Is Globalization Killing Diversity?

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Is Globalization Killing Diversity? Globalization has become a huge point of discussion in recent years. The effect it has had on our world has been profound, but I believe it has affected many nations’ cultures in a negative way. I believe globalization of cultural norms from countries such as the United States and Japan have smothered the native identities in many less powerful countries. In the past 10 to 15 years several brands have went global, spreading their products across the world. Companies such as Pepsi, MTV, and McDonalds have a presence in almost every significant country and are often sponsors of many major events. One company in particular stands out for its contribution to global culture: Starbucks. The company has expanded into many cities in what can be likened to carpet-bombing; locating stores right across the street from one another in order to choke out local competition. According to Benjamin Barber, the city of Vienna, with a Starbucks on every corner, “loses its distinctive Viennese coffeehouse culture” (219) and in the process becomes yet another generic city filled with the same generic places. Yet another company has also contributed to the decline of local businesses: McDonalds. McDonalds brought components of the rigid and strictly controlled manufacturing industry to fast food and with it the ability to cut costs and serve fast, cheap food. The rapid spread of fast food restaurants, along with the reliance on large suppliers “drove local restaurants, small suppliers, independent ranchers and farmers out of business” (Schlosser 249). McDonalds has help transformed the cities of America into clones of themselves. Almost all of these cities have the same restaurants, the same stores, and the same sprawled look. In addition, the sense of community and wellbeing in these towns and cities has been severely degraded. Now, instead of

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