This paper will explore modernization in the United States as well as the world. It will explore how modernization has manifested itself in the modern era, whether it is likely to continue, and whether it has become a world-wide trend. This paper will also take a look at the consequences of modernization and what needs to be done in order to minimize those consequences in the future if indeed anything can be done at all.
The Manifestation Of Modernization
According to Macionis J. J. (2006), Karl Marx believed that modernization manifested itself as an expanding economy based on capitalism. The “class society,” as Marx called it, is stained with inequality because the few rich own more than all of the poor combined. Thus, not everyone’s needs can be met. This class society alienates those who are not well off financially and makes them feel powerless. Social ties from small communities weaken because people become self-centered on opportunities to make money in order to make a living. In other words, the economy is controlled by capitalists and everyone else is left stuck in a rat race. People keep each other at arm’s length unless they feel that social contact benefits them personally because they are too focused on meeting their own needs. The class society theory best reflects the perceptions of the author of this paper because, like many in the modern world, he deals with this reality every day. Modernization has fostered a greedy society.
The Evironmental Consequences Of Modernization
As was discussed above, the rise of capitalism is one consequence of modernization that is far reaching. Modernization may have benefits. For instance, people no longer have to hunt for or grow their own food. We now have access to modern medicine, electricity, air conditioning, and automobiles that take us where we need to go faster than what were possible in the past. However, these modern luxuries come at a high price not only to us but to the environment as well. Pollution is a common consequence of modern societies. For instance, China, a developing nation, has had a problem with air pollution in recent years. Smog from air pollution in China has become a constant problem and is becoming a hazard to the population’s health. The “Smog Hung On For Beijing Olympics” section (2009) in the New Scientist Archive reports that China is trying to reduce the problem by cutting down on factory and traffic emissions. Like all nations that have developed in the modern world, China is dealing with the unforeseen consequence of pollution and have found themselves needing to deal with it before it gets out of control.
As nations grow, so too does their population and they use more and more resources to meet the needs of their people. This is a problem because the earth does not have an endless supply of resources and is slow to recover renewable ones. According to McManus R. (2002), the world’s population is consuming more natural resources than can be replenished by nature. What’s more disturbing is that this is not just a recent development. This has been going on for two decades now. Modern society started using more natural resources than the earth could replenish by the 1980s. By 1999, the earth’s population was using 125 percent of the earth’s capacity to replenish itself. If this trend continues, the earth’s ecological resources could be used up in a matter of generations.
Resources have already become hard to come by in the poorest of nations. According to Kingstone H. (1997), there has always been a shortage of water in the Middle East. However, the increasing population in the area has intensified the problem. Human beings need water to survive. Without an effort to control the population in the Middle East or a coordinated effort to introduce new water supplies to the region, many people in the Middle East may end up dying of thirst. War could even break out for control of what water is left in the region. If trends of modernization continue, the world could be plunged in to chaos as people vie for dwindling resources.
The Future Of Modernization
There are future consequences of modernization as well. Urban slums and sprawl also become a huge problem for many modernized nations. When most people think of urban sprawl, they think of places like New York City with traffic jams and hordes of people in tight subway systems. Modernization is likely to continue in the United States as well as elsewhere in the world with the development of so called “mega-regions.” According to the This Week: Mega Mess section (2010) in Building Design, the United Nations recently warned that the development of merging the world’s largest cities which are forming so called “mega-regions” could result in development that is unbalanced and uncontrollable. In other words, the urban sprawl of New York City could become a reality for vast regions across the United States as well as elsewhere in the world. If we do not learn from the mistakes that these cities have made, we will soon be dealing with traffic jams and crowded public transportation no matter where we live. More careful planning needs to take place in order to balance out the needs of modern societies versus the impacts of meeting those needs. The entire world could be plunged in to chaos if this problem is not taken care of.
Conclusion
Unless much is done to control modernization in America and elsewhere in the world, we will end up with more consequences than we have the resources to deal with. As we head in to the future, we must learn from past as well as present mistakes in order to make better decisions that could end up saving society from collapse. One of the major things holding back progress in this area is politics. There are many agendas in the world and not everyone sees things the same way. However, the reality of these situations cannot easily be ignored. Many are rallying for change and conservation. We are in a privileged time. The information age brought the world closer together. As more people have access to the Internet, we are seeing that we are all in a heap of trouble unless we work together to solve the world’s problems.
References
Macionis, J., J. (2006). Society: The Basics (8th ed.). Prentice-Hall.
Smog Hung On For Beijing Olympics. (2009). New Scientist Archive, 202(2707), 15. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from EBSCOhost database.
McManus, R. (2002). Using Up The Planet: Lay Of The Land. Sierra. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from Gale PowerSearch database.
Kingstone, H. (1997). Political Deep Water: Middle East; Water Supply. Spectator. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from Gale PowerSearch database.
This Week: Mega Mess. (2010). Building Design, 24. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from Gale PowerSearch database.
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