"If You Don't Like It, Leave"

This week we explored the realms of old world order vs. new world disorder. We also focused on the concept of globalization. Through globalization, we can see how the economy divides the way culture operates. Professor Wexler related globalization to "border-crossing." An example that our textbook mentions is the rising popularity of "Bollywood" here in the United States. The movie Slumdog Millionare was a huge hit, being praised by many critics and winning several academy awards and golden globes. I even see small examples of globalization in my personal life on a daily basis. At the CSUN SRC, they offer several group exercise classes all throughout the week. You can enroll in a variety of classes, including belly-dancing, yoga, and tai-chi. I think this is very beneficial because it allows us to be more culturally aware and exposes us to new ideas. Earlier in the week we watched a Charlie Chaplin scene from Modern Times and compared it to Alec Baldwin's speech in the film Glengarry Glen Ross. In the Charlie Chaplin scene, we see the concept of Fordism. The workplace is an assembly line and there is a division and specification of labor. Without one person or if one step is skipped, the whole end result is ruined. The speech from Glengarry exemplifies the idea of new world disorder. Alec Baldwin is like a military sergeant. He is talking to the men and showing them how replaceable they are. If they do not close the sale, someone else will. In one part of this scene, he tells one of the men that being a "nice father" doesn't mean anything. This just shows how with this "new-world disorder," family values are not as important as before. Alec Baldwin is there to tell them they need to improve and close their sales while simultaneously saying that they are not good enough and will never be like him."Id wish you good luck but you wouldn't know what to do with it if you got it." The two scenes both perfectly exemplify the shift from old world order to new world disorder.