The Way of the Big Mac

About Us

- Dinie -

She ensures that not too many cows or trees were harmed in the production of Happy Meals. Our true blue environmental girl.

- JiaJin -

He ensures that everyone around the world knows their Big Mac. Our trusty cultural guy.

- XiuQing -

She ensures Burger King doesn’t sue us for copying burger ideas. Our smart political woman.

- ZhangLin -

She ensures that new McDonalds branches spring up every month, even in Timbuktu. Our savvy economics expert.

social.studies@tjc

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Darn. I always seem to be the bad guy of the group. The one who is anti-globalisation.(: Actually, I don’t really mind globalization. But the fact that it contributes to the declining of the health of Mother Nature forces me to change my perception of globalization.
I’ve a song to share with you: Earth by Michael Jackson.

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain.. .
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?
What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores
I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far
Hey, what about yesterday
What about the seas
The heavens are falling down
I can't even breathe
What about the bleeding Earth
Can't we feel its wounds
What about nature's worth
It's our planet's womb
What about animals
We've turned kingdoms to dust
What about elephants
Have we lost their trust
What about crying whales
We're ravaging the seas
What about forest trails
Burnt despite our pleas
What about the holy land
Torn apart by creed
What about the common man
Can't we set him free
What about children dying
Can't you hear them cry
Where did we go wrong
Someone tell me why
What about babies
What about the days
What about all their joy
What about the man
What about the crying man
What about Abraham
What about death again
Do we give a damn

The music video is more disturbing than the song itself. And if you actually ponder over the lyrics, there’s a whole lot of meaning and significance to it. The thing is, what you see in the video are the results of our inconsiderate actions, perhaps attributing it to globalization. It’s our nature, as man, to do what it takes to achieve what we want. And, probably, most of us are aware of the fact that global climate change is one consequence of our actions. In economics, globalization is the convergence of prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits toward developed country norms. And in developing, we have to make sacrifices. And the sacrifices appear to be in the form of environmental degradation. The poisonous fumes factories emit and the toxic chemicals that are dumped into water sources every day. These are evidences of our effort to develop and transform into a modern society.

However, for now, I choose to focus on the positive aspect of globalization. According to wikipedia.org, globalization refers to increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence in the economic, social, technological, cultural, political and ecological spheres. You’ll probably be questioning, “There’s actually a positive aspect to it?” YES. There is, surprise surprise.(: Global environmental challenges that cannot be solved without international cooperation. Examples, the Kyoto Protocol and the Johannesburg Summit. In the final phase of the Johannesburg Summit, the European Union submitted a declaration of like-minded countries on increasing the share of renewable energies. Meanwhile, the Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty designed to limit global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s everyone’s responsibility to preserve nature and perhaps, after what we did to achieve environmental degradation, it’s time for us to do something instead to preserve nature. Without international cooperation, nothing will work out. Just imagine. A small country like Singapore trying to be environmentally-friendly yet, huge countries like Britain still being the irresponsible one, exploiting nature. It would defeat the purpose of attempting to save the Earth.

International cooperation is necessary in the world’s development. Everyone has to play a part. So, globalization is not always bad. It’s good too! With globalization, we can interact with our counterparts in various parts of the world. With globalization, we can work hand in hand with them to preserve Mother Nature and simultaneously, ensure our growth and development in the future. So, who says globalization and sustainable development can’t work hand in hand? Anyways, I’ll discuss that in the next post.(:

Always bringing my own plastic bag,
Dinie.(:

ended entry at
7:06 PM