liviamcmaster

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My favourite part of the Olympics has always been the opening ceremonies. Ironic, since its one of the only parts that doesn’t really have to do with sports, but I used to be glued to the TV whenever it was on. I remember being eight years old and watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and thinking that it was so cool that the entire world could come together and be unified, even if only for a few weeks every two years.

The older and more cynical I got, the more my image of the Olympics, especially the opening ceremonies, changed. The opening ceremonies are designed to send a message. On the surface, that message may seem to be of peace, unity, and coming together as global citizens to celebrate this event. That isn’t the true meaning. In reality, this is a show of power and superiority. This is a corrupt organization that has committed multiple human rights atrocities claiming that it was all in the name of the game and in the name of global unity.

The Olympics as a whole exemplify many of the issues people have with global citizenship. It’s all a show, no real good or change comes out of it. It’s just them imposing their views and ideals onto as many people as possible. To many of the critics, it is nothing more than flashy images used to hide corruption, and these judgments are definitely justified.

The Olympics have the potential to actually do all of the world-unifying things it portrays, but that would require a complete restructuring of the organization, and as long as it’s making money that won’t happen anytime soon. Until then, I’ll probably be one of the millions of people glued to their TV during the opening ceremonies, trying to not think too hard about what is actually being shown to me.

Image: Pyeongchang opening ceremony, featuring a dove; the symbol of peace

Bloch, H., & Harbage, C. (2018, February 09). Highlights Of The Pyeongchang Olympics Opening Ceremony, In Photos. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2018/02/09/584466415/highlights-of-the-pyeongchang-olympics-opening-ceremony-in-photos 

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Economics, Crises, and Inheritance

If I’m being completely honest, I do not understand economics at all. My entire life I have heard these buzzwords thrown at me, like neoliberalism, stocks, foreign direct investment, and I’ve had no clue what they meant. I know that all of these things are important and that they affect me, but exactly how I had absolutely no idea. I had no clue how big of an impact they, and other aspects of globalization, were already having on my life

I was eight years old when the US housing market collapsed, much too young to understand exactly what was going on or to even comprehend how it affected me. Yet, people my age are, and will continue to be, the people the most affected by it. Over half of our lives have been defined by the fallout of this crisis, and just as we’re getting to the age where we are becoming more actively involved in it, we’re seeing people disheartened by globalization rising to power and taking action against it.

It isn’t just about global economics. People around my age have had little to no effect on the major events related to globalization that happened during our lifetime, yet we will be the ones most affected by it. This doesn’t just about the globalized economy. At one year old, we were too young to remember the 9/11 attacks, too young to remember the beginning of the Iraq war and thus the beginning of the war on terrorism. By the time I was 10 I was constantly using technology that connected me to a supraterritorial space, and many of us hardly remember a time before we had access to those types of spaces. As the inheritors of the most globalized period of history, I believe we will be those who need to understand it best because it will define our entire lives.

Source of image

Horsey, D. (2008, October 11). As the world turns [Digital image]. Retrieved October 31, 2018, from https://www.seattlepi.com/davidhorsey/slideshow/David-Horsey-cartoons-October-2008-14765/photo-979241.php

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Here’s a photo of me and a friend presenting a project on sustainable development with the UN to over a hundred middle school kids. In high school, I was in a program with my school board called the International Certificate Program, or the ICP. According to its website, the ICP is an “ equitable and accessible program meant to formally recognize students who have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of global citizenship and intercultural awareness”. That’s how I ended up doing this project, I spent many years of my highschool life with a “goal” of being a global citizen.

This post discusses globalization and global citizenship within education. Starting in elementary, schools are teaching about these topics. I remember sitting in a semi-circle in the second grade as my teacher read a book about little boys and little girls all around the world and how they were all different but all the same.

One reading specifically touches on this subject. Martha C. Nussbaum wrote an article titled “Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism”. In it she argued that global citizenship should be taught and incorporated into education because she believes it will teach students more about themselves and making them more empathetic.

Part of my final project of the ICP was to describe what being a global citizen means to me. Looking back it seems very superficial to me now. I said that to me being a global citizen means “being able to empathize with others” and “wanting to always keep learning” and other things like that.

However, after being in this course for a few weeks, I’m realizing it’s not quite as simple as I thought. There are a lot of legitimate criticisms of globalization and global citizenship that I just didn’t know could exist. One that really stuck out to me was David Jefrees, who said before asking how to help the dying child, ethical action begins with asking why the child is dying.

I think people who are getting educated about global citizenship need to learn about both sides, and it’s something I wished I had learned about before last week because now I feel like I had a very one-sided view.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the ICP is an amazing program and I think everyone should do it if they get the opportunity. I just wish I hadn’t thrown myself into the idea of being a global citizen without ever viewing the other side. I feel like I would have a much stronger understanding of the term and be even more confident in identifying myself as a global citizen.

Cited sources

“International Certificate Progam.” Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, ocdsb.ss13.sharpschool.com/cms/one.aspx?portalId=55478&pageId=1744015.

Jeferees, David. “Global Citizenship and the Cultural Politics of Benevolence.” Critical Literacy, 2008, criticalliteracy.freehostia.com/index.php?journal=criticalliteracy&page=article&op=viewArticle&path%5B%5D=5.

Nussbaum, Martha C. “Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism.” Boston Review, 9 Mar. 2013, bostonreview.net/martha-nussbaum-patriotism-and-cosmopolitanism.