Global Concerns and Predictions

There are many global concerns and predictions mentioned in the chapters I made my posts on, but two of them especially stood out to me.  These two ideas include: the globalization of culture and the concern of bio and cyber-terrorism.  These concepts stood out to me not only because of how relevant they are to the world today, but also because I think it is extremely important to understand and know about these kinds of issues.
The Globalization of culture happens when a single culture starts to diffuse throughout the world and begin to mix with other cultures.  This has been taking place for a while now, but according to Margaret Anderson and Howard Taylor, "The infusion of Western culture throughout the world seems to be accelerating as the commercialized culture of the United States is marketed worldwide."  In other words, because of the influence of Capitalist markets, U.S. culture can be seen in all different countries all over the world.  For example you can travel to a place as far away as Europe or Asia and still be able to go to McDonald's for lunch.  Other industries including fashion and entertainment are also a part of the diffusion of culture that is taking place.  Because of this, the older cultures and traditions that are found throughout the world are being pushed aside while Western culture is forcing its way in.  The problem with this is the potential depletion of these wonderful, diverse cultures and traditions; however, there is also a positive side.
"Global economic change can also introduce more tolerant values to cultures that might have had a narrower worldview previously" (Anderson, Taylor 41).  In other words, cultures that may have had a more narrow view of the world and of other cultures may become more tolerant and accepting of them because of this change.
The second global concern I found very relevant and interesting I read about in chapter seven and is the increased fear of new kinds of terrorism. These include bioterrorism and cyberterrorism.  In the past, countries have experienced many forms of terrorism including hijackings, bombings, suicide attacks and so on, but today we have more to worry about.  Bioterrorism is "the form of terrorism involving the dispersion of chemical or biological substances intended to cause widespread disease and death" (Anderson, Taylor 175).  This form of terrorism could potentially kill millions of people in a very short amount of time by using viruses or disease causing bacteria to infect a population.  Cyberterrorism is "the use of the computer to commit one or more terrorist acts" (Anderson, Taylor 175).  This can be done in many ways including implanting a computer virus in the enemies computer and destroying all the data saved.  It can also be used to create a "logic bomb" which stays in the system until activated and told to destroy the computer system.
Both the globalization of culture and the increased fear of new forms of terrorism are global concerns that people should be aware of and be educated on.  Knowing about these kinds of sociological issues is so important, especially when it comes to trying to eliminate them.