This piece reminded
me of a phenomenon called "brain drain," which usually occurs in
developing countries, where those with higher education and technical knowledge
often leave their countries perhaps for economic opportunity, political
stability, or improved living conditions. This large-scale emigration of human
capital slows the growth of the developing country. When I was in Haiti last
summer, one thing I noticed was that many of the kids my age that I talked to
had dreams of going to school in America or eventually living there. While I
would wish the same if I had more limited opportunities – and there is no way
for me to really imagine myself in their positions – this whole idea seems kind
of sad. While migration might improve one of their lives individually, in the
end, it just contributes to the cycle of poverty.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Migration and Brain Drain
In the AP prompt we
read this week, Sanders argues that the American culture is so dependent on the
idea of "uprooting ourselves" in migration in the name of exploration
that it rejects the notion of finding virtue in "Making a Home in a Restless
World." He demonstrates that the constant need for movement or for
something "beyond" that is so central to the American Dream can be
unhealthy not only for the individual but also for the earth. However, he also
concedes that the growth of this movement-centered ideology may be inevitable.
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Cool post! I never thought of how intelligent people emigrating from their country can cause a negative, "brain drain" effect in developing nations.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected Sanders' work with econ so much! I can see Sanders' stunning work truly made an impact. Sanders' stirring words make sense in context; after all, a brain drain is how we ourselves came here. We came here because our parents saw better opportunities, outside their rooted lands, and Sanders' point in that regard is absolutely correct. We come here, and the ones of us that actually make it are the ones that adapt to their landscape, because, as Sanders' thesis states, they aren't rooted in their own culture, or ideas, but in the new lands they meet. So, in the end, by coming here, we've doomed our own lands, for, like evaporation, eventually all will escape the vessel, but the higher energy particles are those that escape first; Sanders' point is quite clear.
ReplyDeletePlease refer to rule 6.30 in The Chicago Manual of Style for instruction on how to *properly* use apostrophes in polysyllabic names ending in "s".
DeleteIndeed, Ms. Liang, I would refer you to the same place, for "Sanders's" would be a case where "Sanders'" would indeed be the *only* correct usage.
Delete*assumes fetal position*
DeleteGender roles in English reversed at last.
DeleteTechnically, it's preferred to have the second s.
Deletehttp://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp (example 2)
Lillian - it's true that people always want to leave their homes for better opportunities. And we can't even blame them for doing so, even though it "contributes to the cycle of poverty"; it's the rational thing to do. I just hope that someday, people will look to improving places like Haiti, Africa and India if they become rich.
Yeah, and it's actually so hypocritical of me to say things like this, especially since my parents moved to America in order to have better economic opportunity, and I'm the one reaping all the benefits from it.
DeleteAlso, I had such mad respect for the translators who came with us...because they went to university and studied in America and everything, and they came back to teach English and help with organizations like buildOn.
Delete