My Side Source For My Global Politics (SSP200) Term Paper

On Thursday, I got to meet one of the best intellectuals of urban sociology, Sharon Zukin. Ms. Zukin a Sociology Professor at CUNY Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center gave a lecture on her latest book Naked City at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.  She talked about how New York City specifically faced a social-economic evolution in the last 20 years, growing drastically in the last 5 years. Many of these neighborhoods that were once home to working class people and citizens are now are filled with young artistic crowd. Many who are in the media and white collar industry. This drastic change is known as “Gentrification,” a process that involves raising rents, foods and taxes in underclass working communities.  While the working classes are being pushed out of a community they once called home, the wealthier classes are taken over. I am in the process of reading her book which has really gained my attention because many ignore the fact that while this may be a good side to this. But there’s also a bad side to it as well. Many people being forced out of their home neighborhoods because they can’t keep up with drastic social-economic change in their neighborhoods. This process is desperately being consumed all over the city, mostly in communities near and in the business/real estate capital of the world – Manhattan.  This is a side source that I’m working on for my global politics term paper “The effects of Deindustrialization and Outsourcing.”  I’m going to go in-depth with the modern social effects of societies that were swamped by the effects of wealthy class individuals. I’m very glad to be working on this issue because it’s a developing effect taken place rapidly here in NYC. And Professor Zukin goes beyond the picture in an in-depth first person analysis on this issue. She is also resides here in NYC. It was a great experience to meet her and to see her input on this relatively new developing global and local issue.  

Global Economic Control in Corprations

Global expansion has always been an ideal for corporations. For corporations they strive on global expansions because it insures them more profitable income and global recognition. Fast-food companies and oil companies share that same economic philosophy. Providing a service in another country is just as good as your own national country. You don’t only get to grab money from your own customers for you state but you can also double that and grab the money from foreign customers you don’t even know, or can’t even speak to. But keep in mind that corporate companies who you “unknowingly” believe are competing with each other are actually friends who formed an alliance with each other to control the global economy. Who are almost like an organized crime group who can control the global economy. As Klare notes in his book Resource Wars, that oil companies are eager to promote the expansion of their businesses. But it isn’t ironic that that in Fast-Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, fast food corporations or corporations in general that also share that same mentality to control the global economy. “We are here just to expand our businesses and to benefit from profits globally, let’s be friends.”  Economic control is the ideal to deal globally.

Exploitation in the Fast Food Industry

 The exploitation in the fast food industry is much obscured. Vulnerability is usually the key factor when it comes to exploitation. The two sub factors of exploitation is one, vulnerable children, and two, the workers who are usually desperate for work. Children are usually exploited because they aren’t fully developed to understand what they want in life. Ray and Walt use cartoon characters, catchy jingles and give the ideal view of happiness in their publically domain broadcasted media. All of which a kid has a hard time turning down. These workers are usually “materialized” as Schlosser explains the desperate, the elderly and the young. These are easy targets for fast food industries because the elderly are really unlikely to be hired another agency. The desperate that are economically displaced in society and are eager for a job. Then the young adults who are usually in the last years of high school and early years of college who are universally stuck in the materialized society, especially the high school students. The early college students are usually indebt with books, transportation and tuition. These factors are the light and benefital for fast food companies because these people are willing to work in these conditions because they are socially displaced.        

My visit to McDonalds

While walking east on the busy strip of Queens Blvd after school with my buddy Pedro. We walked past aviation high school, teenagers filled the sidewalk and we did everything we can to get out of the way with these kids who were socializing with each other. The sound of cars racing by and the gasoline smell in the air was bothersome. As we approached 38th street, the sidewalks seemed very vacant however the street was filled with heavy car traffic.

About 2 blocks away from the High School we saw a McDonalds Fast Food restaurant; it wasn’t a surprise to me to find it here. It’s a great location with yellow cabs on every corner, the Q39 bus stop right there, the 44 street 7 train stop, with 2 high schools and 1 community college within a 4 block radius and a YMCA about 3 blocks away with very heavy car traffic on the blvd, a drive through and a large parking lot. This was a great spot to open a joint like this; you have all you can really get in the great gentrified neighborhood of Long Island City. This neighborhood that once housed working class people and many factories is now home to the top Wall Street investors and Manhattan businessman. Condos are replacing the abandon factories, businesses are advertising classic and brand clothing, fancy bars, lounges and restaurant replace the old ma and pa shops that once stood there. With Manhattan and Brooklyn only being ten minutes away this was a great spot for business.

