Globalization

There are many facets to this term, I feel. When I first think of this word, I quickly come to the idea of the ‘shrinking’ of the world that is occurring due to greater communication and travel options. However, as I was having a conversation with my host sister, she brought up an interesting point. She asked me what I was writing my blog on, and when I told her that it was about globalization, she asked if that meant how things were becoming more American. This struck an interesting chord with me. I thought about ways in which she might have obtained such a viewpoint as this. As we have learned, English is taught to students all throughout Japan with quite the fervor, but is it really English that is being taught. I snapped a shot of her English workbook. This book is a tool in which to teach students her age about the English language. However, the culture of Japan, as we have learned in our various classes while here, is much more closely tied with that of America. It is not just English that is being taught to the students, but there is a much larger emphasis on American English, I feel. This being said, I think of all of the signs and information pamphlets that have English written on them. I highly doubt that these daily stimuli are printed with English for the students to practice for their tests or speaking the language. So, what is the purpose? Although this is a question that I have yet to be able to answer, I feel as though this is very much a tool of the globalization that my host sister speaks of. There is a great association with English as a means to achieve better standing in the world. This could be related to the fact that the economy has shifted from isolated to being much more globally based. It is not hard for me, necessarily, to find American items in Japan. Kit Kats, Coke, Pepsi. These are all various companies that are American based, but seem to have created specific flavors for the inhabitants of Japan. Is this yet another factor of globalization? I feel as though it is. The base is very much so revolving around that of the English speaking world, as Japan, and possibly other countries are coming to adapt to that reality in hopes of gaining prominent economic standing.