Oh Hail, St. Louis!

Going to the city of St. Louis with a sore neck and back isn’t exactly my idea of a day full of sights to see and things to learn. Unfortunately though, as I was whipping out my camera from my pocket to capture the famous arch and medium-sized skyline of this city from the window van, my neck and back were already complaining about my position. But, of course, I wouldn’t let a simple physical nuisance ruin the rest of my day in this city. The downtown area of St. Louis literally gave me the genuine feeling of being in America; all thanks to the tall and breathtaking buildings which towered all over the place.

Anyway, I’d like to stay faithful to my pseudo-promise. I did get to realize a few things in St. Louis. And with that, in the deepest hour of this night, I would like to hold these three things about my American experience to be true:

1.) Media institutions, both large-scale and small-scale, require a non-stop work mechanism from all over the place. Whenever the local TV news back at home would boast their tagline that news never sleeps, boy, I guess it’s only logical to assume that people who are working for the news must do the same exact thing.

2.) I’m proud of myself for being a new media student here in SIU for this summer institute. However, after weeks of being bombarded with things about journalism and media, I just can’t see myself in the future with a pen and paper. Moreover, the unpredictable breakout of a particular event in which I have to probably squeeze all the words out of my head is going to be too swift for me to even cover it with accuracy, patience, and professionalism. I can write, yes. But to write for a living? That is definitely a different story for me.

3.) Chinese people, like Filipinos, are everywhere. Okay, this point might be a little bit uncalled for but how can I not remember this when in fact I was generously fed, in spite of the time pressure, by a Chinese buffet table in downtown St. Louis? So here, it’s a good time for you to insert a few images of crabs, dumplings, fried rice, broccolis, and fortune cookies. Ohh, the monstrous appetite!

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Another set of realizations for you to know and for me to ponder again and again. I’m keeping my pseudo-promise, I’m telling you.

It Was My Paper on Globalization

Last week, we had a lecture on globalization. That particular lecture made me remember my own globalization course back in the Philippines with Ms. Acosta and the paper she assigned me to write about defending the side of the sceptics of globalization. So here I am, sharing my article to you all.

“Bipolar Inequality: Reinforcing the Side of the Sceptics”
John Patrick I. Allanegui

If we were to whip out a decent map of the world and examine how the different countries are situated across it, we might come to think that there is nothing really extraordinary about the world’s geography. However, political scientists have developed a rather intriguing model of the world economy called the North-South Divide which proposes that most of the developed countries are located in the north while majority of the developing countries are located in the south. This model has also evolved to an even broader scope to illustrate that there is a vast gap between the wealthy countries (North) and the poor ones (South). Somewhere along the illustrations of the states in the world map, lies a reality that has been plaguing the human race since time immemorial: inequality. Inequality, from my own understanding, is the disparity among classes when it comes to the realization of opportunities. It may encompass different aspects like race, social or economic status, education, etcetera. The North-South Divide also indicates the manner how the economic type of inequality, is distributed across the globe. Obviously, the world is not one. Sadly, the disparities of the North and South remain wide (Waltz, 1999).


In recent years, however, a very suspicious topic called globalization has gained popularity amongst social scientists and scholars. Believers of this so-called phenomenon (globalists) would insist that globalization is a world wide happening in which countries move beyond their borders to exchange culture, goods, service, and information with other countries as well. Globalists would even go further by saying that globalization continuously shapes our world through the interconnectedness that the nations share, thus it subsequently erases old hierarchies like the North-South Divide. They claim that inequality doesn’t anymore exist between huge blocks of regions but it only exists within societies because of the things brought about by globalization. Amidst this heated debate, a question still remains: Has globalization finally blurred the marginalization between the developed and underdeveloped countries to the point that inequality now exists only within societies? As a sceptic, I firmly say no for the reason that I believe that such gap is still present up to this very day. Here I shall present five main points why I say that inequality (economic inequality) is still rampant between the two blocks. In the course of doing so, I shall keep an eye of a Marxist while strengthening my stand about this issue.

