I Never Thought I Would Use the Words "Flat" and "Britney Spears" in the Same Sentence
Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat makes some alarming points that every American should pay attention to:
Though I don't wholly agree with the Sylvester Brown article, I think he does bring up a good point that the MSM covers some insignificant stories and that most would rather hear about the latest gossip (MJ and Vaseline) than watch an interview with a brilliant author like Thomas Friedman who obviously has a lot of "newsworthy" information for everyone.
I am guilty of loving celeb gossip. I read Page Six every day. But I also read The New York Times and The Washington Post and The Hotline and not one of my role models has a house in Hollywood.
Why don’t our kids and the MSM treat successful men and women business leaders like celebrities? What does this say about the current and future state of our society? Will Americans ever wake up and see that the entire world has flattened around them while they were watching Britney Spears’ latest True Hollywood Story on E!?
Dirty Little Secret #2: The Ambition Gap
The second dirty little secret, which several prominent American CEOs told me only in a whisper, goes like this: When they send jobs abroad, they not only save 75 percent on wages, they get a 100 percent increase in productivity.
....
One cannot stress enough: Young Chinese, Indians, and Poles are not racing us to the bottom. They are racing us to the top. They do not want to work for us; they don't even want to be with us. They want to dominate us- in the sense that they want to be creating the companies of the future that people all over the world will admire and clamor to work for. They are in no way content with where they have come so far. I was talking to a Chinese-American who works for Microsoft and has accompanied Bill Gates on visits to China. He said Gates is recognized everywhere he goes in China. Young people there hang from the rafters and scalp tickets just to hear him speak. Same with Jerry Yang, the founder of Yahoo!
In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears-and that is our problem.
Though I don't wholly agree with the Sylvester Brown article, I think he does bring up a good point that the MSM covers some insignificant stories and that most would rather hear about the latest gossip (MJ and Vaseline) than watch an interview with a brilliant author like Thomas Friedman who obviously has a lot of "newsworthy" information for everyone.
I am guilty of loving celeb gossip. I read Page Six every day. But I also read The New York Times and The Washington Post and The Hotline and not one of my role models has a house in Hollywood.
Why don’t our kids and the MSM treat successful men and women business leaders like celebrities? What does this say about the current and future state of our society? Will Americans ever wake up and see that the entire world has flattened around them while they were watching Britney Spears’ latest True Hollywood Story on E!?
3 Comments:
Could it have something to do with successful business folk often being old white men, who aren't exactly exciting to young kids? I grew up (and still am) obsessed with Steve Jobs, but given the choice, would you rather look at Sumner Redstone or Jessica Simpson on the newspaper page staring up at you over your morning cereal?
Huh. Maybe that's also why kids aren't so much fans of politics either--politics and business both being worlds where old, right, white men get all the attention.
By politiae, at 6:06 PM
On the other hand, I've just discovered this video game (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050531/cgtu014.html?.v=11), which lets you be a media mogul.
Super Mario it's not, but at least it's something.
By politiae, at 7:10 PM
I deal with young people of America on a daily basis and I can tell you that finding motivation is a huge problem. Kids don't have the motivation to learn many subjects, especially Math and Science and it seems that more and more are content to skate through. They lack role models and I'm not talking about role models that they can see on TV, they lack role models that they can talk to.
I'm not ready to blame it on the media, or the kid's parents, or teachers for that matter. It just seems that in many economically suppressed areas there are few realistic business role models. I don't need to see more hip-hop moguls on TV and I doubt that many of my students would care to watch an Harvard economics professor or any DC type when they are at home. What I need to increase motivation are people who can talk to young people and convey to them that passing Math class and completing their degree won't necessarily get them a Bentley and a guest spot on MTV Cribs but it will get them a Camry and the ability to own a home. Which, in my opinion would be okay.
By Tucker Fan, at 12:49 PM
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