Exploring opinions on globalisation

Exploring globalisation
Below, you will find three articles that look at some of these issues.Here, your task is to choose one article, and answer the questions related to that text (you can always come back to read all three if you wish). Then, write your answers and any other thoughts you have in a short paragraph, and post it into the comments below. You might also want to copy and paste a quotation which you found particularly interesting, controversial or inspiringYou can then read the posts of others, to find out what the other articles are about, and see whether you agree or disagree with the points the authors are making. Reply to posts that you find interesting, or ask the person who read the text questions about it.In this way, you should be able to get a picture of these issues, by sharing and collecting ideas with your fellow learners.Article 1: Does globalisation mean we will become one culture?
Pagel, M. (2014), Does globalisation mean we will become one culture? BBC Future, Published 18 November 2014In this article from the BBC, Mark Pagel discusses our ‘capacity for culture’. He argues that modern humans have created many thousands of distinct cultures, and so questions what will it mean if globalisation turns us into one giant, homogenous world culture.- How does Pagel explain what he believes to be our ‘cumulative cultural adaptation’?
- Do you think that a globalised world works in the same way as one large ‘tribal’ community, or is it more complicated? In what way?
- What does Pagel suggest can help to ‘increase harmony’ in an increasingly globalised and heterogeneous world?
Article 2: Anarchist group threatens new attacks on tourists in Spain after targeting Barcelona and Mallorca
Dearden, L. (2017) Anarchist group threatens new attacks on tourists in Spain after targeting Barcelona and Mallorca The Independent, Published 5 August 2014This article in the The Independent, by Lizzie Dearden, reports on the event of a bus being vandalised by a group protesting against mass tourism.- Dearden describes an incident in which this slogan was painted on a tourist bus in Spain: “mass tourism kills the neighbourhoods, destroys the territory and condemns the working class to misery”. In what way do you agree or disagree with this statement, based on your own experiences?
- One specific example of a global company being accused of increasing this problem is Airbnb. In what way do you think this global organisation has the potential to impact local communities? (For more ideas, you can also read the article on Airbnb in the ‘See Also’ section of this page.)
Article 3: The death of language?
Colls, T. (2009), The death of language? BBC Today Programme, Published 19 October 2009- In this article, Colls asks an important question: when a language dies, what is lost? What is your response to this question?
- Do you think it’s important to preserve minority languages in a globalised world? If so, why?
- What are the benefits or consequences of there being fewer languages in the world?
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