Rhem-Westhoff
EDT 646
Assignment VI – Understanding ÒCompassionate FlatismÓ
03/10/06
The flattening of the world like other significant periods experienced by the United States, such as the Industrial Revolution, will continue to have an effect on its people and people of the world for the indefinite future. Friedman describes ÒCompassionate FlatismÓ as a policy built around five broad categories of action to help America and the rest of the world to survive and thrive in the age of flat. The five categories include leadership, muscle building, cushioning, social activism and parenting. I have ranked the categories in ascending order of importance (as I see them) and briefly described them below along with the reason(s) I ranked them as I did.
Tom Friedman states that American politicians do not seem to understand the flat world. The statement made in his book that political stability is built upon economic stability is as accurate as his follow up statement that economic stability is not a feature of a flat world. More than any other time in history, things will be in a constant state of flux and only those who are able to adapt, be flexible and versatile will keep from being left behind. The attitude that America will always be on top Òjust because we areÓ is a na•ve and dangerous mindset. The dominance of our mighty nation has led to arrogance and laziness. Without a leader able to light a proverbial fire to re-ignite the passion and drive that once was prevalent in this country, the United States will be a major player no more.
It seemed logical to me that in order to awaken the sleeping giant (U.S.) before it is too late and for compassionate flatism to be effective, we need first and foremost good leadership. Reflecting on the current Bush administration however, I hesitated because there are many important issues from global warming to education that our countryÕs leaders have dropped the ball on. Governors in individual states are no longer waiting for the leadership in these areas to come from the Federal government and are taking matters into their own hands. Despite the fact that citizens sometimes do the right thing if their government refuses or acts too slowly, I decided that leadership should still be number one in my list.
Second place in my ranking of the categories is a tie between what Friedman calls ÒMusclesÓ and ÒParenting.Ó The bookÕs discussion of Muscles contrasts a guarantee of lifetime employment with lifetime employability. Gone are the days of an employer assuring you lifetime employment as long as you hold up your end of the deal. To remain marketable and employable in the flat world, individuals must continue to learn and grow, re-train, and re-tool their skill set. People must be as adaptable as their personality permits – and then some. The employee who is able to learn quickly has always been more valuable than the employee who starts out Òknowing it all.Ó The rate of technological change requires a person with a good foundation but more importantly a person who can learn quickly and keep pace with technology. Compassionate Flatism maintains it will be the individualÕs responsibility to keep learning and stay ahead of the curve, or at least not too far behind. Big business and the government will be responsible for helping workers to Òbuild the necessary muscles to do that.Ó (p. 284) To be truly fit, a person must do more than just build strong muscles. The same is true for a work force that hopes to be fit enough to prosper in the flat world. Flexibility, in addition to strength is required in both cases. I am referring here to the discussion of portable benefits and opportunities for lifelong learning. Individuals will sell themselves short of entrepreneurial innovations if workers cannot afford to leave a job because upon leaving they lose their health insurance benefits and/or retirement investment opportunities. This problem exists today and the price we pay in opportunity cost because people cannot afford to take risks will increase at an ever-increasing rate.
Parenting tied for second place with muscles because I believe that the skills needed for lifetime employability are best formed during childhood. That is not to say there is little hope for our current work force in regards to teaching them the importance of becoming Òversatilists.Ó People will awaken to the need for learning higher value skills or they will be left behind. The formative years are the ideal time to have ambition, a strong work ethic, flexibility and the importance of ongoing learning modeled by adults that children look up to. Another trait parents should strive to instill in their children is sensitivity to other cultures and tolerance of all peoples and religions. The leveling of the playing field requires all workers to have the people skills once set apart for diplomats.
People are at their best when they feel safe. A classroom environment devoid of threat is one where kids can focus on learning. This fact of human nature transcends the classroom and is true wherever people gather. Friedman refers to good fat as safety nets that encourage displaced workers whose jobs have been outsourced, etc., to re-train in new higher value areas to make themselves the marketable employees they once were. Wage insurance is discussed and it sounds to me like a well thought out approach to helping people avoid falling prey to the poverty cycle. It is so hard to break out of the poverty cycle once a person enters it, especially while they are gaining new skills that will allow them to maintain their independence from traditional government programs such as welfare. In order for our country to remain competitive in the new world – the flat world, we have to provide some safety nets to allow workers to transition into different areas of work without terrible hardship financially or otherwise.
I found it interesting that the social activism category ended up as number five on my list. I consider myself a strong social activist both for the human downtrodden and environmentally speaking, for the planet. Like all things in life however, everything is relative and going all the way back to my first choice, leadership, one would hope that if things are right at the top, then good decisions will have a trickle down effect. Sadly because of the power of corporate America, I sometimes view the United States as more Facist than Democractic. Friedman is right on the mark when he says that sometimes the best way to change the world is by getting the big players to do the right things for the wrong reasons, because waiting for them to do the right things for the right reasons can mean waiting forever. (p. 299) Two of the most effective environmental groups today, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club know this to be true. They have become savvy with implementing their knowledge of this into their battles with some of the biggest polluters who also happen to be some of the most powerful corporations. Regardless of the reasons the big companies get on board and begin to collaborate with environmentalists and social activists, the important thing is that the collaboration takes place.
Friedman,
Thomas. The World Is Flat A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. 1st
edition. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.