[lit-ideas] As the World Turns
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Anthro-L <ANTHRO-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 12:39:12 +0900
Just posted the following on bestoftheblogs. Thought some here might =20
be interested.
<b>What we gonna do when the smart folks don't wanna live here no =20
more?</b>
<a href=3D"http://www.alternet.org/story/22104/";>Alternet</a> is now =20
featuring a Lakshimi Chaudry interview with Richard Florida, author =20
of <i>The Flight of the Creative Class:The New Global Competition for =20=
Talent</i>. Florida's previous book <i>Rise of the Creative Class</i> =20=
got a lot of play because of its thesis that the information economy =20
runs on creative talent and creative talent congregates in places =20
where diversity, tolerance and a vibrant cultural life are prized =20
(good news for the Blue States, not so good for the Red; good news =20
for San Francisco, not so good for Cincinnati, let alone Crawford, =20
Texas).
Now Florida has extended his argument, noting what's likely to happen =20=
to the USA when smart folks worldwide decide they'd rather be =20
somewhere else, a natural consequence of the USA's growing reputation =20=
abroad as a religion and security-crazed international bully that =20
makes life tough for folks who don't toe the religious right's line. =20
Thus, says the Chaudry interview's lead,
> an isolated and hostile post-9/11 America may find itself on the =20
> losing end of the global competition for the ultimate economic =20
> prize: creative talent.
What Josh Hammond may particularly like is Florida's take on Tom =20
Friedman's <I>The World is Flat</i>.
> The point that I want to make is that the world is not flat. The =20
> world is even more concentrated, uneven, and unequal than it has =20
> ever been. The world, in fact, is really "spiky." What Friedman is =20
> doing is looking out from the top of the Empire State Building and =20
> seeing only Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Shanghai-- all these =20
> outposts of the creative age right now. That's what the world looks =20=
> like if one looked at it in terms of decentralizing and =20
> disaggregating forces.
>
> But if one looks at the very powerful concentrating forces, the =20
> forces of unevenness and inequality, one sees the world where only =20
> 25 to 50 places really matter. And if you're outside those 25 to 50 =20=
> places, if you're a kid in India, who's not in Bangalore, if you're =20=
> growing up in Arkansas or Alabama, things are very different. =20
> What's happening is that those creative centers are sucking up all =20
> the talent from the hinterland.
The critical point for the US economy is that, increasingly, those 25 =20=
to 50 places will be outside the United States, in Asia for those who =20=
like the rough and tumble of economies taking off or old Europe for =20
those who like=81\what was that again?=81\tolerance, diversity and a =20
vibrant cultural life.
Clearly, as one critic responding on the Alternet blog points out, =20
Florida's thesis is far from the whole story. The brute economic =20
reality that very smart and ambitious people can be employed in =20
places like China or India for a 10th the cost of hiring similar =20
people in the USA cannot be ignored. Thus, even the culturally cool =20
places in the USA may suffer, regardless of their appeal in contrast =20
to the uncool center of the country.
That said, the issue may no longer be, "How can you keep the boy on =20
the farm after he's seen Paree?" But "Who needs San Francisco, let =20
alone Dubuque, when Shanghai is hopping?"
John McCreery=
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