Has globalization has undermined America’s working-class

 

·   Globalization has undermined the American working class through wage reduction and upward mobility, as well as damaging international policy decisions.

o   Globalization has brought in an era of border fluidity, free trade, and an extremely high level of profits for corporations.

§  For the beneficiaries of globalization, it is an act that has allowed for the integration of the global economy to such an extent that it has created an environment within which considerable wealth has been generated in addition to benefits to consumers and workers around the world.

§  For the American worker, globalization has become one of the biggest disasters, including the loss of jobs on an unprecedented scale. A

o   The American economy has had small income gains because of globalization.

§  As a whole, it has created a scenario where there is a reduction of wages and upward mobility in society (Mahutga, Roberts, & Kwon, 2017). The damage caused has been especially widespread among the working class to such an extent that it has made it more difficult for the members of this group to compete with others across the world.

§  A consideration of the downward pressure on wages shows that it has not been in favor of the working class and has instead made life extremely difficult for individuals, especially in the manufacturing sector due to offshoring (Smith, 2012). This process has therefore overshadowed the benefits of globalization and shows that the latter may not be as good for everybody as it seems.

§  Globalization has amplified the making of damaging international policy decisions. The latter has come about mainly because of the influence of corporations, which has resulted in policies that are mainly beneficial to them in terms of profits (Flew, 2018). The signing of trade agreements has led to a situation where American workers do not have the ability to have economic leverage, and instead, they are at the mercy of large corporations (Lenox & Arsht, 2018).

§  These entities, because of the considerable influence that they wield in the new order, have been able to tilt the balance of power towards themselves rather than workers (Gaston, 2002); essentially eroding the power, which unions once had in the protection of workers. Workers do not have the power to prevent the losses of manufacturing jobs from going to other countries because of the lower wages that they offer. In this way, American workers have been forced to accept depressed wages as a means of maintaining their jobs and in some cases even that has not saved them from losing their jobs to offshoring.

§  Globalization has proven to be a situation that has hurt the American working class. The damage that it has done to their living standards has become so significant that it has become essential to consider remedies. Among these should be the acknowledgement of the damage caused to wages and jobs and the need to ensure that these workers are compensated appropriately.

§  There should be a stoppage of the pursuit of harmful international trade agreements that cause problems to the working class, and by extension, a majority of American society.

§  It is necessary to make sure that there is the promotion of policies that are beneficial for the entire population rather than just for those that own capital. This can be done through the harmonization of national policies in a manner that spearheads the needs of the working class in society, including the institution of international policies that tax capital more effectively.

The concept of blame and responsibility

 

Making judgments concerning whether an individual is responsible for a certain behavior or event is a fundamental aspect of the relationships that individuals have with one another in society. This is especially the case when it comes to the relationship between members of a society and their leaders (Williams, 2003). Blame and responsibility are therefore fundamental and familiar parts of the moral practices of any society and they will often end up determining the way that relationships between individuals are conducted. This paper considers the concept of blame and responsibility in the context of crisis management.

One of the most important aspects of blame and responsibility is that there is the judgment of an individual based on their behavior. This is done through individuals essentially undertaking to attribute certain capacities to a person. In this way, the judgment is based on whether the individual involved has been able to exercise their capabilities effectively and in a morally responsible manner. For example, the way that the second Bush administration handled its two major crises, namely the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, were important bases for the allocation of blame and responsibility (Hart et al., 2009). The actions that were taken by this administration were highly significant because they allowed the public to judge it based on its performance. These crises can therefore be considered viable example of the way that the concept of blame and responsibility can be applied.

There are a number of ways through which blame can be allocated. These are based on the way that the individual in authority handles the situation or crisis at hand. The first address made by President Bush soon after 9/11 is an example of the way that he managed to take control of the situation in stride and therefore avoid blame and take responsibility as the leader of the nation (Woodward, 2012, p. 1). He presided over a highly effective emergency response operation that provided him with considerable support from all sectors of society. This was demonstrated through the lack of criticism from all parts of media; right, left, or center. Furthermore, despite his initial bewilderment following his learning the news of the attacks, the made sense of the situation and took a proactive approach when it came to the way that government responded to it through effective coordination and decision making. He further took responsibility through the making of meaning of the situation as he framed a narrative concerning the crisis and how best to respond to it (Landy, 2004).

However, when dealing with crises, it is important to ensure that attribution errors are overcome. Attribution errors come about because of the biases that individuals have so that when things take a positive turn, they are attributed as having come about internally, while negative events are blamed on external actors (Rahimi et al., 2016). Thus, while Bush had received considerable praise for his handling of the 9/11 crisis, the same was not the case with Katrina, which saw him become the target of harsh public condemnation. His leadership during this crisis was seen as lacking of initiative and responsibility. He was therefore blamed for the disastrous emergency response that came about as a result. This shows a need to be aware of and avoid the biases the come with attribution errors so that they can be overcome.

Blame and responsibility is a concept that has been demonstrated through a consideration of the Bush administration’s response to 9/11 and Katrina. It shows the way that biases play an important role in their attribution. Therefore, there is the need to ensure that there is the attainment of a level of consciousness concerning how individuals will often behave when assigning blame or praise for actions.

