TWIF: This year we put a 3.0 on it

Reading The World is Flat was similar to chatting with an amiable fellow at a party. Slightly drunk, we reminisce on the recent articles featured in Wired magazine and how we always non-native English speakers when calling tech support hotlines. While the conversation is mildly entertaining, it isn’t about to lay the groundwork for a social science theory. Foreshadowed by my previous blogs, you probably can guess I am not a Flathead (at least in the Friedman way). The Flatheads of the world wish us to believe that as the U.S. gets lazy, the rest of the world is arming itself with productivity and knowledge, completely ignoring many economical and geopolitical factors that still shape the world today. If I were to grant Friedman the title of genius, it wouldn’t be in the realm of predictive social science, but in the ability to make the mundane entertaining.

This book demonstrates Friedman’s ability to find witty anecdotes and metaphors for almost any situation; something often seen in his columns as well. This ability does help the technologically uninitiated better understand a basic rule of technology: it changes things. That combined with Friedman’s call for adaptability in this changing world is something I can agree with. I usually like to read his columns because they point out interesting patterns and directions shown in the world. His book was equally enjoyable to read and actually more persuasive than his articles normally are. I don’t just contribute this to the amount of space he has to make his argument, but also the integration of quotes and opinions of the businessmen most affected by the flatteners. While I’ve criticized Friedman a lot, some ideas that he argues are so basic that it is almost impossible to disagree. You do not need to be a flathead to agree that “Versatile workers have job security” and “Companies that are adaptable have better chances at survival.” In fact many of his points are well argued throughout his book and it oddly leaves room for recommendations on how to fix all of these problems… almost 400 pages worth of room… Ah! Here we go: 

It’s like watching the latest episode of 24, but in Friedman’s next episode you may find out if the U.S. will sink or swim in the sea of globalization! You’ve got to give Friedman credit; he definitely knows how to write bestsellers. It was a wonder that he was able to reason a second version of The World is Flat. While the subject is large enough to deserve the amount of space he gives it, he fills it with entertaining stories rather than develop his argument. I have not read his new book and won’t began to criticize it individually, but after failing to comprehensively describe a problem with two textbook sized documents, he proves he has the gift of gab rather than an a useful analysis. I probably will catch bits and pieces of his book integrate itself into his columns, much like The World is Flat. After seeing his past writing style, those bits will probably be enough to comprehend his entire argument. It kind of reminds me of the Machead mindset where a larger number equates to better software even if there is little or no improvement.

That may be a bit harsh and perhaps The World is Flat 3.0 is more than just plus one, but both books fail to see globalization as a multi-faceted issue. It is hard for me to take it seriously when it focuses only on the integration caused by globalization and largely ignores the disintegration it causes. Friedman has admitted, almost too casually, some of the holes in his argument and states that we have a long way to go before the world is actually flat. I wish his book was a more comprehensive outline of globalization, but it has found a niche. It is better that this book exists and enlightens the average individual on the dangers brought by globalization, but it leaves a hole in understanding the complexity of the situation.