Globalisation

(this entry is greatly influenced by a columnist of JOOP.NL, the dutch version of the Huffington Post).

Globalisation. Who does not know the term. Who does not love it/hate it.

It has a mostly economic connotation: Entrepreneurs grow from national to international and later global players. We are told that globalisation is a good thing.

(although there IS opposition from anti-globalists, a NOT to be disregarded opposition).

Depending on your Google-skills you're able to find many or even millions of articles dealing with the subject of globalisation.

Now we turn the subject around to different angles.

Globalisation is NATIONAL BUSINESS growing into GLOBAL BUSINESS.

Behind business is money. The same thing goes.

Money used to be 'traded' country specific, nowadays global money is the trend. A bank that does not operate globally is regarded as the financial loser of all times.

Take it one step further.

Behind business, behind money is labour/employment/people/jobs/families.

You guessed right: Labour transformed from local to national to international to global.

Ever heard the term 'expats'? If no Google, if yes than you know what I mean.

The dutch started early in time. From the 16th/17th century an abundance of dutch people chose to find their future abroad (VOC and more). We co-colonised the yet to be invented USA and Canada, we followed traders into East Asia, China, Australia and elsewhere.

If employed by dutch firms, they all were expats. If they endeavoured on their own they were emigrants.

All of them brought wooden shoes, cheese, licorice, the reformed church and Santa Claus to the world.

Of course they were not alone. During the same period 100.000's of French, British, Irish, Spanish etcetera opted for the same choice: expats and emigrants.

Bad thing? Any different from (economic) globalisation? Course not!

Now the turnaround.

Suppose you live in one of the countries that are flooded with the formerly mentioned expats and emigrants, for them immigrants.

It influences their way of life, they experience not-known foreign traditions, customs, religions, politics, language, fashion, money and so forth.

Rings a bell?

Suppose all dutch would regard all foreign influence in THEIR country in the same way... as immigrants/expats just like Americans/Africans/Asians/Australians (BTW: all continents-names start with an A, except Europe).

Which continent do you think is better in dealing/coping with immigrants/expats?

In short: with human globalisation?

RIGHT: NOT EUROPE (let alone the dutch)!