A Firenze

In Wolf's chapter 11 he discuss the many critiques of "corporate globalization". The typical criticisms as Wolf enumerates (the dude loves lists) are 1) MNC's are more powerful than most countries 2) Brands give MNC's control over customers 3) FDI impoverishes recipient countries, especially poor ones 4) FDI impoverishes workers in capital exporting countries 5) MNC's subvert democracy. All legit criticisms, but all with their own defenses as Wolf illustrates.

However, I feel the need to add a number 6 to this list of critiques of "corporate globalization":
6) Erosion of cultural identity 

The image above is what came to mind when I read Wolf's defense.  Pictured above is a building near the Il Duomo (center of Florence) that has thousands of US 1$ bills stapled to the outside. Vaclav Pisvejc, the artist who fastened the bills, spray painted "Capitalism is not possible" across the front. To the average passerby, the image of US bills in the heart of Italian renaissance art is jarring.

When I say "cultural erosion", I think immediately to my first bike ride past this building. The idea I am trying to capture is that when your economy (and your day to day life) rely on tourist visiting your country, you start to lose a certain self-identity with the people around you. When 11% (http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/835540.shtml) of your workforce is in the tourism industry, the notion that your cultural identity exists for the amusment of others becomes a reality.  No longer are you the proud Italian from Tuscany, but rather a tour guide for distant visitors.

While the tourist industry may not be what Wolf's ch. 11 was focusing on, I think there are two main points that correspond with Wolf's previous list. One, tourism could be thought of as a proxy variable for FDI, therefore it carries many of the same pros and cons. Second, most popular tourist destinations tend to be a hot-spot for MNC's to set up shop there (based off my experience), so again, many of the pros and cons apply as well.

I can feel myself having trouble articulating my point, so I guess I'll try to provide an example. What happens when McDonald's (or any MNC) takes over the mom and pop restaurant in small Italian town? What happens when H&M opens a new store in Sevilla and all of the boutique clothing stores go out of business? Most locals start to feel lost about the control they have over their communities. If labor prices in Bangladesh can erode Italy's dominance in fashion, what can the Italians truly control? Maybe all I am trying to say is that an increased presence of MNC's means a greater Americanization of that region.


Still, I'm not sure I have hit the nail on the head. Perhaps I should bring this up in class given that most people have gone out of the country at least once. I guess the central question is this: Does the increased presence of MNC's in a specific region decrease the cultural uniqueness of that area? If yes, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Or just a thing...?

all for now.