Columbus was wrong

For today's entry I thought I would review a book I read in October.

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Difficulty: 5/5 The book is huge and has some fairly complex economical and business ideas. There are parts that a lot of people will probably find totally uninteresting, but to me the book was a page-turner

Enjoyment: 5/5 Thomas Friedman is probably the smartest person in America right now and I try and read everything he says. This book, was what really turned me on to him and I think it has revolutionized the way I teach and the way I think about the world.

I have been getting into non-fiction a lot lately. In particular, non-fiction that discusses cultural trends. Upcoming reviews will include Fast Food Nation, Born to Buy, Everything Bad is Good for You, and a book on war that I can't remember the title of but I am going to steal it from the person who teaches next door to me.

Anyway, the book centers around the giant leaps forward the world has taken in both technology and business and how we can prepare for it. If you want an idea of what I am talking about watch the Youtube video below:



In his book, Friedman discusses the ten important events that got us to where we are, what we as a country are doing to prepare for the future, and how parents, teachers, and anyone in or entering the workforce can prepare to enter an increasingly competitive and global market.

Some things that in particular stand out to me is that when Bill Gates was talking about how things have changed he said that if you asked someone 20 years ago whether they would rather be the smartest in India or an idiot in Indiana, anyone would respond an idiot in Indiana. If you asked the same questions today, he said the answer would be India for sure. In fact, he said, it doesn't really matter where you live as long as you're smart and willing to work cheap. He also mentioned that he keeps his American employees on, but increasingly has turned to the Chinese for most of his improvements in product and anything else that needs to get done. He said essentially that if you are an American going into any type of business that involves computers, you have to realize that the Chinese will work for a third of the pay, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Which means you have to bring something to the table that makes an employer want to hire someone who works 8 hours a day for three times the pay and only five days a week. You have to make yourself indispensible to the company.

Another interesting point he brings up is the failure of the Clinton and Bush administration to address these problems. His indictment of Bush is particularly scathing and I can't say that I disagree. He points out that during the Cold War, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon asked parents, children, and schools to focus on science, math and technology. Since the end of the Cold War, the focus is to recruit scientists from other countries and lure the best and brightest students to America with the promise of a better life. As many 3rd world countries have made giant leaps forward (India in particular is not only seeing an economic boom, but they are in many ways lightyears ahead of us in technology) luring scientists and inventors has been increasingly difficult. When 9/11 hit, Bush should have responded by making the sciences and technology a priority to face a new global threat. Instead, he said that we should buy stuff.

I can't tell you how much I loved this book and I think it is essential reading for any parent or anyone who plans on spending time in the workforce. As a teacher, it has revolutionized my way of teaching as I now teach my students to prepare to live in a global economy. I reccomended the book to my brother-in-law who works for a consulting firm and from talking to him about his work, everything in this book is unfolding on a daily basis at his work.

Reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Listening: Cake "Going the Distance" (I am in the midst of section championships and find myself listening to it to pump myself up)