1. "You must not wonder what exactly happened to the contents of your lavatory when you flushed it. You must not wonder where your bathwater went when you pulled out the stopper. You must not wonder what happened when you brushed your teeth. Oh, it might all end up in the water you are thinking of taking a swim in; the contents of your lavatory might, just might, graze gently against your ankle as you wade carefree into the water, for you see, in Antigua, there is no proper sewage-disposal system" (13-14, Kincaid).
In this quotation taken from A Small Place, the narrator clearly shows one side of globalization that the tourist is usually not aware of which is Antigua's struggle with creating a proper sewage-disposal system. The mentioning of this issue by Kincaid is a signifier of globalization because it is a serious problem for the people of Antigua. As a society they probably struggle with this issue, and so far they have not found a good system for sewage disposal. The perspective of writing Kincaid has is also a signifier. For example, the straight-forward addressing of this issue of water in Antigua points the finger at you, the reader, and forces him or her to think about this issue. Because of how Kincaid presents this problem that is usually unseen to the tourist, you, the reader, suddenly becomes the one who is acting out in ignorance. As the reader personally I feel like Kincaid puts me in an uncomfortable place because I am faced with issues that have never occurred to me before, even though I have travelled to Mexico eight times in the past for vacations. Although it is not safe to assume the same for other readers, I would guess their reactions would be similar. The reader/tourist is vulnerable and guilty for the situation described, because Kincaid gives refreshing insight into the workings of a tourist from the society's point of view, such as Antigua's perspective that Kincaid offers. The ignorance of tourists not knowing where their dirty water goes is an example of globalization because the local problems citizens in Antigua face of water disposal does not bother the tourist on his or her holiday.
2. "Once you enter the gates of Infosys, though, you are in a different world. A massive resort-size swimming pool nestles amid boulders and manicured lawns, adjacent to a huge putting green. There are multiple restaurants and a fabulous health club. Glass-and-steel buildings seems to sprout up like weeds each week. In some of those buildings, Infosys employees are writing specific software programs for American or European companies; in others, they are running the back rooms of major American- and European-based multinationals--everything from computer maintenance to specific research projects to answering customer calls routed there from all over the world ... Young Indian engineers, men and women, walk briskly from building to building, dangling ID badges. One looked like he could do my taxes. Another looked like she could take my computer apart. And a third looked like she designed it!" (5-6, Friedman)
This passage from "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman shows the globalization he sees once he enters the area of Infosys. Its outskirts, as he mentions before this passage, are anything but globalized, and it is filled with cows, carts and "motorized rickshaws." But all of this changes when he enters the area of the Infosys campus. All of his description words of things that he sees are signifiers of globalization; for example, glass-and-steel buildings, fabulous health club, dangling ID badges, manicured lawns, etc. All of these descriptions show the advanced technology of Infosys that has so largely taken over the area surrounding the corporation and globalizing the buildings and employees there. Also, his mention of Indian engineers as the ones who can do his taxes, take his computer apart, and design computers, is an obvious signifier of globalization. Outsourcing and the United States' receiving of technological exports, such as computers, cars, televisions, etc. is one thing that has happened in the process of globalization and the United States' extended communication. Receiving these products from countries such as India, as Friedman observes, has had a tremendous impact on people from all over the world, but United States citizens especially, as he connects Indian engineers with computer designing and construction. Friedman also connects to the reader in this way, because he paired Indians with making technology that many United States citizens own, he is talking about a subject that most everyone can relate to. This connection between the Indian race and technology is undeniable for most United States citizens, so Friedman successfully relates to the personal experience of most readers and he can connect with his readers in this way.
I like your first point about the sewage system, but I would like to add something, and/or rephrase what you have said. I think that it is making the world more flat because no tourist is thinking about those things. We just think that because our sewage goes into an area for sewage, we, as tourists, think that it the same everywhere. Tourists think that things are the same in other countries than they are in their country of origin, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, I agree with what you are saying about Kincaids perspective on the reader/tourists view when visiting locations outisde of the norm. As a reader and tourist to other countries I did not like the way Kincaid approached this signifer. It is true that many people visit other countries and not notice the turmoil behind the scenes. I say this because depending on what part of the country you are visiting it may be hidden from the typical tourist. People may not realize it when they are there but they definetly know and understand what does occur on daily basis.
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