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How Does Globalization Influence Health and Lifestyle

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Submitted By lowkeyjun
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How does globalization influence health and lifestyle?
2012/7/26

Traditionally, globalization is welcome in a host of countries for the reason that it can increase international trade and fuel the local economic growth. Yet, a growing number of people nowadays are beginning to be concerned that transitions brought by globalization could make a negative effect on their local lifestyle and health. Widespread and overwhelming, globalization plays a vital role in people’s life. From my own perspective, health and cultural problems are the two essential issues that triggered by globalization.

Admittedly, globalization reinforces cultural exchange and transmission. Nonetheless, it can undermine the local cultural identity as well. Especially, the spread of American corporation all over the world has visible and variable consequence on local culture, such as fast food chains. It is well known that food not only represents an aspect of local culture but also reveals the habits and traditions in society. For example (Cited in Source Work, 2012, p.179), the French unique cuisine reflects their culture, which makes the French feel more proud. Because of their sense of pride, quite a few French people have started to be concerned that the U.S. fast food chains would crowd out their own products. Besides food products, restaurant chains can influence both eating habits and traditions. For instance (Cited in Source Work, 2012, p.179), Starbucks, in Italy, gives rise to widely cultural concerns because it is universally acknowledged that Italian coffee, which is regarded as part of lifestyle and mores in Italy, is more than a normal drink. The Italian deems that a large chain, which is lack of a friendly atmosphere, could not provide a comfortable environment for individuals to relax their coffee and to chat with friends.

Moreover, introducing fast food chains will also cause more intense problems than influencing the culture and lifestyle. Another example can be seen in China. (Cited in Source Work, 2012, p.180) McDonald’s has occupied not only the main market share of fast food in China but also many children’s hearts. In the past, children used to not buy fast food with their own money and did not celebrate their birthday in China. McDonald’s broke the traditions and then established a new one. It successfully transformed the concept of purchasing fast food with children’s money, even though a multitude of parents were always unhappy about that. And it also promoted American-style birthday parties in China as part of its marketing strategy. Thus, successful promotion of those strategies makes more and more people have fast food in China.

There is no doubt that consumption of too much fast food in the long run will result in excessive accumulation of body heat. After people enjoy much fast food, which contains high calorie, however, they don’t realize that they have to do more exercises to get rid of fat. As time goes by, people who eat too much fast food are becoming lazy and do less and less physical activity. (Cited in Source Work, 2012, p.182) This phenomenon is called couch-potato syndrome: people would like to sit on couch to watch TV rather than ride their bicycles. Thus, people in both developed and developing countries are increasingly getting fatter and fatter.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why health-care costs will be raising so quickly——(Cited in Source Work, 2012, p.182)100 billion dollars for obese children in the USA, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and 35 million overweight kids around the world without including 300 million adults. We can’t deny that the cost of health care is staggering. This case reminds me of my childhood. When I was child, I was crazy about eating fast food, especially in McDonald’s. Less than three years, I became a fat boy just like a ball. Unfortunately, I finally got not only adiposity but also hyper susceptibility, which led me to go to a clinic several times within a month. Doctor told me that I had to change my food habit or I could not get well completely. Eventually, by having less fast food and doing more exercises, I made a considerable determination to revolutionize all of it, which cost me too much money and time. Obviously, my story warns that fast food can definitely ruin our healthy life.

Accordingly, there is no denying that globalization plays an indispensible role in promoting economic development, a vehicle of cultural integration and a crucial step of Social progress. Nevertheless, the popularity of globalization will inevitably compel the western lifestyle to spread widely, which may probably break the traditions and life habit. What’s more, implanting the fast food culture could be likely to bring diffident kinds of health problems to local people. Thus, it is a necessity for us to pour more attention into those problems brought by globalization.

References
Nancy E. Dollahite. (2012). Globalization and culture.

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