"Globalisation: Blessing or Scourge?

I feel that globalisation is a scourge. Through the years, globalisation has done us more harm than good. Its negative consequences have affected many people from all walks of life. No doubt there are some advantages, but globalisation has still caused more problems. Due to globalization, developed nations are outsourcing for manufacturing and white collar jobs. This reduces job opportunities for the local people, and also increases job competition. Eventually, relationships between locals and foreigners may sour over this issue. One such example is the issue of how Singaporeans feel towards westerners, foreigners on work permit and permanent residents. Some locals may feel that it is perfectly fine to provide them with job opportunities, while others may feel that the government is being unfair to the people by taking away job opportunities. Hence, globalisation not only contributes to the loss of job opportunities, it also contributes to the rising tensions between locals and foreigners. Another negative impact of globalization is the exploitation of labour. Documentaries and news articles have highlighted the increasing problem of child labour, etc. There is a documentary on how workers, who get low wages, in China have to work in a hot, stuffy and humid factory. There have also been reports on the UNICEF website about children working in the reconstruction effort in Choluteca, Honduras. These children are made to do hard labour and have to work in terrible conditions. The common reason for companies and employers to resort to such methods is to cut down on costs. Hence, globalization has become a reason for exploitation of labour. Globalization has also contributed to terrorism. Due to the internet becoming more and more common, terrorists can easily use the computer to plan and coordinate their attacks. The sole survivor of the Mumbai attacks revealed that the attackers had used Google Earth to familiarize themselves with the locations of the attacked buildings. Terror attacks have destroyed both buildings and families. They may not have been that well-coordinated and well-planned if the computer did not exist. The attacks would not have been that well-coordinated if the terrorists were unable to use Google Earth. Hence, globalization has contributed to terrorism, and it has indirectly caused the loss of innocent lives. However, globalization has brought about some good for the people. The increased competition between companies has caused them to lower their prices. This is beneficial for the consumers. In addition, globalization has caused us to be more exposed to the different cultures and people from other countries. The wider exposure would then lead to a wider outlook on life. To conclude, although globalization has been somewhat beneficial, but its negative effects have far more lasting impacts. The loss of innocent lives, exploitation of labor and sour relationships between people from various countries are consequences that will badly affect everyone. The saving of money and a wider outlook on life are nothing compared to the negative effects of globalization. Therefore, globalization is a scourge as it has done much more impactful harm and good.