Revolt: By Nadav Eyal

 


"Globalization has penetrated deep into our veins, our blood, 

into the genetic tests we do before bringing children into the world,

and in the way we bring them up"

                                                           -Revolt, By Nadav Eyal

 

 

I usually start our BookTalk conversations with warm and settling hints about the book. Yet, the pointed quote sufficiently explains the sad catastrophic reality of the topics illustrated within this publication.

 

Revolt: By Nadav Eyal, studies all of the tragic events that have taken place in the past and others that are expected to happen due to our luxurious lifestyle of dependency and consumption.

 

Globalization is an important factor in our lives, it smoothed the transition of not only goods and services, but also communication, education, and the flexible exchange of ideas. However, with the proliferation of internet usage across the globe and its high dependency, globalization is being eradicated from its major aim and annual goal. 


I guess we all need to admit that human nature is greedy. In fact, nothing feels and seems enough for us, its always more of what we have and what we don’t have. This might sound like a riddle or an unanswered question. If so, then let me delight you with the answer, it is the economic/political theory that academics and researchers are trying to fight against, and move people away from its consequence in terms of behavior and lifestyle. Its CAPITALISM.

 

Before digging in, I’d like to highlight that the mood of the book is dark and dystopian. For its based on realistic facts about the world in relation to capitalism. Not only that, but as we all know, the indicated is the major reason behind poverty, inequality and the distinction created in form of hierarchies. 

 

Inequality is the first topic the author elaborated on within the book. He mainly focused on the world economy by providing authentic case studies concerning the appointed topic and its relation to other social and political cases. Not only that, but examples on how the international globalized world once aimed to decrease this kind of imbalance through projects and loans given to the less developed nations as a way to improve and boost their GDP, were also illustrated. The main focus was economic inequality, as he stated, "The Global economy is fueled by inequality ".

 

Unfortunately, people tend to leave all the positive aspects of globalization and heavily focus on consumption which also leads to a capitalistic mindset. This behaviour influenced people’s psychology which created the idea of exploitation and the creation of barriers among civilians. The capitalistic mind and life is an ongoing losing game, where the winners and the losers are known and determined beforehand. As the author stated, "The exploited and the oppressed were players in a zero-sum game in which they always lost".

 

Economic inequality is a dead serious matter in world politics. It not only concerns the economically powerful nations, but it concerns humanity as a whole. Including you and I.

 

The previous economic narrative in regard to high dependency on consumption and the effects of capitalism, proclaims the first unavailing attempt of globalization. Yes, globalization have failed humanity in some situations, but its us to blame. 


Joseph Stiglitz defined globalization as "the closer integration of the countries and people of the world .. brought about by the enormous reductions of costs of transportation and communication, and the breaking down of artificial barriers to the flows of goods, services, capital knowledge, and the people across border". Sadly, globalization is not being put into effect the way it was designed and planned for. In fact, its being used against all odds and taken as an advantage for personal well-being, while leaving the others behind.


 

Globalization and foreign affairs are all about flexibility and acceptance. We all know and accept that. However, applying the appointed theories into action is not as simple as it seems. We have created mental barriers in our minds, which is based on positioning people in different hierarchies and status. Not to forget the physical barriers that separates us FROM them ..

 

The physical barriers nowadays are also known as borders. National and International borders that were created to assure the safety of the citizens within the nation’s geography. However, those borders sometimes act as barriers between people, they push them far and away. As a result, we would end up with a not so utopian situation of a refugee crisis. As stated in the book, "less developed countries bear most of the brunt of the refugee crisis."

 

Finally, I’d like end this sad and not so jolly conversation by addressing another important topic discussed in the book. And it’s the idea of exploitation beyond borders. So as mentioned in the previous arguments, borders act as barriers to push people away, but the author has made an excellent point by arguing that that the atmosphere has no borders ..

 

Well .. I think we can connect the dots in here. Capitalism, economic inequality, exploitation, barriers, borders and finally the atmosphere.

 

BINGO!

 

This is where the focus will shift to the environmental crisis of pollution and inequality which is again caused by CAPITALISM and consumption.

 

 

With the beginning of the industrial revolution, the world witnessed another revolution of factories, which kept on increasing day by day. As a result, we’re living among factories and manufactures. 

 

Those are the factories that produce all sort of things we have in mind and hand. Such as smartphones, tablets, cloths, shoes, computers, and everything we demand and consume on daily bases. However, we tend to be inhumane in our consumption process. I mean, have you ever turned your laptop on and thought to yourself, where did this come from?, who manufactured it?, do they have laptops like I do?. I bet you never did. 

 

The answers for the unquestioned questions are based on, NO those who have manufactured your luxurious goods have no access to what they produce and what you consume. Not only that, but as manufactures themselves, they are paid less for producing what you have now, even though, you are the one demanding the product and they are the suppliers. 

 

That’s where inequality settles in. Aside from the producers being alienated form the products they produce, and we consume, it’s important to consider the fact that the majority of those factories are placed in less developed nations which is why high pollution rates are mostly ingrained in those countries. By the way I’m not saying that the developed nations have no high pollution rates, but considering the economic situation of the less developed, their rates in regard the indicated situation always exceeds the developed nations.

 

As the author stated in the book, 

 

"The ultimate globalization is happening in the atmosphere, 

which knows no passport controls or customs restrictions".

 

 

In the end I’d like to say that this book is a multiple-use guide, I mean it is a realistic horror story about our present and future. Yet, we can create the change we want to see by first changing our consumption and dependency behavior. 


Enjoy reading and studying the book,

 for it is literally a heavy-duty warning, written in a professional way!

 

_______________________________________




Recommended pages from the book


-       Inequality (Pg., 33).

-       Voltaire and the tickle down economic argument (Pg., 34-35).

-       Early stage of globalization and the Bell epoque (Pg., 44-47).

-       Globalization; Pollution and exploitation (Pg., 61-63).

-       Consumerism; the American way of life (Pg., 187).

-       Globalization; poverty and population, Chapter 12 (Pg., 239).

-       Globalization; Technology and misleading information (Pg., 398-399).

 

 


 

 

 

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