3.1. British Exit

Reflexión

Why did Brexit happen? Watch this video and answer the questions below:

Video by Ted on Youtube

According to the speaker in the video:

1. What changes were a shock for him and other people?

2. What does Brexit teach us?

3. What are the positive effects of globalization?

4. What are the downsides of globalization?

5. What four factors could help end bigotry and intolerance?

Retroalimentación

1. What changes were a shock for him and other people? British people voting to leave the EU, the Prime Minister resigning, and Scotland considering a second referendum.

2. What does Brexit teach us? The society, and ultimately the world itself is divided; people generally speaking feel unrepresented by politicians; people don't know their own countries that well; there is a specter of Brexit in all societies.

3. What are the positive effects of globalization? Free trade, movement of capital, and immigration have positive benefits and bring interdependence, which in return brings cooperation and peace.

4. What are the downsides of globalization? Low-skilled immigration can have a negative effect in the economy of a country, as it can lead to a reduction in salaries and put pressure on house prices.

5. What four factors could help end bigotry and intolerance? The first factor is civic education, which implies giving information so that people can participate in civic matters and engage in public issues. The second one is promoting more interaction among diverse communities, by encouraging exchange programs, providing access to the Internet for those who can't travel, and promoting interaction with people with different views. The third one is making sure everyone shares the benefits of globalization and everyone understands what benefits there are in globalization. The fourth one has to do with responsible politics where there is no polarization and right and left work together.

Globalization represents the global integration of international trade, investment, information technology and cultures. Government policies designed to open economies domestically and internationally to boost development in poorer countries and raise standards of living for their people are what drive globalization.

Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/globalization.asp

PROS AND CONS OF GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is a complicated issue. It is necessary to evaluate the pros and cons before drawing any conclusions.

Pros

Supporters of globalization argue that it has the potential to make this world a better place to live in and solve some of the deep-seated problems like unemployment and poverty.

1. Free trade is supposed to reduce barriers such as tariffs, value added taxes, subsidies, and other barriers between nations. This is not true. There are still many barriers to free trade. The Washington Post story says "the problem is that the big G20 countries added more than 1,200 restrictive export and import measures since 2008.

2. The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth; creates jobs, makes companies more competitive, and lowers prices for consumers.

3. Competition between countries is supposed to drive prices down. In many cases this is not working because countries manipulate their currency to get a price advantage.

4. It also provides poor countries, through infusions of foreign capital and technology, with the chance to develop economically and by spreading prosperity, creates the conditions in which democracy and respect for human rights may flourish.

5. There is now a worldwide market for companies and consumers who have access to products of different countries. True

6. Socially we have become more open and tolerant towards each other and people who live in the other part of the world are not considered aliens.

Cons

a. The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the non-rich poorer.

b. Globalization is supposed to be about free trade where all barriers are eliminated but there are still many barriers. For instance 161 countries have value added taxes (VATs) on imports which are as high as 21.6% in Europe. The U.S. does not have VAT.

c. The biggest problem for developed countries is that jobs are lost and transferred to lower cost countries.

d. Workers in developed countries like the US face pay-cut demands from employers who threaten to export jobs. This has created a culture of fear for many middle class workers who have little leverage in this global game.

e. Social welfare schemes or "safety nets" are under great pressure in developed countries because of deficits, job losses, and other economic ramifications of globalization.

Adapted from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikecollins/2015/05/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-globalization/

Video by Explainity Channel on Youtube


Image by Jeff Djevdet in Flickr under CC.	Image by Jeff Djevdet in Flickr under CC.

After reading the text about globalization, you are going to maintain a 5-minute conversation with your partner.

STUDENT A

You support globalization. You believe the pros far outweigh the cons and think the world is a lot better now than it was before. You also see some very positive aspects in immigration. Try to convince student B of your point of view.

STUDENT B

You are against globalization. You think there are more disadvantages than advantages to it, and even though you consider yourself to be a tolerant person, you think immigration can have negative effects on our society if it is uncontrolled. Try to convince student A of your point of view.