According to a lot of novels, TV series, films, songs, and a bunch of experts who established such as fact thus allowing the aforementioned sources to use it, the first step to getting help is admitting that you have a problem. What they also say is that the first step, acceptance, is the hardest step. Acceptance is hard because you are made to come to terms with telling the ugly truth to your self. This ugly truth being that yes, there is a problem with you. With that cleared out, I have decided to come to terms with myself and admit something I am not proud of.
*takes a deep breath*
…
…
…
…
…
Hi, I’m Ysa and I’m globalized.
[/melodrama]
Hello, if you’ve just tuned in and are not yet aware of the not-at-all-seriousness, I would like you to know that that opening paragraph was not at all serious.
Non-Existent Reader: Pfft. No duh, Ysa. We know what melodrama means and your use of faux-HTML to appear oh-so-clever/witty.
Moi: Well I’m sorry, Non-Existent Reader. Excuse me for trying to be amusing.
Non-Existent Reader: Touchy, touchy. By the way, did you know that your sentence prior to this fake conversation, which I bet is also just another one of your ways of trying to be amusing in your blog posts, is annoying to read for repetition of the phrase ‘not at all serious’?
Moi: Seriously?
Non-Existent Reader: Yes.
Moi: Are you being serious or not at all serious?
Non-Existent Reader: I am being serious here.
Moi: Seriously?
Non-Existent Reader: Seriously!
Moi: …You serious?
Non-Existent Reader: *eye roll* *annoyed huff* *sarcasm* No, I’m not at all serious.
Moi: Ha! Got you to say the phrase! Now the count it four and it’s even more annoying now considering the constant use of the word ‘serious’ in various ways!
Non-Existent Reader: Ysa, just shut the fuck up and get back to doing objective one for this last mission.
Moi: Right-o.
Contrary to the opening statements, made purely because of this line from the Mission 5 Objective 1 post, “In short, admit it, our lives are colored by globalization”, I don’t consider being someone who’s growing up in the era of the globalization sensation as problematic nor something that would need aid for. I will take some time now to applaud those people who promote the pro-globalization propaganda because I honestly hadn’t really thought of globalization in a negative light (not directly, to be specific) prior to taking my EUROCIR class. Prior to reading the assigned article and the in-class discussion, I always thought of globalization as a pretty neat, trippy, peachy-keen sort of thing. So yes, I’ll admit it, my life is colored by globalization and I have been, for most of my life, lead to think that globalization is pretty damn awesome.
So, since I have spent most of my life being very self-absorbed (but then again, who hasn’t in my generation?) I will now assess as to how globalized I am by just listing down a bunch of my favourite things as of late.
- Clothes from ZARA
- Graphic Novels, especially the Sandman series of Neil Gaiman
- having a music player with me at all times (currently I’m using a 2nd generation iPod video)
- British TV shows
- Harry-frickin’-Potter
- Watching Conan (Conan O’Brien’s latest talk show)
- Wes Anderson directed and 80s films
- Buying cheap-ass boots from ukay-ukay places
- the feel of think watercolour paper
- Tumblr
- Edward Norton
- FRITOS
Alright, with all of these things listed how exactly does that make me a product of the globalization sensation? It’s simple, all of these things would not exist within my possession or line of want/desire/adoration without the efforts of my country getting in touch with another country or several.
ZARA is originally a Spanish brand. Whenever I buy clothes or shoes the tags tell me these were “made in Turkey”. These clothes probably got imported from some other country though.
Neil Gaiman’s an American author and I would not have the literary-fantasy-gasm that is Sandman without him.
Steve Jobs, rest your genius soul, gave the world Apple and it will never be the same thanks to him. Furthermore he made music-listening more portable, and accessible, as well as contributed immensely to illegal media downloading which is a hobby of many around the world (most especially in this country).
British TV shows influence my tastes in humour, how I type certain words, my taste in foreign men (Sherlock, anyone?), and quite possibly the slang words I use in conversation.
Harry Potter is a self-explanatory globalized phenomenon.
Conan O’Brien is also just as self-explanatory.
Wes Anderson films, 80s films, or the kind of films I enjoy watching are those which can only be found/made outside of the borders of the Philippines (most of the goddamn time), and I doubt I would’ve known about these films were it not for the internet/TV.
It is an observed fact that most of the boots you buy from ukay-ukay places are imported from the UK, the US, or some Global North country (or so the tags on my boots say). They could’ve possibly been assembled in some Global South country though.
According to a friend of mine who specializes in watercolour art-making, the best watercolour paper is from this French brand.
Tumblr. I have an
account and I swear not only has it lead me to procrastinate so many times but I can’t help it.
I am globalized by Edward Norton because of all the magazines, DVDs, and hours I have spent looking up his gorgeous face on the internet I have accumulated because of him. I get all tingly imagining being the people who took all those photos, gave all those interviews, shot his movie scenes, etc.
And finally, Fritos…they’re just awesome and I subsidize my craving for them by eating the local version of it, Chippy.
All of the aforementioned justify me as a product of globalization (and maybe colonial mentality, but that I never deny). Other than the fact that these things wouldn’t come to my attention without some inter-state-la-di-da’s and pow-wow-ing (Jesus, Ysa, where do you get these terms?!), I also can’t begin to imagine my life without these things or these interests. Were it not for globalization perhaps I might just stick to liking the likes of John Lloyd Cruz instead of Ed Norton. I might declare Trese as my favourite graphic novel series. Most of my clothes would be bought from Penshoppe or Bench, and I my favourite shows would be local teledramas or something. None of these things are bad though, I have nothing against local stuff, especially Mr. Lloyd Cruz (I refuse to just leave him as Mr. Cruz!) and the graphic novel series that is Trese, it’s just that to imagine these things being at the top of my favourite things list would be like re-imagining me as a whole different person. It’s not that these products of globalization completely shape who I am as a person, it’s just that I will not deny the role they play in shaping my character and that of the entire globalization and its by-products continuing to do such.
So as I said earlier on, Hi, I’m Ysa, and I’m globalized.
Tastes Like Bad Political Thinking 