Reversed Roles?

After all the materials I've read about domestic violence and many different forms of abuse, none of the readings really stuck with me more than “Ciuadad Jaurez”. If the reader took no more action to help after reading, the author made sure we were aware and the story behind the culture in Juarez stuck with us. The gruesome, “in your face” graphics and verbiage definitely served its purpose in the grand scheme of things. People can ignore stories and words on a paper, but more firsthand graphic, disturbing evidence pulls on people's hearts and causes true concern and sympathy. The people visiting Malawi can attest to this. She said she felt way more impact getting to talk to people and hearing firsthand from individuals who were suffering rather than hearing stories from people who were not directly affected.

The assigned reading brought out, even more, the realization of what is occurring in our society. We like to turn our heads and believe this stuff is not happening, but this is real and must be dealt with. These people are just like us, but they are stuck in a perpetuating cycle of poverty, violence, and desperation. When addressing gender on a global scale, it is important to view these problems through a non biased, intersectional lens because in order to understand, analyze, and hopefully birth solutions to their problems and situations, we must understand all the factors that contribute to them and these issues of labor. Once this is done, we can properly assess the situations and provide better solutions.

I believe being active is a pretty substantial piece of being a global citizen. A global citizen is someone who applies citizenship, being a citizen with certain rights and duties, to a global level. In order to do this, we must take action and be involved in our world. In Woodhull's text, she said, “A transnational sphere is important because it is rooted in civil society, that is, a social space that is controlled neither by the market nor by national government and that promotes “a sense”of involvement with the affairs of other, unknown, nonkin citizens”. (Woodhull, 256) I think this statement offers a great yet unrealistic goal in achieving that goal of being a global citizen and even possibly combating the situations that are present in Juarez and other places like: Asia, South America, Africa.... BUT, our government saves and makes too much money off of these cheap laborers and maquiladoras for them to turn away from their ways. And WHOSE BIG ENOUGH TO DEFY THE BIG BAD GOVERNMENT?