Forbidden City Starbucks Targeted by Net Campaign: Critics Say Franchise "Trampling on Chinese Culture"

Richard Spencer, (The Telegraph)
The Calgary Herald (Alberta) January 19, 2007

This article is about how Starbuck’s franchise in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China has angered Chinese residents because they see it as an unwelcome symbol of Westernization that is taking over their culture. Some Chinese see it as a “slight to national pride.” The franchise has been placed under review by the Chinese government after an internet campaign against it has attracted thousands of supporters. With such a reaction to this specific location choice, I found it interesting that Starbuck’s has said that it wants China to be its second-biggest market.

This is just one of the many examples that anti-globalizationists hold up as a negative side effect of globalization that should not be ignored. Many of them say that because the majority of the wealthy countries are Western Democracies, the result of globalization will be a marginalization of cultures that are not Western.

Unfortunately, in my opinion they are probably correct in their estimation. However, globalization is unlikely to stop or be reversed anytime soon. Its one of those things, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.