The Rest of the West

Mahbubani makes a great point that the world sees what is going around them through the eyes of the West’s media. As journalism majors, this is important because we are the gatekeepers. As of now, we are the ones who decide what will be on the agenda. We are the ones who decide what will get publicity. The fact that we adorn and over-publicize British royalty is an example of our attachment to the West, and we allow others to believe they are of higher significance.

It will be interesting to see how countries embrace interdependence. There are too many global issues now that cannot be solved by one country. Even though interdependence will be a must, I feel that there will still be a power imbalance due to continued self-interests and refusal to adopt other societies’ ideals and principals.

Mahbubani mentioned how in the future, the West will become truly cosmopolitan. With our large city hubs like NYC and our melting pot slogan, we feel that we are cosmopolitan. However, I know that I am a consumer of the West. In high schools, there is an emphasis to learn U.S. and European history and only languages like French and Spanish. But, in other countries, they are consuming their own culture and that of the West. Mahbubani mentioned how technology has allowed some countries to renew their culture.

I feel disadvantaged because I have only been consuming Western thoughts, education and media.