Abor, Catherine Joy B.

PCBET-18-202A

The True Cost (2015)

The first phase of the film tackles the issues surrounding the persistent cheapening of products
and price decreases. With a specific focus on how price decreasing impacts the million garment workers,
their working conditions, and the tragic effects cost cutting can have, such as the Rana Plaza that
collapsed on 2013, which killed 1,134 people. The movie then goes on to look at the daily life of Bangladesh
garment industry workers, who are among the cheapest in the world. Some of whom work for as little as
$3 per day and are unable to feed, educate, or provide safe housing facilities for their children. As a result,
many parents choose to leave their families with their grandparents in smaller towns, believing that this
will provide them with a better standard of living. However, this means that they will only see their
children once a year at the most. The movie's following section tackles agriculture in the fashion business
and has an interview with Larhea Pepper, a Texas-based organic cotton farmer and managing director of
the fabric exchange. Where GMO seeds, developed by Monsanto are used in 80 percent of cotton growing
in Texas. The documentary then moves on to the cotton farming industry in India, where farmers are
often manipulated by sellers of GMO seeds that are 1700 percent more expensive, and because these
GMO seeds are owned by Monsanto, farmers are not allowed to harvest them and must rebuy them every
year. We learn that as a direct outcome of this farming method, farmers in India are becoming more and
more deeply in debt, resulting in a high rate of suicides. Not only is that, but the Punjab region of India
famous for having the largest chemical usage. The poisoning of soil and water is causing cancer, mental
and physical birth defects and a variety of skin disorders, making it impossible to deny that these statistics
are related to the use of pesticides in agriculture. The mental health of consumers is one of the last topics
discussed. We find that studies have shown that the greater materialistic people get, the less happy they
are, which runs contrary to the advertisement industry's claims. Each year, 80 billion new pieces of
clothes are purchased, contributing to the one metric tons of fabrics discarded into landfills (many of
which are made of synthetic materials derived from oil, meaning that they will sit there for hundreds of
years). 'Will we continue to look for happiness in the consumption of things?' Andrew asks at the end of
the film. Will we be OK with a system that seems correct but leaves our planet in such bad shape? Will
we continue to ignore the lives of those who wear our clothes? Will this be a defining moment in our
story, a new chapter? '

C. Answer the following questions briefly and logically:

1. What is globalization? What are some examples of globalization today?
Shopee, Lazada or any online shopping platform are the most common examples of globalization.
Goods and service flows are now not only cheap and quick, but also reliable and secure. You can
order anything you want from any location on the planet. Globalization is a process of linking
people without imposing any restrictions or boundaries on how they interact with each other.
2. What are the effects of globalization on the culture of the people?
Globalization spreads knowledge about technologies. People are more likely to focus on their own
information rather than local or personal information. This causes the memories of local cultures
who do not receive their information through mass media forms to fade over time. Globalization
has the potential to both protect and destroy local culture. It can be destroyed by making people
forget about local culture in favor of mass culture, as well as by spreading local culture so widely
that no one knows where it came from and it becomes absorbed into mass culture, losing its
uniqueness.

3. What is the difference between standard of living and quality of life?

The term "standard of living" refers to the amount of comfort supplied to a country's citizens, and
it can relate to all of the goods and services that people can consume as well as the resources they
have access to. Quality of life, on the other hand, refers to a person's or a group's happiness and
well-being.

4. Is globalization good or bad? Why?

Personally, I think globalization is beneficial. It permits people to try out new things, goods,
dialects, cuisines, and attire. It enables the poor in developing countries, those that are open to
trade and investment to find work and benefit from a growing economy.