Civilization Cure Or Disease
Upon flipping to the business section of the New York Times an Ohio University student saw a startling headline glaring back at her "American Corporations Suspected In Millions of Third World Deaths." As she read the article it became apparent that international corporations many of which were based in the United States exploit the poorest of the poor. These companies paid workers extremely low wages and exposed them to hazardous materials with out any protection. Working conditions were unsafe and often lead to health problems. It appeared that slavery was alive and well in the name of "Global Industrialization." Even more shocking was the fact that this new form of slavery was also present within our own borders. Migrant workers and illegal aliens were becoming an increasing percentage of America's labor force. These workers were paid well below minimum wage for jobs, which often put their health if not their life in jeopardy. It appeared that America's industrial empire was built upon the exploitation of the poor throughout the world. Often women and children were the victims of the "Global Market Economy." The article stated that millions of goods were produced by children as young as 6 in third world and develop
This assumption that our culture and society is the standard to judge all others by is preposterous. How can western society, which has killed millions of people in the name of "progress," believe that we live the most civil lives? Western society has produced most of the problems currently affecting the human experience. Montaigne opened the doors of critical self-judgement. Through this doorway we can see that we too have flaws. While it is incredibly easy to point out the flaws of others it is extremely difficult to point out what flaws we collectively possess as a society. ing nations. Companies producing these goods claimed that it was not "slave labor" they claimed it was the "efficient use of human resources for production." It seemed that companies in their desire of "progress" and profit were oppressing the world's poorest nations and their citizens. While America does not meet the definition of civilization, we are technically civilizing other countries. In other words we are forcing a particular foreign cultural pattern on other populations. Few would argue that many nations and cultures are going through a process of Americanization through the use of our massive media and advertising empires. This is also not a new development powerful empires often try to spread their culture, Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization around 330 BCE. But not on the level that is taking place today. The amount of constraint placed on one's own perception of the world by one's culture and social upbringing is enormous. Western society stresses the importance of the individual and being an individual so much that often we lose sight of the universal essence of being
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1145
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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