Monday, January 5, 2009

We Are the World


While traveling abroad I found a truer definition of Culture Connections. I saw how one culture can directly affect another. I had visited Mexico and Costa Rica where the majority of households earn their income from farming during the wet season and the tourist trade during the dry season. Due to America’s mismanaged financial system tourism has slowed substantially. I know what you might be thinking, so what if a few less people can travel abroad? Let’s look deeper. With the world spending less the countries that depend the most on those dollars are hurting more making them vulnerable to seeking alternate sources of income be it from jobs obtained as an illegal immigrant or the drug trade.

One cultures impact on another’s is not limited to economics alone. Imagine 12 million Americans disappear and are redistributed globally? To put it into context that would equate to all of the Bay Area’s 7.3 million, LA’s 4 million and San Diego’s 1.3 million gone. That means no movies, commercials or entertainment. No 49ers or Raiders games and no famous San Diego Zoo. Culturally America would be devastated. Physically and emotionally it would be hard for us to recover with our leaders, families and educators absent, never to return. Hard to imagine? Hard to believe? It has already happened.

Africa lost 12 million of its people, mothers, fathers, and siblings to the slave trade, along with culture and development. To this day its resources are still being plundered by our corporate citizens with government knowledge and cooperation. Stan Lee wrote it best, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

photo credit: kevin eikenberry

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