the.world.is.flat-第84章

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Coalition　&　Citizenship　Education　Fund's　annual　conference　to　upbraid　
African…Americans　for　not　teaching　their　children　proper　grammar　and　for　black　kids　
not　striving　to　learn　more　themselves。　Cosby　had　already　declared；　〃Everybody　knows　
it's　important　to　speak　English　except　these　knuckleheads。　You　can't　be　a　doctor　with　


that　kind　of　crap　coming　out　of　your　mouth。〃　Referring　to　African…Americans　who　
squandered　their　chances　for　a　better　life；　Cosby　told　the　Rainbow　Coalition；　〃You've　
got　to　stop　beating　up　your　women　because　you　can't　find　a　job；　because　you　didn't　
want　to　get　an　education　and　now　you're　＇earning＇minimum　wage。　You　should　have　thought　
more　of　yourself　when　you　were　in　high　school；　when　you　had　an　opportunity。〃　
305　
When　Cosby's　remarks　attracted　a　lot　of　criticism；　Reverend　Jackson　defended　him；　
arguing；　〃Bill　is　saying；　let's　fight　the　right　fight。　Let's　level　the　playing　field。　
Drunk　people　can't　do　that。　Illiterate　people　can't　do　that。〃　
That　is　right。　Americans　are　the　ones　who　increasingly　need　to　level　the　playing　
field…not　by　pulling　others　down；　not　by　feeling　sorry　for　ourselves；　but　by　lifting　
ourselves　up。　But　when　it　comes　to　how　to　do　that；　Cosby　was　saying　something　that　
is　important　for　black　and　white　Americans；　rich　and　poor。　Education；　whether　it　comes　
from　parents　or　schools；　has　to　be　about　more　than　just　cognitive　skills。　It　also　
has　to　include　character　building。　The　fact　is；　parents　and　schools　and　cultures　can　
and　do　shape　people。　The　most　important　influence　in　my　life；　outside　of　my　family；　
was　my　high　school　journalism　teacher；　Hattie　M。　Steinberg。　She　pounded　the　
fundamentals　of　journalism　into　her　students…not　simply　how　to　write　a　lead　or　
accurately　transcribe　a　quote　but；　more　important；　how　to　comport　yourself　in　a　
professional　way。　She　was　nearing　sixty　at　the　time　I　had　her　as　my　teacher　and　high　
school　newspaper　adviser　in　the　late　1960s。　She　was　the　polar　opposite　of　〃cool；〃　
but　we　hung　around　her　classroom　like　it　was　the　malt　shop　and　she　was　Wolfman　Jack。　
None　of　us　could　have　articulated　it　then；　but　it　was　because　we　enjoyed　being　
harangued　by　her；　disciplined　by　her；　and　taught　by　her。　She　was　a　woman　of　clarity　
and　principles　in　an　age　of　uncertainty。　I　sit　up　straight　just　thinking　about　her！　
Our　children　will　increasingly　be　competing　head…to…head　with　Chinese；　Indian；　and　
Asian　kids；　whose　parents　have　a　lot　more　of　Hattie's　character…building　approach　
than　their　own　American　parents。　I　am　not　suggesting　that　we　militarize　education；　
but　I　am　suggesting　that　we　do　more　to　push　our　young　people　to　go　beyond　their　comfort　
zones；　to　do　things　right；　and　to　be　ready　to　suffer　some　short…run　pain　for　longer　
gain。　
I　fear；　though；　that　things　will　have　to　get　worse　before　they　get　better。　As　Judy　
Estrin　said；　it　will　probably　take　a　crisis。　I　would　simply　add：　The　crisis　is　already　
here。　It　is　just　playing　out　in　slow　motion。　The　flattening　of　the　world　is　moving　
ahead　apace；　and　barring　war　or　some　catastrophic　terrorist　event；　nothing　is　going　
to　stop　it。　But　what　can　happen　is　a　decline　in　our　standard　of　living；　if　more　
Americans　are　not　empow306　
ered　and　educated　to　participate　in　a　world　where　all　the　knowledge　centers　are　being　
connected。　We　have　within　our　society　all　the　ingredients　for　American　individuals　
to　thrive　in　this　world；　but　if　we　squander　those　ingredients；　we　will　stagnate。　
I　repeat：　This　is　not　a　test。　This　is　a　crisis；　and　as　Paul　Romer　has　so　perceptively　
warned；　〃A　crisis　is　a　terrible　thing　to　waste。〃　
Developing　Countries　and　the　Flat　World　


