Globalization

The world has changed over recent decades to a point where a true globe society has emerged. The implications of this globalization can be seen in many different parts of the world such as countries and people, as they begin to work together to accomplish goals.  This past winter break I had the opportunity to go on a cruise to the Bahamas and the Virgin islands of Saint Thomas and Saint Martin, where globalization was obviously occurring, particularly in Saint Martin.  While driving through the city on our way to the beach, the taxi driver turned on the radio and a Justin Bieber song was playing. I asked the driver if the people listened to American songs often and he responded by saying that the people of the island love American hip hop songs and artists.  As we continued our drive to the beach we passed a KFC, Oakley store, McDonald's  and many other American style stores.  Many of the local stores even tried to make it as Americanized as possible by having big signs, advertisement, and professional looking staff. The island seemed to have many characteristics that resembled American and modern day culture, so I asked the driver why there seemed to be so much of an American influence, he responded that the culture of the people has changed with the large amounts of tourism on the island.  As tourists would come to the island they exposed music, food, and pieces of their country’s culture to the natives of the island, which caused many people of the island to adopt some of these new cultural ideas.  The country’s economy is also driven by tourism, which made me realize how important globalization was to all countries but especially an island such as Saint Martin. Without the money from tourists the island of Saint Martin would not be able to support itself.  Globalization has a major impact in even the smallest of places in the world.