further, with the recent introduction of automation in workplaces, there has been a dramatic increased production (Petras and Velmeyer 184). Now companies do not even need people, since machines cost less and can work around the clock (Petras and Velmeyer 184-5). How is it that in a world such as our own, 64% of developing countries suffer in intense poverty, while an ocean over, there is a Global Billionaires Club who together could account for 56% of the population's GDP? (Charlton 323). There is so much poverty all around the world and still companies abuse slack labor and wage laws to increase the wealth that is already overflowing.

By and large, with the amount of international corruption and greed that exists in society today, it is no wonder globalization does cheat the world's poor. Through American assimilation of cultures and lack of labor and wage laws around the world, the phenomena of globalization does very little to promote prosperity within Third World countries and does even less to assist in relieving the poverty. Optimists hope that at some pointing in the near future, the problems globalization causes will cease to exist; yet in reality this problem will only every truly be solved when the price of a human life is deemed more worthy than making yet another dollar.

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