A newspaper editorial article highlighted a man picking up food from a restaurant owned by a Turkish man. The final bill stated pita bread, hummus and some feta cheese. Excited to have his dinner, he waved a goodbye to the owner saying “Looking forward to a Turkish dinner.” To this the Turkish gentleman said “That Sir is from Turkey, that from Greece and that from Cyprus”.
This reminds me that the civilization has strived to break barriers and make the world a global village. The aim was to transcend boundaries to experience different culture, promote trade and global peace. The question is whether we have achieved it?
The rampaging globalization has come to a standstill with Brexit. Culture gives coherence to our lives. It does have an opaqueness that cannot be imbibed equally and naturally by the outsiders. Pundits and stalwarts speaking of supra national integration should rethink whether it is wise to force nations to swallow more than they are capable of chewing. It is time we understand the limits of cultural homogeneity and encourage the diversity of cultures.
Britons voted to exit the European Union, ending a 43-year old association formed in the aftermath of World War II. It was widely seen as the triumph of rising nationalism and anti immigrant sentiments over a plummeting economy. Right wing parties in France, Italy, and Netherland put forth their demand for similar referendums in their countries. There is suddenly an anti globalizing tendency wherein a lot many have been victims of free trade and movement of labour. Experimentation with multiculturalism is failing or has already failed.
Few French leaders termed Brexit as the “Victory for Freedom.” I am still wondering whether globalization can have similar repercussions as colonization. If it is so disastrous, why nation states did take a step forward to make the world a global village? In the Netherlands, like France a leader congratulated Britons on their “Independence Day.” Can globalization lead to a fierce struggle for taking back the country’s sovereignty?
People are now voting for isolation over community. Even in USA xenophobic hate monger like Donald Trump are running for Presidential candidature. The campaigns majorly focus on anti immigration laws and anti-Islamic threats in the guise of hope and optimism to the citizens. Even if we come out richer economically, we will be poorer in spirit and optimism. The Trump campaign iced with racism and xenophobia was alarming. Yet he won the Republican primaries so easily, signaling these as electoral advantages. Globalization is suddenly seen as a threat to jobs and identity. Moderate solutions from politicians taking a midway do not suffice the electorate. Hence, they are looking for extremist alternatives.
Anti immigration sentiments have a become way to display frustration with the economy. An easy route is to blame the immigrants for poor economy and limited job opportunities. This is quite saddening for developing countries like India, as globalization had given hope to achieve equality between countries. In present times, we are moving towards a world with mistrust, vengeance and hatred.
By: Astha Singh
