The question: What is globalization can be answered in a variety of ways, and it has. Globalization is the tofu of international relations in theory as well as in practice. Like tofu, globalization has been around for a while, and it effects everything we now do (eat). Like tofu, new definitions of globalization have penetrated our sphere of understanding of the way the world interacts, and how we must behave in this new setting. Understanding globalization is to understand the connection between people all over the globe and the flows of information that travels between them.
Over time, globalization flows reinvent cultures and change the way people see the world and see themselves. In class, we discussed the idea of a ‘global product’ and I discovered that students in general do not really attempt to understand what does not come naturally to them, or the communication channels that do not seem clear to them. When watching media, it makes sense for people to shy away from something they do not understand. Why would anyone watch Italian news when they are not Italian, they do not live it Italy, and they do not speak Italian? The product is clearly not made for people who fit this description.
In order to communicate effectively there must be a transmitter and a responder. If the transmitter does not present the information in a way that the responder can comprehend, there is no point; communication did not occur. If I speak Italian to someone who speaks Russian about cooking, there is no communication. (That is, if the communication attempt was solely verbal.) If there is a visual involved communication becomes much more facile. If an Italian speaker is speaking to a Russian speak about cooking while the Russian speaker watches me cook and point to objects, naming them in Italian, the Russian speaker will not completely understand, but will have a much better grasp on what is going on. The same is true for watching television. Watching any form of visual media will facilitate understanding. This is not about visualization; it is about creating a product that is universally understood.
Today I would like to look at creating a globalized or a hybridized product.
Gogol Bordello is a band that I love. A girl in class (I’m sorry I forgot your name) was wearing a shirt that had their logo and I was surprised to find someone else who enjoyed the same band. As I was talking to her about Gogol Bordello, it had occurred to me that everything they stand for correlates perfectly with the lesson.
Gogol Bordello’s band members are truly an international bunch. The hub of the band is Eugene Hutz, the lead singer and guitarist whose place of origination is in the Ukraine. Because of his placement within the band many of the songs are in Ukrainian, Russian or a combination of the two. He is also Romany, which means he also places himself in the larger nomadic group of Roma people.
The Roma people spread out from Western Europe to Central and South Asia. The travelling group takes some aspects of one culture and seamlessly blends it with others. If there ever was a rainbow nation, one would find it in the Roma. The other members of the band come from all over and have a variety of ethnicities—Russian, Spanish/Latvian/Israeli, Polish, Ethiopian, Ecuadorian, Chinese, Thai/American, and Italian/Swedish—Trinidad and Tobago. While not EVERY ethnic group is represented, the idea of having someone ‘like them’ in this particular band makes it appealing to a large group of people. That’s just visual.
As for the audio, the music, like the people, comes from everywhere. Every song has multiple languages, some tunes are remakes of traditional folk songs, and the beat is something I can only describe as primitive. The underlying beat is something that catches the individual’s core and there is the X factor that hooks and magnetizes people to GB music. And then there is the message. While some songs are just for fun, many of them are very socio-political. Many of the lyrics (in songs such as Tribal Connection or Forces of Victory) talk about the very primordial connection of people to each other that transcend national and ethnic boundaries; other songs are songs of protection from people who would seek to create divide.
“Don't believe them for a moment, or a second. Do not believe, my friend. When you are down them are not coming, with a helping hand. Of course, there is no us and them, but them they do not think the same.” (Gogol Bordello, Illumination)
While this might seem like a GB advertisement, what I am attempting to show are the many factors that go into creating a globalized or a hybridized product. People have to see it, people have to hear it, and people have to feel it. The product must create in the individual something short of a sensory overload. The product that it affecting the senses also has to be one that is acceptable by the people, of course no one wants to be overloaded with something that is perceived as foul. What is important about this hybridized group is their connection to the people and satisfies people’s need for reflexivity. ‘Globalization forces us to look at ourselves and be protective of our own culture.’ GB presents an idea that individual identity is very important—that we must not forget who we are and where we come from—but also that international unity is also important—that knowing who we are will help us to understand others and connect on a deeper level.
Political attitudes of are driven by emotions. In fact, we can usually say that for a most attitudes. Fear of globalization is just that—fear. GB reassures us that while the world is changing, and that people are coming together and moving around, and jobs are being lost and gained that everyone is sharing in the same experience, that while we are individuals, we are not alone.
Jessica F
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