The Meaning of Being a Global Citizen

As communication across cultures gets easier our world gets smaller helping us bridge the gap between us and our fellow nations. There is no shame in being proud of where you’re from but recently it seems people do so at the expenses of a marginalized group. With recent ice raids deporting large numbers of undocumented immigrants the line of where an individual loses their rights begins to fade. With cultures beginning to bridge across borders many are enraged by this treatment although it doesn’t personally affect them. It would seem that the lack of morals surrounding a treatment of a human is more important to some then an allegiance to some specific country. This can be associated with the globalization of our country as individuals start acknowledging their role as a global citizen. In the following paper I will go over what it means to be a global citizen and why many are claiming this title.

With advancements in technology it makes it easier to keep up with global events and news. This allows us to see global injustices that we otherwise might not have access too. Global citizens are open minded individuals whose focus does not solely lie on their own individual country. There are many characteristics of a global citizen but the three I will cover today will be age, education, and affluence.

In today’s world it is it would seem it is the younger cultures that are more open to globalization. This could be due to the fact that younger generations are more likely to have access to other cultures through foreign languages, trips abroad, or through online interaction. This exposure helps individuals transfer from a self centered identity and recognize their place among different cultures. This isn’t to say that only younger generations can be global citizens. Another factor to consider is education. Individuals with higher education levels are more likely to have experience dealing with foreigners. This could be due to exposure to other cultures while attending university or aquatint knowledge of other cultures from classroom settings. The last one is national affluence which affects how individuals in a nation might respond to global citizenship.

Typically, individuals from affluent countries tend to be nationalistic because they pride their nation for its care for them. However, people from less affluent countries who don’t hold their nation to the same standard are willing be apart of something that wants to help them. While these are some of the characteristics of a global citizen you don’t need to have all of these qualities to care about global social injustice. To put it simply a global citizen is an individual whose humanity doesn’t stop at nationality. Their empathy transcends border lines with the intention of allowing the same rights to all humans.

In conclusion, being a global citizen helps bridge the gap between cultures so that everyone has access to the same rights. This movement is one that recognizes the power of unity among nations rather then putting each against each other. It is my hope that as cultures begin to merge and grow nations will finally know true peace.

References

• Banks, J. A. (2008). Diversity, group identity, and citizenship education in a global age.
• Educational Researcher, 37(3), 129-13
• Zhou, M. (2015). Social and Individual Sources of Self-identification as Global Citizens.
• Sociological Perspectives, 59(1), 153–176. doi: 10.1177/0731121415579281