The shooting at Columbine High School

 

The Columbine High School shooting took place on April 20, 1999 following the actions of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold; students at the school who went on a shooting rampage. Their major targets were their fellow students as well as teachers in what many have come to consider to have been an attempt to fight against the constraints placed on them by society. It is important to note that these individuals were teenagers who were greatly influenced by the social circumstances surrounding them, including bullying from their fellow students as well as feelings of being socially isolated. Furthermore, in the case of Harris, there have been speculations concerning his having been a psychopath, which resulted in his seeking to cause harm to others who had not necessarily wronged him. 

One of the most significant aspects of the actions taken by these individuals was that they intended to cause as much deaths as possible at the school. This was done following considerable planning, which included seeking to make use of explosives, specifically bombs, to kill many of their fellow students, and later killing the rest by shooting them. They planted bombs in the cafeteria as well as in their cars, which were supposed to go off during the lunch break, when most of the students were in the cafeteria. Luckily for most of the students, the bombs failed to go off as planned, and instead, they either only partially exploded or did not explode. This is what prompted Harris and Klebold to go on the shooting spree that led to the deaths of so many within the school. The result was that 13 and 24 people respectively were killed and wounded respectively; making it one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States at the time.

In less than an hour from the beginning of the shooting, SWAT teams were already stationed outside the school amid ambulances taking the individuals wounded in the shooting to the hospitals. The SWAT teams, despite their reputation for efficiency, were placed in a scenario where they could not act effectively due to the lack of reliable information concerning the situation on the ground. This resulted in a scenario where they were forced into a prolonged shootout with the two shooters as there was a failure to determine the exact positions of the latter. It is noteworthy that because of the lack of information, the prolonged shootout led to a call for additional ammunition within a short time; a sign that the SWAT teams had not come prepared for such a long engagement. However, soon after, the two SWAT teams on the scene entered the school and moved from one classroom to another seeking out the shooters, while at the same time discovering the students and faculty members that were hidden within. 

Moreover, they entered the end to the school opposite the library, which proved to be a difficult endeavor because of the use of old maps that failed to show that a new wing had recently been added to the building. This shows the way that the lack of information on the entire scene hampered the SWAT operation that would have led to the early end of the situation. It is also pertinent to note that the SWAT teams were also prevented from attaining their highest efficiency because of the sound of fire alarms across the school. Thus, from the beginning of events, the lack of information concerning the situation inside the school made it more difficult for law enforcement to attain the level of efficiency that would have led to a swift end to the shootout.

The media ended up playing a prominent role in the Columbine High School shooting due to its coverage. The coverage was one that began by asking questions concerning the events that were taking place, but as the situation continued, media showed a level of irresponsibility when it began to speculate concerning the reasons behind the events. This created an environment where the media seemed to be seeking a justification for the shootings that were taking place to such an extent that some of the speculations came to be believed as fact, even by those who had witnessed the events unfold within the school. The media played a prominent role in bringing the events taking place at Columbine to national attention. This allowed for media at both national and local levels to not only get to the scene, but also cover most of it, including some of the most gruesome events, such as the one involving the boy on the window. 

It is also noteworthy that because of the attention generated by the media, the events that took place at the Columbine became a part of the popular culture because while some vilified the event for the brutality of the perpetrators, others went on to justify their actions. Consequently, the reality of the situation, which involved the deaths and wounding of people in the school, only became a footnote when considering the events. Public officials could have better handled the media coverage through preventing the latter from covering the events live. Instead, they could have stressed the importance of not covering the events live until such a time as they came to an end as a means of making sure that the shooters were not given the fame that they craved. It is possible that the media coverage is what made the situation worse; meaning that public officials could have handled media coverage better.

The Columbine shooting has become a reference point for mass violence in schools, with other shootings since being compared to it. It can be considered to have been a cultural touchstone in the recent history of the United States. The shooting has made it possible for similar individuals to the shooters to become copycats in order to gain fame and notoriety. This can be considered to be a consequence of the way the media covered the events of the shooting (Murray, 2017). The impact of the events that took place at the Columbine High School have been significant because it has led to their popularization. This is to such an extent that numerous individuals, especially troubled youth, have come to view Harris and Klebold as martyrs or even heroes (Broll, 2020). Consequently, it has become common for individuals who undertake similar shootings in schools to refer to Harris and Klebold in their journals or videos attempting to show the inspiration for their actions.

The Columbine massacre can be considered to have been a turning point when it came to how school shootings are perceived. The considerable media attention it garnered has created a scenario where most members of society are wary of such events happening again to such an extent that there has been the implementation of changes in school district policies aimed at prevention (Daggett, 2017). There have been times when entire school districts were closed because of a potential threat; a sign of the trauma that continues to be felt in society because of the events. It is noteworthy that suggestions have even been made to arm teachers so that students can feel safer in the school environment. This has become a part of the debate concerning gun control and has therefore become a highly controversial and politicized matter across the nation.

In the aftermath of school shootings since the Columbine massacre, governments at all levels have initiated programs aimed at the prevention of such events in schools. Considerable funds have been allocated to this process, including teacher training, violence prevention programs, and peer mediated interventions (Smokowski & Evans, 2019). These have been aimed at making sure that the school environment remains safe and that mental and social problems that face individual students are addressed early in order to prevent escalations that could lead to other shootings. Thus, the Columbine shootings played a role in forcing government and school districts to consider the deeper sociological issues affective students and the provision of investment to ensure that such incidents are prevented.