Matthews Auditorium at University of Toronto Mississauga was packed on Thursday for the “2001 Sinder Visiting Lecture,” where Naomi Klein addressed “Globalization and the New Activism: Pro-Democracy or Anti-Trade?”
“It is not at all clear that trade brings development. There are costs, real human costs in these trade-offs,” said Klein, Globe and Mail columnist and commentator on the anti-globalization/pro-democracy movement.
Klein said that globalization is a difficult word to understand, which she grapples with herself. She noted her skepticism at being called the spokesperson for the movement, due to its coalition structure.
She spoke about the affects of globalization on society and how democracy and freedom are compromised in order to create development through trade. She said that trade and globalization are often presented as the key to development, which is not the case.
Klein also referred to the September 11 tragedy and how it has affected the pro-democracy movement. Criticizing Bush’s desire to fight terrorism with trade, she said “It’s a bit like shopping to fight terrorism.”
Members of the audience were impressed. “It was very informative,” said Jordi, a U of T student. “She opens your eyes and shows you what you can do. She explains what is going on and provides a bigger picture.”
“She really knows how to get the point across,” said U of T student Michel Stirby.
During the discussion period, Klein explained how people can become part of the movement to resist corporate globalization by localizing their efforts. “We need to be everywhere. This movement can’t be just from one protest to the next.”
In her talks, Klein has emphasized that globalization is often just another word for centralization of power, which has been happening at all levels of government, not just internationally. Whether with the WTO or the mega-city, power and the ability to address community concerns has been moved further and further away from citizens. But she notes that “discussion can happen anywhere. It is important to make globalization local.”
