Hange and the importance of adapting to a dynamic world - Research Paper Example

? Synthesis of Multiple Sources Fareed Zarkaria analyses the changing balance of power in international politics; Craig Watkins depicts the digital divide; Steven Johnson lists the benefits of video games; Bell Hooks addresses the representation of poverty; David Buckingham discusses the global childhood culture. The underlying theme of the essays is the need for change and the importance of adapting to a dynamic world. Synthesis of Multiple Sources. In The Rise of the Rest, Fareed Zakaria identifies “three tectonic power shifts” (Zarkaria, 2008, 611) in global politics, economics and culture: the ‘Rise of the West’, the ‘Rise of the USA’, and the ‘Rise of the Rest.’ He argues that there is now an unprecedented, truly global growth and political awakening, which challenges the US dominance of the world. He cites the example of the economic growth of “emerging markets” (612), such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia to support his argument. An aspect of this new order is the shift in power from the nation state to non-state actors: NGOs, the private sector, cities and localities, and the media (617). Economic prosperity, and the dissemination of diverse national perspectives by the media, fosters nationalism and a new view of the world, independent of the Western vision. The Kyoto accord, and the increasing irrelevance of the UN, is proof of this (617). However, Zarkaria quotes statistics to show that the US still remains “the most competitive economy in the world” (619). Zarkaria believes that if America realistically faces the challenges of the new global order, discards its political complacency, and accepts the necessity “to allow other countries to become stakeholders in the new order” (621), it can deal successfully with the irreversible trends of globalization. It must be admitted that Zarkaria’s worldview accurately reflects the contemporary political stage. In From The Young and the Digital, Craig Watkins draws attention to class divisions prevalent in social-networking sites. His main argument is that “The class divisions which shape American cultural life off-line are clearly discernible in the communities which form on-line” (Watkins, 2009, 506). Watkins uses the examples of Facebook and MySpace to show that the social inequalities, class divisions, and racial discrimination, which characterize the physical world, are very much a part of the virtual world. Contrary to early belief in the internet being the great leveler of social inequalities, racial perceptions and biases are very much a part of social-network sites, forming a “digital divide” (506). Watkins uses the data from his study of such sites to support his argument. White college student’s preferences for Facebook “illuminate the sharp and powerful differences race and class make in the on-line communities young people participate in” (510). The negative attitude toward MySpace is not just about aesthetics and demographics, but has undercurrents of race, class and geography. Watkins concludes that this on-line division is but a reflection of the middle class wish “to maintain clear boundaries between themselves and the classes they view as less cultured” (511). The digital divide is an extension of real gated communities, and the attempt to preserve social privilege and status. Watkins’ evidence of the existence of the digital divide based on social inequalities makes for interesting reading, and makes the reader regret this unfortunate prevalence on the internet. Steven Johnson’s Why Games are Good for You attempts to persuade the reader that, contrary to popular perception, video games have beneficial effects on the player. Johnson admits the undisputed advantages of reading, and the cognitive benefits and mental exercise which books provide. He then goes on to argue that playing video games offers two advantages: “cognitive benefits - attention, memory, following thread, and so on,” and “different mental skills” (Johnson, 2005, 485). Johnson takes it as granted that video games foster manual dexterity and visual memory. He aims to prove that, in addition to these acknowledged benefits, video games offer other positive gains. He illustrates his claims with games such as Ultima Online, EverQuest, Grand Theft Auto and SimCity. These games “are fiendishly, sometimes maddeningly, hard” (486), deal with overwhelmingly complex worlds, are loaded with information, and do not grant instant gratification. In spite of this video games are captivating to an exponentially increasing number of players. Johnson attributes the attraction of video games to two factors: the “ability to tap into the brain’s natural reward circuitry” (490), and the opportunity to seek and explore new things. It is this “cocktail of reward and exploration” (492) which exerts a hold on players. A collateral learning gained from games is the intellectual benfit of decision-making. Johnson persuades us of the benefits of video games and, as video games are definitely here to stay, makes