Nam Đỗ Blog

Nam Đỗ Blog | 
Dohoangnam.com
 
81 | 
P a g e
Steve: Cultural Studies is by far the best, even better than Political Theory, which I also 
like, but just not as much. 
David: Why do you say that, Steve? I was thinking, perhaps, Social History is worth 
considering as best. 
Steve: Social History is good, but I made my choice because the subject is relevant to this 
modern society. 
David: But so is Social History, and I like the historical element, which the other subjects 
lack. Even Political Theory examines history only briefly, and in a very narrow way, so 
I’d say Social History is the most rewarding for me. What about you, Susan? 
Susan: I think Social History is certainly very good, but Political Theory is, in fact, the 
best, since basically, every human system boils down to politics. So, despite a certain 
irrelevancy in the details, the basic message remains as relevant as ever. 
David: Oh Susan, you can’t be serious. Let’s ask Olive, again. She’s over there. Olive! 
Which subject do you think is the best? 
Olive: Ah, a difficult question. I’m very interested in culture, so Cultural Studies is 
certainly my cup of tea, but I’m politically active also, and hope to pursue this as a career, 
so Political Theory would be the one I’d pick. 
David: I don’t believe it. Even with that irrelevant textbook? 
Susan: Don’t listen to him, Olive; you have a right to your own opinion. 
SECTION 4 
You will hear a lecturer talking about the movement of population towards cities. 

---

Nam Đỗ Blog | 
Dohoangnam.com
 
82 | 
P a g e
If you consider the farms of old — the type your father or grandfather grew up on, they 
were small and labour-intensive, requiring lots of workers. In addition, they often had a 
diversity of products, be that animal or vegetable — say, cows and sheep, or oranges and 
lemons, with some peaches, and a few chickens on the side, for the production of eggs. 
The many workers involved raised their families, who needed products and support 
services, such as medical clinics and schools, so the small country towns had mercantile 
activity, store fronts, and community participation, with all ages present and a distinct 
town culture. 
And how it has changed! Travel to any small country town in virtually any developed 
country, and you will often see that these places arc now somewhat forlorn and deserted, 
lacking life and vigour. Many of the residents have long since moved towards the big 
cities, so the country areas have become depopulated, and their downtowns empty. This 
phenomenon is so predictable and widespread that it even has a name - rural flight, or 
rural exodus -and it has produced some fairly predictable problems. 
As for the causes of rural exodus, the most obvious is the industrialisation of agriculture. 
This comes in two aspects, one of them being monocultural farming practices. What this 
means is that it is now more efficient to have one product, and focus on its needs almost 
exclusively. So, for example, animal husbandry will usually involve a single type of 
animal, say pigs, but with huge factory farming techniques, or, in other words, the second 
aspect: economies of scale. This means instead of 200 pigs, there’ll be 2000, tightly fitted 
into small pens or cages, with high density waste disposal and automatic 
feeding systems. Yet despite this huge size, it can all be controlled by just a dozen farm 
workers pushing the right button. You might not like it, but in a competitive market, the 
cheaper the overheads, the better, and one can’t argue with market economics. It’s simply 
the way of the modern world, and it has changed the face of rural districts, mostly for the 
worst. 
We can talk at length about the problem of rural exodus, but what about solutions? Well, 
there is certainly some cause for hope, since many are now feeling the negatives of 

---