Jessica Burris Final Reflection: Globalization LBST 2102-336

As a modern society, we are taught to think globalization is typically a good thing,

because we are normally the ones to help less modern cultures and peoples become more

intertwined with the modern world. My take on this is while, yes, some cultures do need our

help, but some cultures and peoples do not. If they have survived in such a way for such a

number of years, they dont need change. They dont need us, like some corporations make it

out to be. A society that comes to mind when I think of globalization is the Aboriginals of

Australia. They have had to endure many different levels of globalization. What first comes to

mind is the children of the Stolen Generations. In the early 20th century, Australian governments

decided to forcibly remove half-caste children from their homes to be placed into living facilities

and work. Their reasoning was to remove the children from possible abuse and to remove at

risk children, especially young females. In reality, being forcibly removed from your parents as

a child has long term detrimental effects on the psyche of children. These effects of the Stolen

Generation can later be part of the reason why Aboriginals now have such a hard time living on

their land and being comfortable with their past, their ancestors, and who they are now.

Globalization isnt always positive. The Aboriginals are the native people to most of the

land in Australia, yet they have the least amount of representation from officials, and the highest

rates of alcoholism, homelessness, and prison rates. As the modern world started to effect

Australia, the history of the Aboriginals was cast aside by many. When people are not able to

connect to the land they once shared with their ancestors, they are more likely to come into

conflict with the law. There has been a history of inappropriate behavior on the polices part. A

justice specialist in Western Australia says that the high rates of Aboriginal imprisonment is

largely influenced by some policemens frontier mentality and racism, which in our culture, is

neck in neck with racial profiling.

Jessica Burris Final Reflection: Globalization LBST 2102-336

This frontier mentality plays a larger role in the disbandment of the Aboriginals. It was

the English frontiers after their European invasion in Australia when alcohol became a major part

of society. Upon their arrival, dozens of pubs started to pop up all around. Even though alcohol

became a large part of society, Aboriginals were denied the right to legally drink alcohol because

people feared that natives were more adversely affected by alcohol than others. And because of

this, white settlers began to use alcohol as a bargaining tool to get them to do things. Most

notably, alcohol induced prostitution became huge. This prostitution increased the number of

half-caste children being born, and those children were usually left behind by the European

fathers, to then be taken by the Australian government to become part of the Stolen Generations.

The European settlers influence on the Aboriginal society induced negative globalization

because of their frontier mentality, making the Aboriginals seem like others, less than, etc.

This left the Aboriginals no choice but to try and become a part of society which they were

denied.