Music Is A Powerful Tool For Globalization

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Over the years globalization has become a very controversial subject. Some view it as a progression that is significant to future world economic development: a sequence, which is predictable and permanent. However, others believe globalization to be a process that only benefits countries that are already economically strong. Globalization augments inequality within and among countries. It’s “a historical process, [which] is the result of human innovation and technological progress.” Globalization creates a large gap between economically developed nations, and undeveloped nations. “In short, globalization is about the connections between different regions of the world—from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the environmental—and the ways in which they change and increase over time.” Globalization impacts many aspects of our lives, it’s in music, films, and poetry. Through the lyrics of Wyclef Jean’s If I was President and Nancy Schimmel’s 1492 one learns how music is a powerful tool in building consciousness and solidarity on global issues. The power that music has throughout the world is infinite. Many songs have the capability to help identify a culture, as well as educate countries about other cultures. Music has a way of inducing feelings, awakening old memories, and producing new ones. It can be used for entertainment, communication, and inspiration. However, at times music is used as a tool for resistance, and change: resistance against power, oppression, and government. Within our everyday lives, and in the lives of others lies the need to expand our horizons, and surround ourselves with more than just what is seen everyday. The role that music plays in today’s society is a significant tool in the develo... ... middle of paper ... ...come and low-income countries become. Inequality, death, and loss of culture are consequences that many countries suffer because of globalization. Through the lyrics of Wyclef and Schimmel we learn about the atrocities that occur as a result of globalization. Wyclef and Schimmel’s lyrics imply that the prosperity of countries that are economically, technologically, and, socially advanced are more valued than the life of an individual. Globalization institutionalizes disparities within countries, disparities that place underdeveloped countries at unfair disadvantage. In order to economically succeed, countries must enter into international competition, countries that are underdeveloped take the greatest risk when they enter because ultimately they are placing the lives of their citizens into the hands of countries that value growth and affluence more than human life.

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