Health Care 2

I very much enjoyed this presentation. The data presented were very interesting and it was quite shocking to see so clearly the disparity between different life expectancies around the globe. Interestingly, of course, the US has quite a depressed life expectancy given how much we spend on health care provision. You also drew attention to the wider social and cultural conditions which impact on health care. It would be of some interest had you discussed this in more detail. Certainly the data you cited inferred the connection but I would be interested in how you interpret these data.

While the above clip showcases poverty in the US and its relation to health care, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how different identities both within and outside the US are impacted by stratification and how this specifically affects health care provisions and outcomes.

This was implied through your presentation but it would be of some interest (and would help with clarification),

Global Healthcare

Another very interesting presentation... There are many variations out there, but, as you discussed, the main difference between countries and the way they run their healthcare system, is whether they have a national system of health or a private system of health. America spends more than ANY other nation on health and yet has lesser outcomes than other countries in terms of life-span and illness prevalence. You rightfully point out that Americans are generally fearful of a national health system because it has been tied to 'socialism'.

Who do you think is driving this ideological message? If healthcare is inefficient in the US and our outcomes so lacking, why are we holding on to a privatized system? Who benefits from this system?

Internationally, countries far poorer than the US are nationalizing their healthcare systems....

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/interviews/reinhardt.html

You also mentioned prescription drugs. Most drug companies, of course, are located in first world countries - and they are driven by profit. How do you think this shapes what research is done? And globally, what populations and diseases do you think go unattended?

You use many great clips to show some of your points, but what is one of the problems of relying on commercial media (made in the US) to tell us about the healthcare system? (Think of The Corporation).

Global Institutions

There was a lot of very interesting info here. From the discussion on the social order, to the WTO, to economic hit-men. Very intriguing. The WTO clip was very helpful, too. You made some excellent links to the reading, and chose some choice quotes to exemplify your points. One of the issues watching the presentation related to overall coherency... how do these segments tie in together.

How does the configuration of the social order help us to understand what is going on in the world when it comes to global economics and institutions?

How are rap music, the WTO, and economic hit men related?

What might it say about who holds power in a global society? And what affects will this have on the various identities across the globe.

Cultural Imperialism

Cultural Imperialism

Another fascinating presentation... and one which really showed the scope of the issue. I have a few questions for you, of course!

You discussed how cultural imperialism can be either enforced or embraced... and I wonder if there could be something more subtle going on here? If Western countries have the most control over media forms and other scapes, it could be argued that their values and cultural ideas will dominate. That this is not so much a global marketplace of ideas which is free to everyone, but a marketplace constructed in such a way that our ideas are the only ones given any air time or credence. In other words, people around the world, especially in the US, might not get much choice. Thus, if someone seems to embrace a value it might be because in the 'circuit of culture' that's all there is. Also, think about the documentary The Corporation ... in light of the following clip, how much are values embraced and how much is embraced? Is something else going on, do you think?

I was also really fascinated by your work on sex, fashion, rap music and cars... and all of you touched on hybridity (how things change when they enter new cultural contexts)... You all highlighted, though, the way in which these cultural products change cultural values and mores. All these products have been used to actually RESIST cultural hegemony. For example, rap music (outside of the gangsta commercial rap we get mostly today) is often a form used to protest inequality and racism around the world. It has been a means to actually spread opposing ideologies.... Also, clothing. The sari was a great case study. The veil, while we think it has very negative connotations, has been used to counter Americanization. In Egypt, for instance, there was a movement to actually wear the veil (by women) who wanted to resist American values of femininity and Western notions of sexuality and commercialism. Any thoughts?

Global Food

Food

This was such an interesting presentation... and, as others have commented, it was very well put together. You incorporated some wonderful concepts from the reading and this made for a great analysis. Of course, I enjoyed the point about food choices being tied to masculinity and other markers of identity such as class and ethnicity. I think this is especially the case in the US where food really conveys meaning. For example, what identities do we associate with people who shop at Whole Foods and those who might shop at Walmart?

I also very much enjoyed the work on 'mediscapes' and the way in which food (and how it is consumed) actually has an effect on the culture it is imported to. As all presentations seemed to appreciate, McDonalds affects not only the cuisine, but also the cultural fabric..

A few questions:


I was not quite sure how you were using the concept 'ideoscape' during the presentation. There are many ideologies around food and its consumption... The McDonaldization of food is a good case in point here, where ideologies of commercialism and capitalism are spread through the fast-food industry. Can you think of other examples?


I would love to hear more from this group - but also classmates - how food ties in with your own identities. How do your food choices help create your identities? How does food mark you apart from other identities? Do you think that your eating patterns will change as you go through life?

Finally, and this is to everyone. what sort of identities might be associated with:


And



Any guesses as to what my favorite is out of these two!?

Globalization presentations

Hi Class,

Please leave questions and comments about the presentations here...

Check out this website...

http://www.scn.org/cmp/modules/soc-glb.htm

Also, here is a graph which lays out how stratification operates within America.

Hidden Face of Globalization

This week we started to examine more closely the concept of globalization. We explored how global processes lead to an increasingly connected world where events that occur elsewhere affect more and more how we experience the local. The five 'scapes' helped to elucidate how and why global processes operate, and how carious cultures become dispersed around the world. Next week we will look more closely at what occurs to culture and identity in a global world...

Now, though, I want you to view the following video clip and consider your own views on globalization. We discussed the relative pros and cons of this new world order... the spread of more democratic values, the coming together of different nations to form benevolent NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross, and more, but we also started to think about the disadvantages of globalization. What happens if other developing nations over-develop to the extent of America and other first world nations? Is globalization equitable? Do nations and cultures have the same amount of 'say' in this global order? Will globalization just mean, in the end, the end of local cultures as Western culture and values dominate?

We'll explore some of these questions more on Monday... before then, view and comment with your reflections on the clip, which focuses on the hidden economic downside of globalization... As you watch the video, consider how identity-ideologies are at work in encouraging us to consent, or not mind, that the clothes we wear are made under these work conditions. Think, too, whether we could care more if we thought the factory workers were white, American children...