EDT646
Assignment #8
3-10-06
While reading the last three chapters of FriedmanŐs book, I found many of the topics he discussed very interesting. A couple of these interesting topics dealt with the idea of the unflattening of the world. Another topic I also became interested in was FriedmanŐs idea of conflict prevention from chapter 12. These are the topics that I have decided to share my thoughts on.
One of the first topics I
became interested in, dealt with the idea of the unflatteners. I was particularly interested with the
idea of the disempowered because I often see this in my job. I know that Friedman was referring to
the poor in emerging countries like China, India, Mexico, and similar places,
but I also see the working poor of America fitting into this category as
well. Friedman discussed the
importance of the middle class, or the mind-set of the middle class. He discussed that the middle class is
based on the thought of opportunity, not on actual income. I unfortunately think that too many of
our working poor in this country also feel like they donŐt have any opportunity
and are beginning to feel disempowered.
Some might even say that much of the working middle class also feel like
they are becoming disempowered, especially when they lose their factory
jobs. Many of these workers donŐt
feel like they are empowered to go out and fit into the new flat world. I work with many families from
different income levels, and see that many of them donŐt see themselves as
having opportunities. So while
reading this section, it seemed to hit home because I think that the
disempowered are a lot closer to home than Friedman was pointing out.
The second unflattener that I
was particularly interested in was with the Ňtoo frustratedÓ group and how
Al-Qaeda fit into this category. I
think that any American should be interested with this topic as long as the war
is going on over in Iraq. I think
that when people become too frustrated with what they donŐt have or what they
donŐt want others to have, then more conflicts are going to happen. If we want to peacefully solve these
conflicts and prevent future terrorist attacks from happening, then we need to
understand what drives these people that have become unconnected with the rest
of the world. Simply using force
is not always the right answer, especially when these groups feel that America
is too powerful in the first place.
IŐm not saying that force should never be used and I was certainly in
favor of the war in Afghanistan after 9/11, but going around to all of these
countries and wielding our fists, is not going to solve all of the
problems. I think that Friedman
described a very realistic point of view, which was much different than our
current administrationŐs point of view, of how certain extremist groups view
us. We need to understand how
these other groups view us and why, so we can ultimately arrive at peace. We have to remember that there are
always two sides to a story, and Friedman seems to understand that. I donŐt condone these extremist groupŐs
tactics, but I can begin to understand that they have a much different view
point than we do.
Another unflattener that I
became intrigued with was the idea of too many Toyotas. This was interesting to me because I didnŐt
realize the rate at which the middle class in China and India were
growing. One of the most important
signature trademarks of being middle class, is owning your own automobile. I suppose I never realized the growth
of the middle class around the world in a Ňflat-worldÓ before reading this
book, and more so the increase in demand of cars this caused. This topic caught my attention because
the increased demand of cars also increases the demand for gas. Anyone paying $2.76 a gallon when they
clearly remember paying $1.36 not so long ago has to take interest in this
phenomenon. I donŐt think that we,
as Americans, have a right to limit the number of cars in these other
countries. However, I think that
this should push us toward alternative energy methods. If the demand for gas increases around
the world, we can not allow ourselves to remain dependent on it. We have always been the technology
leaders and innovators in the world, but we donŐt seem to be pushing too hard
for this one.
Another area of FriedmanŐs
book that I very much enjoyed was his theory of conflict prevention. I donŐt think that most people realize
that no two countries have ever gone to war that has had McDonaldŐs, or more
currently a part of the Dell supply chain. It was a topic that even I was not aware of before reading
this book and taking this course, but it is fascinating none the less. I only wish it were that easy; just
open a McDonaldŐs in every country around the world and build a Dell parts
factory, and no more wars. I know
it is not that easy, and also understand the reasons that Friedman explained in
chapter 12 for this theory to be correct.
Friedman stated that as the
economy of countries grow and become more stable and there was an increase in
the middle class, then people became less interested in fighting wars. I agree with Friedman on this topic and
feel it is also related to the growing middle class of countries. As Friedman stated earlier in the book,
the middle class is based on the mind-set of opportunity. If these countries have a large enough
middle class to support McDonaldŐs and own personal computers, they must have a
desire and understanding for future opportunities. People, who see opportunities and feel like they have a
future, donŐt want to destroy that by fighting in a war. These people seek out more peaceful
alternatives to solving conflicts.
Although Friedman stated this idea in an over simplified title, he
totally understands the importance of building up the economies in all the
countries around the world. Doing
this will ultimately help every other economy around the world, including ours.
I have to admit that many of
thoughts and ideas shared by Friedman I found interesting. This was a bit surprising to me because
I was not looking forward to reading this book after reading some reviews about
it. However, after reading it, I
found much logic and wisdom in it.
I donŐt think that I could say that I agreed with everything in it, but
I agree with most of it and certainly appreciated his point of view on the rest
of it. I hope that he sent
President Bush a copy to read, I also understand that it is available on
tape. If our leaders begin to
realize the changes we must adapt to, then we can begin to prepare Americans
for living in a peaceful flat world.