Globalization and Slavery.

Looking at the differences between the two,the parallels between the process of globalization and slavery can be drawn. Globalization has all the above characteristics of a new form of slavery; in the globalized markets it is the not the ownership but the control that work. Be it through direct or indirect ways of tariff, embargos or through policies privatization, control-mechanism remains at the core. The costs are always kept low through mass production and mass transportation. The profits are outrageously high due this. More than often there is surplus due to 'created’ needs, wants and desires through advertisement, perception management techniques, branding and public relations. The relationship between the customer/ employees and seller/ employer is kept to short term. This is done through highly concentrated ownership of organizations and resources. And finally with high mobility, information bombardment and media, the ethic differences have become futile. The relationship between globalization and slavery also becomes clear if we see the circumstances and conditions in which slavery exists and by seeing the role of globalization towards the creation or facilitation of such circumstances. One of the first facilitating factors of slavery is poverty and economic exploitation. Use or support of violence, unfair means, and sense of control, alienation and lack of concern of feelings are some others. It is not difficult to understand that globalization has created and is continuously increasing eh gap between the poor and the rich. In fact today bill gates is bigger than entire continent of Africa, general motors’ is bigger than Denmark and ford motors is bigger south Africa.(John Pilger, The mew rulers of the world).This has concentrated the financial resources in too few a hands and thus there is exploitation, inequity and eventually conditions of poverty. Thus, in essence, facilitating slavery. Through the mechanism of institution such as world bank, IMF and GATT, farmers and peasant across third world are forced to grow cash crops and are also forced to compete with the highly subsidized agribusinesses of the US, Europe and Canada. All this is done on the most unfair conditions which are created by the architecture of globalization. Through patents and intellectuals right, vast majority of workers in developing word are unable to utilize their skills and are thus forced to move towards cities where they join the urban poverty, ultimately becoming the labor force. This immense mobility of the labor from the villages to the cities leads to excess labor and thus lower wages and again the condition of poverty which harbingers slavery. And those who do not move towards city are forced to compete with multinationals of the US and Europe and thus sell for far less than they afford. Further with mechanisms practiced by the IMF and the World Bank such as de-valuation being forced upon developing or underdeveloped nations, the net result of exchange is this:
Poor farmer pays more (with devalued currency) to buy from MNC’s whereas MNC pays less (with overvalued currency) to buy form the farmer and make huge profits by selling in their own markets.
Most world- economic statistics demonstrate the ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor. But more recently statistics states that 200 biggest corporations control the 25% of the world wealth (John Pilger, 2007, The New Rulers of the World). And that 500 richest people’s income is more than 416 million people of the world (Duncan Green, From Poverty to Power
2008).
All theses drastic inequalities have forced people to abandon their traditional abandon traditional occupations to try to meet the ever-changing demands of a new and growing labor market. More often, unsuccessfully so and thus eventually being exploited in the hands of power to become powerless-slaves.