>On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
>
> Nathan Newman wrote:
>
> >The statement was not opposition to a global outlook, just global
> >economic injustice.
>
> So say that. I'm on the warpath against the word "globalization" -
> it's somewhere between meaningless and misleading.
I thought the John Paul speech was one of the better examples of breaking "globalization" into different components, noting the fact that social solidarity does not necessarily increase just because the banking sector expands globally.
There are of course the silly media uses of the terms where Seattle and DC protesters were characterized as "anti-globalization" but such simplifications are what the Pope was challenging.
The Salon article on Stiglitz's firing noted his praise for the success of the DC protests in changing the debate on the global economy. John Paul II's jumping into the debate on May Day of all days should be applauded by all progressives. Especially when the media wants to attack every mention of global labor standards as a Western elite labor plot, having someone with credibility in developing nations promoting global labor solidarity is a critical advance.
-- Nathan Newman