We walked on the smooth drive through pavement to enter the restaurant; the entrance was very welcoming with a metal bold sign that had the words “welcome.” We were greeted by an Asian man who might’ve been in his late 30s mopping the floor. The sound of teenagers gossiping and chatting filled the air. A bunch of a middle school and high school students was all I saw siting on the booths, stalls and tables. Yup, some were sitting on the tables. To my surprise the restaurant was very clean, very well lite, and an environment that makes you feel as if you’re in a top notch fancy café.  Pedro and I decided that we would pick out a table in the far back of the restaurant to observe and take notes. So we don’t look suspicious, I ordered a chocolate milkshake for myself and a sundae for Pedro to make them feel as if we are loyal customers. The gentleman taking my order was a Latino man in his 40, who was in a shirt and tie. I assumed he was a supervisor because all the other employees were wearing brown shirts and caps. Most of them looked like they were in their late teens and early 20s, mostly African American and Hispanic. Some looked as if they were in their final years of high school. All of the employees were very friendly and gave me my order with a smile bust I sensed a vibe of annoyance coming from them. It took a quick two minutes to get my order done and I was back at our table. I handed Pedro his sundae and I started sipping my chocolate shake. While glancing around I noticed portraits of very happy people, one was a happy-loving couple, another one was a bunch of happy friend and the other one was a dandy father and son. This can certainly make you feel like you’re in a happy and trusted environment as Schlosser explains. I observed that there were two flat screen televisions sets going off. One was “Larry King” on CNN and the other was Nickelodeon with “icarly.” Entertainment while you eat to make you feel as if you are home. I actually caught a McDonald’s commercial on the Nick television set, “try our new fruit and maple oatmeal...At McDonalds….I’m loving it.” It was a very close up commercial with the oats and fruits sparkling in the screen. With a young white girl possibly in her early to mid-20s, taking a spoonful and smiling with happiness. It also has a healthy feel to it, we all know fruits and grains are good for you. So they are giving you a message that they do somehow “care” about your health. Take in mind, Nickelodeon who aired this ad, have millions of viewers everyday by mostly children and young teens.

 It was about 5 o clock now and teenagers were heading home, we decided to leave too because we believed we have gathered enough notes. We walked pass the 30 foot high golden McDonald’s “M” arches and toward 40^th street. I gave Pedro a pound on the fist and jumped on the 7 train and headed home.

ENG101 Blog #2 "Psychological Pleasure"

I believe the most important idea in chapter five of “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser is the use of flavoring and fragrance to apply “Psychological pleasure” to us. Humans are naturally born to eat foods that appeals to them and that pleasure our taste buds. As a natural sense of humanity, our foods should taste, smell and look good. Food Corporations exploit our psychological pleasure by work closely with chemist to apply these three factors to our foods, foods that are needed in order to sustain survival. They are able to re-engineer foods with science to artificially pleasure our minds with naturally born essentials that our bodies crave such as fat, sugar and salt. It is to an extent where vegans can’t even know if foods like fries contain meat and dairy. The flavor industry is very secretive about its products and refuses to disclose any information about it as long as its FDA approved. In the end it’s all a business.

My twitter ID

Follow me on twitter at "aliq753"

ENG101 Blog #1 "Shock Doctrine"

In the tragic Natural incident of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, many citizens gathered around food drives and shelters for basic human needs such as food, clothes and shelter. This enormous hurricane wiped out the city in the known south. But to other people this was a sign of relief and opportunity to change the city once and for all. Restoring the old city became a corporate interest by using this natural disaster as a new light to exploit their "interest." When i say interest i mean privatizing the city to their needs. For example, the public educational system was being put out and replaced by private charter schools, schools that are for-profit schools. I believe the process of gentrification was occurring.  Gentrification is basically pushing the underclass out, privatizing everything and utilizing the use of corporate presence. It’s very sad to believe that longtime residents are being pushed out a place they once called home because it’s not the same and they can’t afford the new expenses. The corporations used this natural disaster as a way for a new change, a new change that will significantly benefit them and change the city once and for all to a new slate of civilization.