Protesting Globalization

Protesting is a right we all have living in America. If we don't like the way something is being done at our jobs, we can go on strike. If you don't want to support a company, you can boycott it as a protest. A big protest took place in Pittsburg last week, when the G20 came to town. The G20 is where the 20 countries with the biggest economies meet up to make up their new policies (trading, political, economic). There were hundreds of people protesting, and hundreds of police in riot gear as well. As it usually goes at these types of globalization events, there were many arrests for vandalism (people breaking windows of McDonald's, Subway, etc.), and many more arrested for not obeying police orders. Even the students at UPitt were subject police intervention when they were present at an "unlawful gathering" on their own campus. The police used tear gas, pepper spray, and handcuffs for all who got in their path.
So why protest? The G20 is a part of the same economic structure as the IMF and World Bank, who are both organizations that can choke smaller, newly-independent countries with debt and forced economic policies that are best for the IMF and World Bank, not for the developing countries. Jamaica is an example of this. After Jamaica gained independence from the British in 1962, Jamaica decided to take a loan from the IMF, hoping to be able to get ahead. This loan, however, just made things worse. The IMF got to tell the Jamaican government how to spend their money in order to pay back the loan. But, the interest rate on the loan was so high, Jamacia's debt would only grow and grow. The poor suffered, and various American companies (McDonald's, Burger King, etc.) were brought in to "improve" the economy. The jobs these companies provide pay less than they do in America, and when looking at the 'big picture', you can see that these companies are going to be making a lot of money down there (just like they do here).