Thanksgiving!

This is my late-blog

Having spent most of his life in China and Great Britain and only the last few years in the United States, my father hasn’t quite gotten the grasp of a normal Thanksgiving, especially the food. Each year, it seems as if the menu becomes an increasingly grotesque hybrid of Oriental flavors and American traditions. This year was no different. Abreast the dining table there laid stir-fried shrimp served next to the mashed potatoes, a sticky rice stuffing, and lastly, sliced turkey breast stewed in Asian spices that served as the centerpiece of our multiracial meal. However, although the thought of not having a golden, oven-baked turkey to drool over on Thanksgiving Day may seem almost sacrilege to some, I was delighted by the food laid out in front of me. I have to hand it to my father, the man sure can cook! But even though my dad may not know what turkey basting is or even know who the pilgrims were, his lack of knowledge of what a ‘normal Thanksgiving’ is doesn’t detract from the quality time that my father and I shared this past break. Sitting around our small dining table in our suburban home, we enjoyed a delicious meal as a loving family. And even though our numbers only accounted for the two of us, we were able to reflect upon our relationship and be truly thankful for it, even if we didn’t explicitly say so. So in that sense, I would count my Thanksgiving experience this year as nothing but a success, no matter how unconventional it was. Because when it comes down to it, I don’t care how much you crave for turkey, gravy, and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving is about family. And looking upon the relationship between me and my father, I have yet to witness a stronger one. 

Terms of Argument - The WTO

In the terms of the World Trade Organization and global economic equality, I would argue that the WTO is a critical factor in propagating global economic equality. Global economic equality entails spurring the economic growth of less-developed and developing countries and I plan to start there with my argument. The WTO’s recognition of weak states has led to agreements that allow weaker states to be competitive in a global market that otherwise would be dominated by the economic super-powers. These agreements include tariff reduction, domestic subsidy reduction, and export subsidy reduction. The benefit that weak countries have received from these agreements can be evidenced in both economic studies as well as basic tracking of GDP growth in those countries. Furthermore, we can look towards how the WTO is structured as a representation of global economic equality. The WTO is practically a forum space in which all member-states can hash out their agendas with equal voice. This equality is in turn evidenced by the fact that all decisions conducted by the WTO must be unanimously agreed on, essentially giving even the weakest of countries veto power. Another structural pillar of the WTO is the Principles of Equality. The Principles of Equality are composed of the principle of non-discrimination which provides for an equal playing field by setting rules in which countries must treat domestic and foreign goods equally (national treatment rule) and must not discriminate between foreign goods(most-favored-nation rule). Additionally, these rules are applied to all members be they big or small. The second principle, the principle of consensus decision-making, provides equal right and equal vote to each member-state.  If we were to look at a broader picture, we would also find that the WTO is the only entity in the world that accommodates such a vast number of such different and diverse states. No other international organization has the capabilities or the motivation to propel global economic equality in such a way. 

Potential Argument Topic - Decreasing the Global Income Cap

In the United States, there is a lot of unrest revolving around the topic of income inequality. The lower and middle classes argue that the '1%' are excessively wealthy and the rich see little reason why they should denounce their wealth. Granted, income inequality in the United States is a topic that deserves serious levels of economic attention, but I can't help but think that the topic of income inequality is a bit of a microcosm. The ones arguing against the super-rich are perhaps making only minimum wage but their argument encounters complications if they were in turn compared to the Filipino children working for eighty cents an hour. If we care so much about income inequality throughout the US, why not the world? Countries like Zimbabwe are fathoms behind countries like the US when it comes to income-generating ability and economic growth. As economic power continues to be a backbone of a nation's stability, we can ill-afford as people of the world to let smaller, less-developed countries be 'steamrolled' by economic giants. How? The answer lies in the World Trade Organization.

Established in 1995, the World Trade Organization has been the international force behind a liberalized international trading system that intends to build unprecedented global economic growth through the elimination of barriers to trade. The WTO’s mission, as they would put it themselves, is to be ‘the international organization whose primary purpose is to open trade for the benefit of all.’ In advocating for such a level playing field, the WTO provides a forum for negotiation and a collective body to oversee implementation of passed agreements. Through this forum space, even smaller countries are given the tools needed to not only be their own boss but to have a significant hand in world trade affairs. Whether it be the Principles of Equality that the WTO applies to all member-states or the essential veto power that each member-state has, the WTO does well to provide increased economic equality to all, thus decreasing the 'global income gap'.