Last week my classes overlapped in a really interesting way regarding the effect of globalization on the viability of human rights. This discussion started in my Human Rights in the Middle East course in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of competitive markets, technology, etc., as well as who benefits (or who does not benefit) as a result.
Three days later in my HIV/AIDS in International Affairs course, a similar topic arose in the discussion of the spread of technology in the spread of HIV/AIDs awareness and education. We addressed a case-study that reported a direct link between American pornography and the spread of HIV in Ghana and the class discussion responded by proclaiming the horrors of globalization; however, two minutes later we were talking about the benefits of children in Ghana having access to video recording equipment to teach their peers about condom use and other HIV/AIDS prevention methods. It was an interesting moment coming from my first class in to the second that highlighted the manipulation of the effects of globalization for what one believes is good or evil. Do we get to pick which aspects of globalization stick and which do not? It’s clear that what benefits some may directly harm others so, if it were even possible to pick and choose, who gets to pick?
