Globalization and the Politics of Belonging

With globalization are associated the questions of Who are you and Where are you from? In the following are two anecdotes (First, A definition of globalization... and Second, how a Canadian-born became a Pakistani?):

Extracts: Courtesy: southbros.blogspot.com

A definition of globalization that I can understand and to which I now can relate:

Question:

What is the truest definition of Globalization?

Answer:

Princess

Diana's

death.

Question:

How come?

Answer :

An

English princess

with an

Egyptian boyfriend

crashes

in a French tunnel,

riding in a

German

car

with a

Dutch engine,

driven

by a Belgian

who was

drunk

on

Scottish whisky,

(check the bottle before you

change the spelling),

followed

closely by

Italian

Paparazzi,

on

Japanese motorcycles,

treated

by an American doctor,

using

Brazilian

medicines.

This is

sent to you by

a

Canadian,

using

American

Bill Gates' technology,

and

you're probably reading

this on your computer,

that

uses Taiwanese chips,

and

a

Korean

monitor,

assembled

by

Bangladeshi

workers

in a

Singapore plant,

transported

by Indian

truck drivers,

hijacked

by Indonesians,

unloaded by

Sicilian longshoremen,

and

trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....

That, my friends,

is Globalization !

Where are you from? Or, how I became a Pakistani?
Extract: chapatimystery.com

“What is your nationality?”
“Canadian.”
“You are Canadian?”
“My passport says so.”
“But where are you really from?”
“You mean, where do I live?”
“You don’t live in Canada?”
“No.”
“Oh, so where do you live?”
“Dhahran.”
“Tehran? You’re from Iran?”
“No, DHA-HA-RAN.”
“Where is that?”
“In Saudi Arabia.”
“Oh, you are Saudi Arabian?”
“No, I live there.”
“If you are not Saudi, so, where are you really from? I mean, originally.”
“You mean, where was I born?”
“Yes.”
“I was born in Calgary, Canada.”
“No, I mean, where is your family from? Where were they born?”
“They are from Hyderabad.”
“Where is that?”
“India.”
“Oh, you are Indian! So, why do you speak English with no accent?”
“What do you mean?”
“You speak American English.”
“I have gone to American schools.”
“In India?”
“No, in Saudi Arabia.”
“But you are Indian?”
“Yes, my family is from India.”
“India! I love India! The Hindus are such a beautiful religion of peace! But why do you have a Christian name, Sarah? Are you Christian?”
“No. Sarah is also a Muslim name.”
“Oh. You are Muslim? I thought you said you are Indian?”
“There are Muslims in India.”
“But you don’t look like a Muslim!”
“What does a Muslim look like?”
“I don’t know. Like an Arab?”
“Not all Muslims are Arab. Most Muslims aren’t Arab.”
“But you live in Saudi Arabia?”
“Yes.”
“Do you speak Arabic?”
“No.”
“Why not? I thought you said you live in Saudi Arabia.”
“We don’t live with Saudis in Saudi Arabia. It is not permitted by the Company my father works for. And, the American school in Saudi Arabia I go to—it doesn’t allow for Arabic to be taught there.”
“What language do you speak at home?”
“Urdu.”
“But Urdu is the language of Pakistan, not India.”
“Urdu is spoken in India.”
“Yes, yes, but if you are Urdu speaking that means you really belong to Pakistan.”
“But, my relatives live in India.”
“Did any of your parents live in Pakistan?”
“Yes. My father did, for a few years.”
“Then, that means you are Pakistani.”
“But I’ve never lived in Pakistan. I’ve only been there once.”
“That doesn’t matter. You are not Indian. You should say you are Pakistani.”

On the same shelf:

• Diversity Resources - Accommodation, Tolerance and Coexistence
• "Where are you from?" by Amelia

 

English-sounding names hold edge for job seekers in survey

Emily Jackson, Oct 14 2011, Toronto Star

Looking for a job? If your name is Panav Singh, expect fewer callbacks than Matthew Wilson, even if your resumés are exactly the same.
Employers in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal “significantly discriminate” against applicants with Chinese and Indian names compared to those with English names, researchers have found.
On average, resumés with English-sounding names received 35 per cent more callbacks, according to a study supported by Metropolis B.C., a federally funded immigration and diversity research centre.
Researchers sent out thousands of resumés listing identical experience to online job application sites, changing only the names of the applicants, and measured the response rate from employers.
Recruiters in Toronto and Montreal were 45 per cent more likely to call Alison Johnson over Min Liu, while Vancouverites were 20 per cent more likely to respond to those with English-sounding names.Continue reading

The painful truth about age discrimination in tech

By: Lisa Schmeiser,  18 Feb 2010, IT World Canada: InfoWorld
There are bold programmers, but no old programmers -- the reasons for this reality aren't simple. A closer look suggests that it's the nature of IT itself to push its elderly workers out.

There's a commercial airing on ESPN right now that features two hiring managers discussing the two job candidates sitting in the lobby. We see the backs of these candidates' heads; one is dark brown and lustrous, the other brittle and gray. The managers debate -- should they go with the experienced candidate? ("He won't have energy!" frets one manager) -- or the fresh young thing? And then -- surprise! -- the two candidates are the same person before and after a hair-dye job.

It's a nasty and effective commercial, and one that deftly plays on a pervasive fear of job hunters: Will my age be held against me? And in IT -- where the popular narrative favors kids launching companies in their dorm room or bringing down a corporate network as a way to blow off steam after finals -- that fear of age discrimination is especially pervasive. continue reading

On the same shelf:

• Five Pervasive Myths About Older Software Developers | Lessons of Failure

Michael Ignatieff Delivers Greetings for Eid

Michael Ignatieff delivers greetings for Eid on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Official Opposition.



Info courtesy: Abdul Hai Patel