To begin with, the gap is difficult to remove because of its historical context. As stated by author George Modelski, the wealth of the world has already been altered to the favor of Europeans groups since the beginning years of imperialism. Tracing back history, the 16th century was largely defined by the development of navy ships by European countries in order to transport people and colonize territories. Countries like Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain spearheaded expeditions to exploit lands and make use of the abundant resources for their own benefit. In my opinion, this greatly placed the colonies at a very disadvantageous spot since raw materials and man power were always utilized for the Westerners only. Development was almost mutually exclusive for the colonizers due to this exploitative behavior. Something this historical is clearly difficult to undo already.

Second point would be, according to Paul Hirst and Grahame Thompson, the mobilization of capital does not produce a shift of investment and employment from the advanced to the developing countries. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the global outflows of foreign direct investment in 2006 amounted to $779 billion. Out of that amount, developed countries remained the leading sources of outflows such as the G3 (North America, Europe, and Japan). Moreover, the G3 controls much of the market forces in a global scale and they would even influence the creation of policies of different countries for the benefit of the industrial markets. From this alone, we can see that the flow of FDI is highly concentrated among the developed nations which puts developing countries in a more marginalized position.


From the orientation that much of the wealth is concentrated on the North, we now move on to a thought in international political economy called the depedencia theory. The depedencia theory posits that through the exploitive relationship shared by the two blocks, the South remains largely economically dependent on the North. Moreover, dependencia theorists would assert that multinational corporations of the North would dominate the institutions of the South through bribery of local elites while harmonizing a dependent relationship through investments and other industries (Pearson and Payaslian, 1999). A classic example of this would be Latin American countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile which became very dependent on the USA and Canada as they struggled to achieve stable modernization during the time of the debt crisis of the 1980s. Theotonio dos Santos defines this dependence as a situation in which the development of a country’s economy is conditioned by the development of another economy to which the former is subjected (dos Santos, 1970). I firmly believe that this interdependence between the North and the South is destined to continue because much of the institutions and markets of the developing countries are not stable enough to stand on their own and they heavily rely on foreign investments and aid.

Next point would be informed by the False Paradigm model. Michael Todaro, an author, explains this as the inappropriate advice given by international advisers from the developed country assistance agencies. The model claims that these international experts would offer concepts, theories, and models that would often lead to incorrect policies. In addition, scholars would argue that civil servants, university intellectuals, and government officials would often get their training from foreign prestigious schools but they would be offered alien concepts and theories (Todaro, 2000). When the time would come to take action, the said concepts and strategies would be reckoned inapplicable because of different factors that are present in the developing society. For me, this exacerbates underdevelopment for the South because ineffective policies would often deem development projects as nothing.

Lastly, the point that I would like to raise as to why I believe that the North-South Divide is still evident up to this day is simply because the industrialized North doesn’t really give much attention to the development of the South (Pearson and Payaslian, 1999). Yes, multilateral institutions that are being led by developed countries have emerged to somehow aid the development of the poor ones but in the long run, it is the former that will still greatly benefit from it. Overall, the interrelations of the North and South does little or nothing to pull up the inferior element, let alone to trickle down to it (Todaro, 2000). From a Marxist’s point of view, I can say that the first world countries are doing everything that they can to stay as superior as possible to the rest of the world through capitalistic endeavors that are masked as development aid and projects.

If we were to whip out a decent map of the world and examine how the different countries are situated across it, we might come to think that there is nothing really extraordinary about the world’s geography. I beg to disagree. The geography itself provides a picture of how inequality is manifested across the globe - something that has been widely accepted for decades. It is true that globalists have come to argue that globalization erodes old hierarchies like the notion of the North South Divide or inequality between huge regional blocks. I beg to disagree even more, please. The growing North-South divide persistently features a great gap between two extreme groups in an international level that is somehow determined by geography. Also, what keeps this gap open is the steadfast conflict of interests between the North and the South which is something that is almost impossible to reconcile because of the social elements (history, culture, etc.) that the different countries have undergone separately (Shively, 2001). Ultimately, as long as the world economy operates under a very exploitative and apathetic manner when it comes to development, nothing - not even a myth called globalization - can ever eradicate the void that exceedingly divides the rich and the poor, the developed and the underdeveloped, the superior and the inferior - the North and the South.

Upon Exit

“Hey there! I missed you!”

