Fareed Zakaria (via Kevin) continues to assume a frictionless world and expose what can most charitably be assumed to his naivete, this time in a broad essay about the challenges facing America:
To recover its place in the world, America first needs to recover its confidence. For those who look at the future and see challenges, competition and threats, keep in mind that this new world has been forming over the last 20 years, and the United States has forged ahead amid all the turmoil. In 1980, the U.S. share of global GDP was 20 percent. Today it is 29 percent. We lead the world in technology and research. Our firms have found enormous success in new markets overseas. We continue to generate new products, new brands, new companies and new industries.
We are not really in competition with Chinese and Indian workers making $5 a day. We want Americans to make things that they can't, move up the value chain and work on increasingly sophisticated products and services. We have an educational system that can help make this happen. Of the 20 best universities in the world, 18 are American. And the quality of American higher education extends far and deep, from community colleges to technical institutes.
Just as invading and occupying Iraq wasn't a terrific idea done wrong, America's problem isn't a lack of confidence that we can overcome by believing in ourselves. Good god, what's next? A Secretary of Public Affirmation? The problem facing America is that the people who run the world economy have decided that it's time for America to adjust to its natural size. We're a big part of the world's middle class and when you're running a capitalist game, rigged only to benefit the largest holders of capital, the middle class is your enemy. Why, to address Zakaria's college example, do you think it's getting more difficult to get into America's top universities or any of our universities, instead of easier?
The only thing that will protect American workers in the face of global class war is a strong international union movement that is devoted to building a strong middle class and, you know, protecting all workers. I can't believe that Zakaria needs to have that explained to him. Although his glacially slow coming around on BushCo's war of aggression is a pretty clear indication that the guy isn't so swift on the uptake.
You know, really, y'all gotta stop treating these folks like they're thinkers or something and mean what they say. These are media pundits. They say whatever sells or whatever they're told to say. No, Zakaria probably isn't that naive but what difference does it make? He'll tell us whatever he thinks we want to hear or whatever he's being paid to tell us and we'll never know what he really thinks because it most likely wouldn't be salable.
We need to start ignoring these bimbos, or paying only enough attention to ridicule their market/owner-driven gobbledygook. Taking them seriously enough to criticize just makes them stronger and gives them more cred they don't deserve.
Posted by: mick arran | June 04, 2007 at 02:26 PM