reflections

Friedman's questions

For all of those who tune out Thomas Friedman because they don't trust any apologist for globalization, I would suggest that they might find common approval of some of Friedman's political judgements and would have a difficulty in answering some of the questions that he poses.

To begin with, let me quote Friedman on the 2004 Election cycle:
"...American politicians not only were not educating the American public, they were actively working to make it stupid."

If you take the time to read this free market capitalist, you find that he quotes liberaly from Karl Marx, specifically finding that he had forcasted (in the Communist Manifesto, 1848) the flattening effect that Friedman now observes happening. He differs from Marx as to the long term effects of that flattening, but realizes that Marx may be right if politicians continue to be stupid.

In a chapter entitled "The Great Sorting Out" Friedman forsees the potential for a realignment of political interests in the United States. He finds us in the middle of an indentity crisis in which we are both consumers in search of Walmart prices and employees who find it difficult to earn a living at Walmart determined wages. When ultimately, there is no fat left on the bone, there may be no taste left in life.

Friedmans asks us to "Think about it: Social conservatives from the right wing of teh REpublican party, who do not like globalization or closer integration with the world because it brings too many foreigners and goreign cultural mores into America, might align themselves with the unions from the left wing of teh Democratic Party, who don't like globalization for the way it fac9litates the outsourcing and offshoring of jobs."

As for the alternative, he suggest that "Meanwhile, the business wing of the Republican Party, which believes in free trade, deregulation, more integration , and lower taxes -- everything that would flatten world even more -- may end up aligning with the social liberals of the Democratic Party, many of whom are East Coast or West Coast global service industry workers."

Friedman presents the challenge that we all face. "More and more, politics in the flat world will consist of asking which values, frictions, and fats are worth preserving -- which should, in Marx's language, be kept solid -- and which must be left to melt away into the air. Countries, companies, and individuals will be able to give intelligent answers to these questions only if they understand the nature and texture of the global playing field and how different it is from the one that existed in the Cold War era and before."

What an opportunity for us Greens! No one else is giving answers to Friedmans challange. Both the Democrats and Republicans are hiding from the truth behind whatever spin their poll meisters tell them will work. In today's political environment only the Green Party is based on the set of values that give guidance to how these questions get answered.

Friedman blasts the Bush Administration for lacking the type of leadership evidenced by John Kennedy when he challenged the US to put a man on the moon. When Bush could have challenged us to move forward to solve the environmental issues surrounding Mercury emissions and global warming, he ducked behind the walls of America First. He asks us to trust him, when he does not trust his own people enough, does not believe that we can rise to the challenge and solve these problems. Maybe they will be solved in China, just because they can and we won't.