Does globalization (or global trade) provide an opportunity to the world (positive), or does it take advantage of local individuals and cultures (negative)? Explain in a CREW format.
Interviewer: I am here on a very crowded Wall Street with protesters chanting all around me…
Group of Protesters: People before profits! People before profits! People before profits!
Interviewer: Many of these folks are against the growth of global free trade. They believe free trade is to blame for increases in poverty, income inequality (lots of rich and lots of poor), and environmental damage in recent decades. They claim that the elimination of tariffs and other barriers to trade have simply allowed large, multinational corporations to move into and exploit (take advantage of) developing nations, while hurting many U. S. workers and families, too.
Protester 1 (wearing a “No More Sweatshops” T-shirt): The extreme expansion of capitalism and free trade has allowed large, multinational companies to exploit developing countries, and especially their poorest citizens who are often forced to work for less than $1.00 day. Many of the factories set up by these big companies are sweatshops– dirty, dangerous, and the pay is awful. We are here protesting for a ‘living wage’ for all foreign employees of U. S. corporations.
Union representative: I’m tired of these large, unfeeling corporations sending our good paying manufacturing jobs overseas to some factory where workers make $1.50 an hour, instead of letting Americans have those jobs…That’s what’s happening in the textile industry, the steel industry, and the auto industry, too. These are industries that built America and now our jobs are going to China or Mexico...
Interviewer: The other side of this global debate–you might call them free-trade advocates– argues that opening up markets and international borders to free trade has had all kinds of benefits for developing nations, as well as the United States and other industrialized nations. They cite data showing increased life expectancy, increased literacy (ability to read and write), more political freedom, and a reduction in the proportion of people living on less than $1.00 per day in the developing nations.
Manager: Evidence shows that the number of people living on $1.00 per day or less has decreased by 50% in the last 20 years, which was a period of rapid world economic growth, largely because of international trade. And the percentage of people who are malnourished (Starving) has dropped from 56% in the 1960s to only 10% today. Again, during a period of global economic growth, fueled by trade. Look, our corporation has a factory in Vietnam. Last year our factory there paid 2 times the local wage. That was a big step up for those workers, and it made sense for us, too, because it meant we could get the most productive local workers.
Shopper: Let’s also look at all of the different product choices we have. I can go into the grocery store and find different types of food from all over the world. We are limited in what we can produce and grow here in America, so having global trade gives us so many more options.
C- Claim (Globalization provides an opportunity to people throughout the world [or] Globalization takes advantage of local individuals and cultures around the world.)
R- Reason (It provides the opportunity because… [Or] It takes advantage of others because…)
E- Evidence (insert a quote from the reading to prove your positive or negative side)
W- Warrant (This quote shows how globalization is positive/negative because… We should/shouldn’t continue to trade with other countries of the world because...)