Colin PowellI thought it was funny that when asked when was the time the world was flattened, Statesmen Colin Powell answered "Google." Who knew he used Google to help him write his speeches for Resolutions for the UN?!? I didn't. More power to him. I would have to agree with. Google, YouTube, and MySpace are some of the most important and culture-changing websites EVER.
One thing that is getting annoying is every time Friedman meets someone is he asks them “Where were you and when did you realize the world was flat?” Maybe it’s just me, but that’s a hard question to answer on the spot. The world has gradually over the past decades become flat due to advancements of technology and processes. I would to hear some of the responses from average citizens when they answered his question. Some would probably be:
“Where was I found out the world was flat? Excuse me sir, where have you been? The world is round.”
“I don’t understand the question. Can you repeat it.”
“(laughs) Is this a trick question?”
Most people probably won’t understand the metaphor (or is it analogy, not sure) of “The World Is Flat”. However, once explained what Friedman means by the quote will probably be able to tell him instances on when they realized we have reached Globalization 3.0. (After a couple of minutes of thinking of a good answer, of course.) Mine was probably be when I realized I could pay all my bills online and check by bank statements whenever I wanted. This is very easy and convenient.
MID
Also, I think I'm coming down with a case of Multiple Identity Disorder (MID). I can't decide what I am. Am I a consumer, student, employee, citizen, taxpayer, or shareholder? I'm going crazy. However, Friedman tells us that all of us are beginning to get this disorder which is only going to cause more confusion for us in the future. AAAAAH!!!! When I told my mom today that I think I had MID, she told me it’s called bi-polar. I told her, “No, I don’t have multiple personalities. I have multiple identities.”
3 comments:
One thing that is a big issue with this book for me is that theres a parallel that Friedman compares himself to Christopher Columbus by saying Columbus had to prove that the world was round. Friedman is out there trying to prove the world is flat. But the truth is most Native Americans and Europeans already knew the world was round, and that Chris was just challenging the status quo. Does that sound familiar to anyone? With your multiple Identity Disorder, I believe it's just a bunch of bull crap that marketers are trying to disect us and study every consumer behavior pattern. When it comes down to it, its all about the money. Why can't things just be simple?
Yea, the whole asking people where they were when they knew the world was flat was kind of repetitive. I mean, what does it really matter where they were? Does that mean that they were right in what event caused the world to be flat? No. I didn't think so. Like you Alex, I wanted to hear what a regular citizen would say. He asked all these importatnt people, which was great, but I also care about the opinion of regulars. Maybe he should have named the book: The world is flat only for the powerful/popular people...
Everytime someone in the class asked me what book I was reading, they had that confused look on their face when I told them. They didn't grasp the concept so I'm sure non-MBA's probably wouldn't be able to either. Once I explained the book it made more sense, but that would be a difficult question to answer without knowing much background about what Friedman's talking about.
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