That line apparently came from a short blonde boy -- and surely, I've never met him before . As he said those words, he came forward and gave me a strong hug which left me with the mental question, “Have I met you before?”. Obviously, the answer was a big “NO” -- but with a giddy and jumpy kid like this one, I just couldn’t help but smile in front of the young guy.

Charles, a kid from the Boys and Girls Club, became my best buddy during my group’s volunteer activity at the said institution. As we entered the door, we were informed that our main task was to accompany and play with the children for the whole duration of our short stay. The first game which greeted us was a nice round of volleyball. Charles himself led our group to the gymnasium. As we were divided into different age groups for the game, we were normally grouped from the younger ones. As I proceeded to the court and left Charles somewhere in the bleachers to play, the corner of my eye caught the image of a crying Charles. Seemingly, he wanted to play with the rest of the group but the poor kid wasn’t allowed to do so. Instead of indulging myself in the good vibes that an intense game of volleyball can offer, I decisively gave my presence to Charles.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the other kids inside what they call “The Game Room”. As the minutes unconsciously passed by, balls were incessantly thrown, artworks were nicely done, and snacks were generously served. All of the children were quite friendly. As I continued to befriend and play with the other kids of the center, Charles was always there to tap my arm whenever he wanted to show me something new.

As the arrival of Onur signaled the end of our volunteer hours at the Boys and Girls Club, we all properly gave away our goodbyes to all the kids. Funny though -- The feeling of leaving the place cannot possibly be compared to the feeling I got when I left the downtown area for the cleanup activity for the Keep Carbondale Beautiful Agency last week. During that time, the scorching environment pushed me to feel excited about leaving the place but this time, the youthful and warm environment of the Boys and Girls Club made me feel otherwise. I believe it was particularly uneasy for us to leave the place since the children allowed us to somehow feel very much at home.

Upon our exit, we weren’t able to avoid their persistent question, “When will you come back?”

I tried to keep my silence because I know too well I won’t be meeting them anytime soon but I just hope that the answer won’t be a big fat never.

Four Things Minus One

I’m not used to 8:30 PM sunsets -- I think this statement will always find ways to haunt me again and again.

As I gaze my two weary eyes to the clouded sun and grey sky through the windows of this self-proclaimed WiFi room, I guess it’s only right to say that I hold these three things about my American experience to be true:

1. Yes, I admit that came to this place with an open mind and excited pair of eyes but at the end of the day, all the stuff which I get to see only in expensive Hollywood movies and learn in my American History class aren’t necessarily true. Both concrete and abstract images of massive skyscrapers, incessant discrimination against one another merely because of one’s skin color, unbelievably large servings of American food, and the undying love for freedom and the country would have been part of my luggage but fortunately or unfortunately, my expectations were not entirely met.

2. Waking up to the sound of my alarm clock every 5:30 in the morning and cooking a so-called American breakfast for myself didn’t only give me a sense of independence as a student in a foreign land -- as a matter of fact, this daily morning routine actually fixed my body clock which has been altered since God knows when. Surely, you’d think that the former is more important but as a hypochondriac person like me, I’d choose the latter anytime without a doubtful trace.

3. And finally, the last thing on my mind about finishing this program is falling in love, like most people would do, with the notion of staying here in the USA. For me, the light at the end of the tunnel of this program entails a great deal of plans of improvement for my own community and more love for my home country.

Sure enough, this list can go on and on. Perhaps I’ll realize two plus four more things tomorrow -- in St. Louis.

24: The Chester Experience

Approximately 42 hours ago, I was situated inside The Old Farmhouse somewhere in an old American town called Chester. While eagerly listening to Dr. Brown and patiently waiting with Ridhwan for a man who was supposed to host us for the next 24 hours, I thought to myself how it would be like to carry out a life inside an American home with an American family while living the so-called American dream. The next few hours became a blur since all I could vividly remember were images of being fetched by a white SUV, long roads that lead to all corners and Popeye statues of Chester, unbelievably vast fields of corn and soybeans, and of course, the two warm faces of two people named Stan and Barb Eggemeyer.

