Invited to Hamilton College not as an academic but rather as an activist, Medea Benjamin spoke in the Chapel to an attentive audience on February 24. Her lecture, titled "Globalization, What it is, What's Wrong With it, and What Can be Done to Fix it," provided both information about the global economy and incentive to get involved in changing the global economy.
Benjamin insisted that it was not her academic experience that inspired her to commit to social activism, but rather her real-life experience working with the world's women, children, and poor that motivated her to become involved with global issues concerning economics and human rights. After graduating with a degree in nutrition, Benjamin began working abroad in Guatemala teaching women how to properly feed their children. She quickly learned that children were not starving because the women were misinformed on nutrition; rather, the poor economic situation would not allow women to adequately feed their children. As American companies took over Guatemalan farms, Guatemalan farmers were forced out of their jobs and off their land. While working in Guatemala, Benjamin learned how "screwed up" the global economic system was, as children were starving and the United States companies were overproducing.
Benjamin continued by discussing the dangers of privatization of government companies. As seen in Bolivia, where the president sold the government's control over natural gas to a private company, people can rise against the government and restore government-owned utilities. Benjamin also noted that in the case of Bolivia, not only did the people get what they wanted, (government controlled natural gas,) but they also called for a regime change. This was "something we should learn [to do] at home" Benjamin added.
Focusing primarily on foreign farmers, Benjamin then discussed the threat of American and European farming subsidies. As farms both in the United States and abroad are controlled by American corporate farmers, these corporations have great political influence. Because of America's domination in the farming industry, local farms have been wiped out. Benjamin noted that corporate farming not only hurts local farmers, but also Mother Nature, as corporate farmers use pesticides and chemical fertilizer to maximize production.
Although movements to change global trade practices have been successful thus far, as in the WTO protest in Seattle in 1999 and the WTO meeting in Cancun more recently, there are still many changes that need to be made. These changes include opening world trading meetings; no longer allowing Green Room meetings and legislation to force smaller, poorer nations into unfair trading. Corporations need to be held accountable for their actions, Benjamin urged. (Benjamin cited activist colleague Ralph Nader as the only candidate currently who is discussing the federal chartering of corporations.) She also called for taxation on speculative finance, an erasure of debt, better working conditions worldwide, (both environmentally and labor friendly working conditions,) and more free trade organizations. "We have to change the rules of the game," Benjamin passionately stated. "We need a global system that is fair!"
Benjamin concluded her discussion with an analysis of where the world stands currently. She placed great emphasis on participating in the upcoming presidential election, as well as ending the ("illegal") war in Iraq. Urging that her ideas and her supporters were not "lunatic fringe" but rather "a part of the global community," Benjamin urged the audience for social, economic, and political change.
The Sophomore Seminar on Globalization sponsored Benjamin's lecture.
To read more about Medea Benjamin's work, visit: http://www.globalexchange.org.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
