the.world.is.flat-第106章
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with the user…customer beneficiary。 In order to answer that question； HP created a
public…private partnership with the national government in India and the local
government in Andhra Pradesh。 Then a group of HP technologists convened a series of
dialogues in the
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farming village of Kuppam。 It asked residents two things： What are your hopes for
the next three to five years？ and What changes would really make your lives better？
To help the villagers （many of them illiterate） express themselves； HP used a concept
called graphic facilitation； wherebywhen people voiced their dreams and aspirations；
a visual artist whom HP brought over from the United States drew images of those
aspirations on craft paper put up on the walls around the room。
〃When people； particularly people who are illiterate； say something and it gets
immediately represented on the wall； they feel really validated； and therefore they
get more animated and more engaged；〃 said Maureen Conway； HP's vice president for
emerging market solutions； who headed the project。 〃It raises self…esteem。〃 Once
these poor farmers living in a remote village got loose； they really started aspiring。
〃One of them said； 'What we really need here is an airport；'〃 said Conway。
After the visioning sessions were complete； HP employees spent more time in the
village just observing how people lived。 One technological thing missing in their
lives was photography。 Conway explained： 〃We noticed that there was a big demand for
having pictures taken for identification purposes； for licenses； for applications
and government permits； and we said to ourselves； 'Maybe there is an entrepreneurial
opportunity here if we can turn people into village photographers。' There was one
photo studio in downtown Kuppam。 Everyone around ＇is＇ farmers。 We noticed that people
would come back in from villages on a bus； spend two hours； get their pictures taken；
come back a week later for the pictures； and find out that they were not done or done
wrong。 Time is as important for them as for us。 So we said； 'Wait a minute； we make
digital cameras and portable printers。 So what is the problem？' Why doesn't HP sell
them a bunch of digital cameras and printers？ The villagers came back with a very
short answer： 'Electricity。' They had no assured supply of electricity and little
money to pay for it。
〃So we said； 'We are technologists。 Let's get a solar panel and put it on a backpack
on wheels and see if there is a business for people here； and for HP； if we make a
mobile photo studio。' That is the approach we took。 The solar panel can charge both
the camera and the printer。 Then we went to a self…help women's group。 We picked five
women and said；
'We will train you how to use this equipment。' We gave them two weeks of training。
And we said； 'We will provide you with the camera and supplies； and we will share
revenue with you on every picture。'〃 This was not charity。 Even after buying all their
supplies from HP and sharing some of the revenue with HP； the women in the photography
group doubled their family incomes。 〃And to be honest； what we found out was that
less than 50 percent of the pictures they took were for identification pictures and
the rest were people just wanting pictures of their kids； weddings； and themselves；〃
said Conway。 The poor like family photo albums as much as the rich and are ready to
pay for them。 The local government also made this women's group its official
photographers for public works projects； which added to their income。
End of story？ Not quite。 As I said； HP is not an NGO。 〃After four months we said；
'Okay； the experiment is over； we're taking the camera back；'〃 said Conway。 〃And they
said； 'You're crazy。'〃 So HP told the women that if they wanted to keep the camera；
printer； and solar panel； they had to come up with a plan to pay for them。 They
eventually proposed renting them for 9 a month； and HP agreed。 And now they are
branching out into other villages。 HP； meanwhile； has started working with an NGO
to train multiple women's groups with the same mobile photography studio； and there
is a potential here for HP to sell the studios to NGOs all over India； with all of
them using HP ink and other supplies。 And from India； who knows where？
〃They are giving us feedback on the cameras and ease of use；〃 said Conway。 〃What it
has done to change the confidence of the women is absolutely amazing。〃
Too Frustrated
One of the unintended consequences of the flat world is that it puts different
societies and cultures in much greater direct contact with one another。 It connects
people to people much faster than people and cultures can often prepare themselves。
Some cultures thrive on the sud…
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den opportunities for collaboration that this global intimacy makes possible。 Others
are threatened； frustrated； and even humiliated by this close contact； which； among
other things； makes it very easy for people to see where they stand in the world
vis…a…vis everyone else。 All of this helps to explain the emergence of one of the
most dangerous unflattening forces today…the suicide bombers of al…Qaeda and the
other Islamist terror organizations； who are coming out of the Muslim world and Muslim
communities in Europe。
The Arab…Muslim world is a vast； diverse civilization； encompassing over one billion
people and stretching from Morocco to Indonesia and from Nigeria all the way to the
suburbs of London。 It is very dangerous to generalize about such a complex religious
community； made up of so many different ethnicities and nationalities。 But one need
only look at the headlines in any day's newspaper to appreciate that a lot of anger
and frustration seems to be bubbling over from the Muslim world in general and from
the Arab…Muslim world in particular； where many young people seem to be agitated by
a combination of issues。 One of the most obvious is the festering Arab…Israeli
conflict； and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and East Jerusalem…a
grievance which has a powerful emotional hold on the Arab…Muslim imagination and has
long soured relations with America and the West。
But this is not the only reason for the brewing anger in these communities。 This anger
also has to do with the frustration of Arabs and Muslims at having to live； in many；
many cases； under authoritarian governments； which not only deprive their people of
a voice in their own future； but have deprived tens of millions of young people in
particular of opportunities to achieve their full potential through good jobs and
modern schools。 The fact that the flat world enables people to so easily compare their
circumstances with others only sharpens their frustrations。
Some of these Arab…Muslim young men and women have chosen to emigrate in order to
find opportunities inthe West； others have chosen tosuffer in silence at home； hoping
for some kind of change。 The most powerful journalistic experiences I have had since
9/11 have been my encounters in the Arab world with some of these young people。 Because
my column with my picture runs in Arabic in the leading pan…Arab
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newspaper； the London…based Al…Sharq Al…Awsat； and because I often appear on Arab
satellite…television news programs； many people in that part of the world know what
I look like。 I have been amazed by the number of young Arabs and Muslims…men and
women…who have come up to me on the streets of Cairo or in the Arabian Gulf since
9/11； and said to me what one young man in Al…Azhar mosque did one Friday； after noon
prayer： 〃You're Friedman； aren't you？〃
I nodded yes。
〃Keep writing what you're writing；〃 he said。 And what he meant was writing about the
importance of bringing more freedom of thought； expression； and opportunity to the
Arab…Muslim world； so its young people can realize their potential。
Unfortunately； though； these progressive young people are not the ones defining the
relationship betweeen the Arab…Muslim community and the world at large today。
Increasingly； that relationship is being dominated by； and defined by； religious
militants and extremists；
