Why Caught In The Net



Globalisation is a term used for global economy. It is characterised by the globalisation of trade, investment, finance, knowledge and technology. Globalisation is an ideology that benefits only 30% of the population - the elite and the developed countries. It creates need in the people in order to sell their products but does not gather to the real needs of the masses. Globalisation has made the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. Value based people cannot be caught in the net of globalisation.

For example, the representative of soft drink manufacturers come to our schools/shops, offer free samples, competitions in school, a free trip to abroad, provided you sell only their drinks. So much money is spent on advertisements by them. Why these advertisements? They are ment to get more consumers for their products and hence more production more profit. The ordinary people who take these soft drinks are not aware that they are not only non nutritious but they may also contain harmful pesticides.

Through globalisation we have gained in the field of visual media. It has provided healthy entertainment and quality education, at the same time it has resulted in all sorts of vulgarity, violence and erosion of moral values. This had a negative influence on the behaviour of children, adolescents and adults. The value of compassion and respect to elders has slowed down. New ideologies have come into our Indian culture because of serials that are televised very often. The Multi - National Companies (MNC) and Indian Companies buy land and pay a high price for it. The water sources are polluted by them and they make us buy packaged drinking water manufactured by them. They make us slaves.

Globalisation and MNCs have come to stay. They cannot be easily dismissed. It is not easy to fight them. What lessons do we have to learn?

(a) Become aware of the effects of globalisation on our personal life, family, society and culture.

(b) Not allow ourselves to become slaves or victims of the big business world which is out to make money because of our ignorance and at our expense.

(c) Cultivate genuine compassion for the vast majority of our people who are suffering because of the effects of globalisation - unemployment, poverty, loss of property, loss of culture and values.

' Globalisation is no longer a theoretical concepts; it is a glaring reality, impinging upon almost every aspect of human existence - economic, political, environmental, cultural and the like. The world is made to shrink into a global village.'

We are really caught in the net because globalisation has come to stay.