Globalization: Deal With It

Always a topic up for debate is the concept of globalization. Some people think it is good for society at large while others are opposed to it and I can understand both sides of the argument. On one side, I can see the whole of problem of going to Germany to get some food and running in to a being disappointed when you run into a McDonald’s restaurant. The world at large has definitely gotten similar and similar over the years. One of the main reasons you go to a foreign country is to experience and see new things. Arriving in Italy expecting to get some grub and seeing a KFC would definitely be a buzz kill for my experience. I see enough KFC's in America and I would rather see something new in Italy. However, you cannot blame the countries for taking these American ideas and placing them in their homeland. It would be one thing if they were trying to be “more American” but they are not. They are simply doing what just about the entire population strives to do each day; make a profit. You are simply dumb if you see the success of restaurants like McDonald's or KFC and at least not try it out in another area. Chances are, they are going to be successful, and they have been. And, they are able to do this while still staying true to their culture characteristics. For instance, in class we discussed how German McDonald's have beer on tap for customers. Now in America, that would seem a little odd, but in Germany where beer is something that Germany is known for, it makes sense. The same sort of deal is happening over in India where they apparently do not sell a lot of, if any, meat products because a vast majority of Indian people are vegetarians. It is things like this that makes me confident that we will never become a world where everyone is the same or where history and culture is forgotten. Even with something as cookie cutter as fast food restaurants, there will always be at least a little foreign flavor to spice up that chicken McNugget or beer in Germany’s case.