Is Globalization the Death-Knell for Nationalism?
Yes, I think that globalization will someday cause the end of nationalism. Globalization, as defined by the text is “the movement of goods, capital, ideas and people across geopolitical boundaries today and in the past”. A perfect example of Globalization through all of these means is exemplified through the company I work for which was founded in California, USA – Hollister Co.
When the company was first established in 1922, by John Hollister (who was a sea merchant), it sold different things and targeted a much different crowd. Today the company represents a “SoCal” theme which mainly targets today’s youth – namely teenagers. Hollister is just one of a few companies controlled by Michael Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch.
Hollister is a worldwide retail chain currently housed in various states such as Canada, USA (of course), Spain, Germany, Brazil, China, and Korea, just to name a few locations. It is constantly moving goods worldwide and gaining revenue all the time. I cannot imagine the company ceasing to continue growing in the near future. Having a company based all over the world is a major advantage to Globalization.
Every day the store location that I work at produces tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. This is pretty impressive for one store operating in a span of seven to twelve hours daily. Now imagine that tens of thousands of dollars multiplied by every store in Canada, USA, all the states that were mentioned earlier, and all the states I did not mention. Use the same formula for the other companies of Abercrombie and Fitch – Gilly Hicks, A&F, and a&f (kids). That is a lot of money this company is making everyday worldwide. Because it holds so much money, it can continue to expand and impose its ideas on lesser economies.
As observed through my work experience, Hollister’s primary consumers are teenagers, parents buying clothes for their teenagers, and people who wish they were still teenagers (just kidding). This is the crowd that consumes because this is the crowd that is sought out through promotional marketing techniques. Hollister appeals to today’s youth by keeping up with the latest trends, and hiring attractive young people to represent their brand; trying to epitomize what today’s youth should look like. Young people are usually easily influenced, so they aren’t particularly hesitant to swipe their credit and debit cards or happily hand over some cash. This is especially apparent when many of the buyers at my store location are tourists who actually do have a Hollister back home, but the prices are a lot higher there due to the value of the dollar.
The product is mass produced probably in sweatshops located in much lesser economies such as Vietnam. I can assure you it does not cost very much to manufacture the product in comparison to all the money the company has in the first place. Yet the people actually making it get paid little to nothing. We all know that mass companies don’t produce their goods in the best ways, but we still continue to support them – Most of the time paying no mind to it at all. Exhibit A, I work for Hollister Co.! And many people buy from there on a daily basis. Maybe it’s just better to have a pretty shirt to look at than think about the war being won by globalization…the conqueror of nationalism. How can a population represent itself as an independent nation when broader cultures are being imposed upon it, and quickly in turn, accepted?
http://www.hollisterco.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreView?catalogId=10201&mkwid=sBSya1LWQ&cmp=PDS:09212011HCOGBTM&pmt=e&langId=-1&pcrid=16605442193&kw=hollister&storeId=11308
Here’s a link for a 25% off your entire purchase promo code (30312: valid in store and online)
Use at your own discretion =)
