Monday, August 31, 2015
In the article Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy, Arjun Appadurai talks about how globalization has slowly been taking over the world and how rapidly it has created a huge difference between the so-called "third" and "first" world countries. This has allowed one country to develop much faster, and therefore, gain power over another one. The problem is when powerful countries like the US start abusing their power for their own benefits and jeopardize other nations.
Appadurai says that "...for polities of smaller scale, there is always a fear of cultural absorption by polities of larger scale. especially those that are nearby. One man's imagined community is another man's political prison" (page 514). A new documentary I recently watched called "The True Cost" shows this and portrays how the very fast-developing fashion industry economically benefits America due to its huge importance in our modern world. However, it also shows how the industry affects and exploits developing countries and its people, in this case Bangladesh. The fast-fashion industry consists on releasing new clothing in a whole new different way in which clothes become disposable and consumers feel the need to constantly buy what is new. This got me thinking about how a small basic activity like purchasing a T-shirt could affect the life of an entire family in places like Bangladesh and Cambodia. On the other hand, this also got me thinking about a less depressing side of globalization and the fashion industry: it can also be used for good.
This weekend I was at the mall and in this store I saw you could buy these really beautiful bracelets for $7 and give one month of clean water to one person. The bracelets are sustainably made by a mama in Kenya and I can even track my impact at trackyourimpact.com! Its a little sad and scary when we read and watch about how our daily activities affect millions of people out there, especially after watching this documentary. But when you look at the bright side you can use our modern world for a good purpose and make a change for everyone's benefit.
Documentary Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDx711ibD1M
I highly recommend this documentary for class or if anyone wants to watch it in their free time its on Netflix. It opens our eyes to a whole new perspective on the fashion industry, it is really mind blowing.
Here you can see my impact on Manju's life and his story:
http://trackyourimpact.com/tyi/1-month-clean-water-india-manju/?code=7764-8123
Appadurai says that "...for polities of smaller scale, there is always a fear of cultural absorption by polities of larger scale. especially those that are nearby. One man's imagined community is another man's political prison" (page 514). A new documentary I recently watched called "The True Cost" shows this and portrays how the very fast-developing fashion industry economically benefits America due to its huge importance in our modern world. However, it also shows how the industry affects and exploits developing countries and its people, in this case Bangladesh. The fast-fashion industry consists on releasing new clothing in a whole new different way in which clothes become disposable and consumers feel the need to constantly buy what is new. This got me thinking about how a small basic activity like purchasing a T-shirt could affect the life of an entire family in places like Bangladesh and Cambodia. On the other hand, this also got me thinking about a less depressing side of globalization and the fashion industry: it can also be used for good.
This weekend I was at the mall and in this store I saw you could buy these really beautiful bracelets for $7 and give one month of clean water to one person. The bracelets are sustainably made by a mama in Kenya and I can even track my impact at trackyourimpact.com! Its a little sad and scary when we read and watch about how our daily activities affect millions of people out there, especially after watching this documentary. But when you look at the bright side you can use our modern world for a good purpose and make a change for everyone's benefit.
Documentary Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDx711ibD1M
I highly recommend this documentary for class or if anyone wants to watch it in their free time its on Netflix. It opens our eyes to a whole new perspective on the fashion industry, it is really mind blowing.
Here you can see my impact on Manju's life and his story:
http://trackyourimpact.com/tyi/1-month-clean-water-india-manju/?code=7764-8123
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