The Results of Globalization

I’m sure you have all heard of NAFTA or the Free-Trade Agreement that brought a lot of American jobs to lower-cost workers over seas. But if you’re like me you might be wondering, if these people can now get our jobs then why are so many of them still wanting to come to America and have a possible potential of changing their identity once they reach the US? In a lot of ways it doesn’t make sense to me to have such a huge rate of immigration into the US when there are so many of our jobs where the immigrants are migrating from.

Both Salman Rushdie with is story “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers” in his novel East, West and Bharati Mukherjee’s novel Jasmine give excellent examples of the continuing problems that globalization causes. They also show how they get past it within themselves. For example, in the story “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers” the tale shows a man wanting to purchase shoes that he believes will get him back his lady love. However, there are many other types of people in various organizations or who have built up enough money and have some scheme of their own for the ruby slippers. There is even someone on the phone putting in bids on the slippers. But just like any job interview for one of the many places some of the people at the auction represent only one will get those shoes and have a chance at taking the risk to full fill their scheme for more or better.

A similar occurrence happens in Mukherjee’s Jasmine. Except instead of trying to buy something to have something more or better the heroine of the story - if that’s what you can call her - continually moves to a different area of the US looking for a better situation, a better life. She goes from living in India and going by the name “Jyoti” to living in Iowa and going by the name “Jane” and then moving again because things didn’t work out and going by names like Jazzy, Jasmine, Jase and so on. This character moved around so much it was almost difficult to keep up with all of the rules and the name changes that went on with each move. But my point is that she kept migrating trying to find that one place that gave her more, that gave her better.

It seems to me that, that continual search that these two stories embody are what globalization are all about. Giving the opportunity for people around the world to find and have more or better. However, more often than not you might not find it. The grass really isn’t always greener on the other side, it just seems that way till you cross over that fence. (And watch out for the barbed wire!) But the trick is to be like the guy in the story “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers,” and when the stakes become to high “drop out of the bidding, go home, and fall asleep. When [you awake feel] refreshed, and free” (p. 102) free of the burden that drove you for that something more, that something better. You don’t want to be burdened down with the rules that go along with the constant change in the constant search, like “Jasmine” was in her story.

As I have said there are many drawbacks to globalization and while this analysis is just an aspect of the ideal that is behind globalization the effects are still the same. People still search for more, for better and even though things are sent their way those same people still migrate and a good portion of those immigrants migrate to the US every year for that search of a better and considerably changed life. My family and my husband’s family did. The question now is, is it then such a good idea to give so many choices in that area?