it acceptable to find our children captivated by game-playing. In Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor, Bell Hooks appeals for a change in the representation of the poor. Bell adopts an autobiographical tone, and uses the example of her own childhood of poverty to bolster her arguments. Bell wakes up to the reality of “stereotypical negative representations of poverty” (Bell, 1994, 433) during her college days. To her great shock, she realizes that the affluent portrayed the poor as lazy and dishonest. Bell counters this perception with the example the values of integrity, diligence, courage and sharing which characterized her childhood. She emphasizes that there is “no connection between poverty and personal integrity” (433). She goes on to deplore the negative portrayal of poverty in contemporary popular culture in the United States. Hooks points to television shows (The Jeffersons), and films (Harlem Nights, Pretty Woman), which focus on “the lust of the poor for material plenty” (434). Hooks blames this trend for the stigma attached to poverty. Fear of shame and humiliation links low self-esteem with poverty. In the mass media, poverty is synonymous with “being nothing” (435). Hooks calls for a change in the distribution of wealth and resources in order to combat poverty. She also urges a change in the way the poor are represented in the media. Once it is accepted that the poor can lead meaningful lives of integrity, constructive change is possible. Hooks makes the reader acutely conscious of how popular media stereotypes have infiltrated our consciousness without our awareness. David Buckingham’s Childhood in the Age of Global Media depicts the children’s culture created by a global media. Buckingham discounts the earlier claims of the “Cultural imperialism” of the US media through “a process of ideological and cultural domination or “Coca-colonization” (Buckingham, 2006, 592), citing the popularity of Chinese food and French painting. He favors “Glocalization”- the merging of global and local cultures (592). Buckingham discusses two viewpoints on the role of media on children. One holds that the global media is responsible for “a homogenized global children’s culture” (593) in which traditional values are not passed on. The child is taken to be a passive victim of an all-powerful media. The other perspective emphasizes the modernization of childhood by media, in which children define their own interests and identities. The economic importance of the children’s world markets makes the media “suppress elements which seem too culturally specific in favor of those that speak to some universal, trans-cultural notion of childhood” (597). Buckingham cites the example of Walt Disney in this regard. Pokemon is used to illustrate ‘glocalization.’ ‘Glocalization’ is also used by public service media companies to reach global markets, as in the case of Sesame Street and Teletubbies (600). Buckingham leans towards the modernist perspective in this issue and quotes the example of the success of Harry Potter to assert that global media erases cultural differences in children, and this may arguably be a positive effect. In my opinion, a global children’s culture is unavoidable in this era of media dominance. The five articles make for thought-provoking reading. Each writer, in his or her unique manner, is highly effective as a communicator. At first glance, the arguments and themes of the various pieces appear to be widely disparate. Zarkaria analyses the changing balance of power in international politics; Craig depicts the digital divide; Stevens lists the benefits of video games; Bell addresses the representation of poverty; Buckingham discusses the global childhood culture. However, a deeper reading reveals certain connections. All the authors deal with subjects of contemporary relevance, and take a stand which questions the prevailing popular perception on the issue. The reader is given a fresh perspective on the matter. The media, and its influence on contemporary popular culture, is a theme which underlies all the essays: even Zarkaria features the media as a significant non-state player in the new global order. The authors all support their arguments with relevant examples. Globalization is another common theme which runs through all the essays, except Bell’s. The strongest link among the five essays is the emphasis on change: the necessity to bring about change, or to adapt to the inevitable changes in a dynamic world. References. Zakaria, Fareed. (2008). The Rise of the Rest. In Title of Book (Ed.). 610-623. Location, Publisher. Watkins, Craig S. (2009). From The Young and the Digital. In Title of Book (Ed.). 505-515. Location, Publisher. Johnson, Stevens. (2005). Why Games are Good for You. In Title of Book (Ed.). 481-494. Location, Publisher. Hooks, Bell. (1994). Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor. In Title of Book (Ed.). 431-437. Location, Publisher. Buckingham, David. (2006). Childhood in the Age of Global Media. In Title of Book (Ed.). 589- 603. Location, Publisher. Read More