Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Globalization and its New Discontents

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Count me among the globalization discontents. Not that I'm about to support Trump or Brexit or stuff like that, nor am I even opposed to freer trade and global movement of people and capital. But I am acutely aware that the net actual effect of globalization has been a direct transfer of wealth from the poorer to the wealthier. It's because only one part of globalization was ever implemented: the free flow of goods and money. "If globalization is to benefit most members of society, strong social-protection measures must be in place. The Scandinavians figured this out long ago; it was part of the social contract that maintained an open society – open to globalization and changes in technology." A strong public education system is only one part of those social-protection measures. We also need to ensure income security, health care and housing, and protection from exploitation and oppression. Without these, globalization is a sham, and should be opposed.

Image: Jorge Viale trapped in an elevator, which was on TV as I wrote this, and seemed like a perfect metaphor. P.S. I hate Twitter's new method of awkwardly showing individual tweets on top of the entire twitter stream (which of course must slowly load pictures and all) when all I want to see is the individual tweet (which disappears if I click anywhere) - stop spamming me Twitter!

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 9:03 p.m.

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