The night of the 11th allowed us to open up to each other in a very inquisitive manner. Mr. and Mrs. Eggemeyer mostly shot the questions to us and we both happily answered them while we were all placed inside the comforts of their downstairs living room. Upon concluding the conversation with a short good night and choosing not to explore the cornfields at the backyard, my two eyelids finally decided to put my own self to sleep.

The following morning with our American family wasn’t about sitting in front of the television for the whole day and become an irresponsible couch potato in the process. Rather, I can say that Ridhwan and I were both fortunate enough to have them as our host family since they were more than willing to take us around Chester in order to appreciate the place even more. After eating our hearts out in a buffet restaurant, driving around the quiet roadways of Chester, taking happy snapshots of each famous Popeye statues, learning more about European history from a Lutheran pastor, glancing shortly at the infamous Chester correctional center, and opening up more conversations and answering questions for our dear host family, the 24-hour period was unfortunately about to end as we all, along with the other participants and host families, concluded the event with good old games, awesome food, and sad goodbyes.

At this point, I guess it’s only right to say that, in spite of the short time, I’ve learned a lot from our own share of American family life. From the bright sunlight which woke me up at 6:00 in the morning to the last strokes of our journey at that one-room school which means a lot for the Eggemeyer family, everything was more than fine. Instead of going over through the whole thing again, I would just like to say thank you very much for allowing us to impart our own share of the world into your own home.


PS
The Popeye shirt was awesome, by the way.

Of Food, Fireworks, and Freedom

Yesterday, the 4th of July finally marked yet another day of celebration for the United States of America with awesome food, blinding fireworks, and a great deal of freedom. Two semesters ago, I turned the pages of my American history book in front of my professor in order to learn more about the George Washington, the famous battle cry "No taxation without representation!", and the bold entirety of the revolutionary war against the British crown. It was only until last night that I did get to realize that I was lucky enough to finally experience a real celebration of independence in American soil.

As I munched on the savory chicken breasts and juicy burgers (humbly prepared by Dr. Brown and her family) with the rest of the SUSI team by the Mississippi River yesterday, a thought suddenly hit me: The American Revolution isn't just a simple piece taken from a dusty American history book - it is truly a pivotal event that reminds all of the people in the world that freedom is one element which allows us to reach our full human potential.

Putting aside all the emotional sentiments from yesterday's event, I did get to enjoy a lot of things in spite of my distance from my home country. From the long Chester joyride to the the magnificent fireworks display and everything in between, I can truly say that this year's 4th of July is something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.

Exercise

To advocate the notion of having equality between men and women is definitely easier to say than to translate into action in our contemporary society. The facts presented in Shannon’s article entitled “Equal Rights for Women? Survey Says: Yes, but…” are truly reflective of the residues that our patriarchal world has left behind even after a few several waves of feminism across the world. It is a historical fact that women in the past were often seen as inferior and less rational beings as compared to men. This notion mainly positioned most of the women inside the private space while men were left to rule the entirety of the public space. In my opinion, the contemporary response of women with regards to their perceived equality isn’t much of a surprise for me anymore.

The data in Shannon’s article depict that most of the countries in the Middle East and in Africa disapprovingly responded to the concept of equal rights. This brings me to the role of how cultural relativism separates our ideas about gender equality. In these societies, women have different roles and expectations to meet which are very much cultural in nature. These culturally embedded things are difficult to remove from them because the departure from the traditional role of women would entail a massive and radical rupture from the nature of their identity which holds them together as a society.

Regarding job opportunities for women, I find it pleasing to know that many people in different countries hold the belief that men and women must have equality before a job selection. However, in my own opinion, it is quite distressing to see that in reality, there is sometimes a logic that backs up this kind of treatment to women in the workspace. Women aren’t really preferred in tedious jobs because of the so-called lack of physical capability. Also, according to Cabarde (2010), women are sometimes seen a burden because of her special maternal needs and menstrual concerns that would require her to take maternity leaves and absences. This occurrence would then lead to an economic unproductiveness of a particular workplace.

Overall, I find it quite remarkable that there has been at least a few positive changes in the perceptions of gender equality in different parts of the globe. However, the main societal challenge is still at hand to find the necessary means to translate these positive perceptions into realistic changes.