：：：：：　NINE　
The　Virgin　of　Guadalupe　
It's　not　that　we　are　becoming　more　Anglo…Saxon。　It's　that　we　are　having　an　encounter　
with　reality。　

…　Frank　Schirrmacher；　publisher　of　the　German　newspaper　
Frankfurter　Allgemeine　Zeitung；　commenting　to　
The　New　York　Times　about　the　need　for　German　
workers　to　retool　and　work　longer　hours　
Seek　knowledge　even　unto　China。　
…　saying　of　the　Prophet　Muhammad　
The　more　I　worked　on　this　book；　the　more　I　found　myself　asking　people　I　met　around　
the　world　where　they　were　when　they　first　discovered　that　the　world　was　flat。　
In　the　space　of　two　weeks；　I　got　two　revealing　answers；　one　from　Mexico；　one　from　
Egypt。　I　was　in　Mexico　City　in　the　spring　of　2004；　and　I　put　the　question　on　the　table　
during　lunch　with　a　few　Mexican　journalist　colleagues。　One　of　them　said　he　realized　
that　he　was　living　in　a　new　world　when　he　started　seeing　reports　appearing　in　the　
Mexican　media　and　on　the　Internet　that　some　statuettes　of　Mexico's　patron　saint；　the　
Virgin　of　Guadalupe；　were　being　imported　into　Mexico　from　China；　probably　via　ports　
in　California。　When　you　are　Mexico　and　your　claim　to　fame　is　that　you　are　a　low…wage　
manufacturing　country；　and　some　of　your　people　are　importing　statuettes　of　your　own　
patron　saint　from　China；　because　China　can　make　them　and　ship　them　all　the　way　across　
the　
Pacific　more　cheaply　than　you　can　produce　them；　you　are　living　in　a　flat　world。　
You've　also　got　a　problem。　Over　at　the　Central　Bank　of　Mexico；　I　asked　its　governor；　
Guillermo　Ortiz；　whether　he　was　aware　of　this　issue。　He　rolled　his　eyes　and　told　me　
that　for　some　time　now　he　could　feel　the　competitive　playing　field　being　leveled…and　
that　Mexico　was　losing　some　of　its　natural　geographic　advantages　with　the　U。S。　
market…by　just　staring　at　the　numbers　on　his　computer　screen。　〃We　started　looking　
at　the　numbers　in　2001　…it　was　the　first　year　in　two　decades　that　＇Mexico's＇　exports　
to　the　U。S。　declined；〃　said　Ortiz。　〃That　was　a　real　shock。　We　started　reducing　our　
gains　in　market　share　and　then　started　losing　them。　We　said　that　there　is　a　real　change　
here　。　。　。　And　it　was　about　China。〃　
China　is　such　a　powerhouse　of　low…cost　manufacturing　that　even　though　the　NAFTA　accord　
has　given　Mexico　a　leg　up　with　the　United　States；　and　even　though　Mexico　is　right　
next　door　to　us；　China　in　2003　replaced　Mexico　as　the　number　two　exporter　to　the　United　
States。　（Canada　remains　number　one。）　Though　Mexico　still　has　a　strong　position　in　
big…ticket　exports　that　are　costly　to　ship；　such　as　cars；　auto　parts；　and　
refrigerators；　China　is　coming　on　strong　and　has　already　displaced　Mexico　in　areas　
such　as　computer　parts；　electrical　components；　toys；　textiles；　sporting　goods；　and　
tennis　shoes。　But　what's　even　worse　for　Mexico　is　that　China　is　displacing　some　Mexican　
companies　in　Mexico；　where　Chinese…made　clothing　and　toys　are　now　showing　up　on　store　
shelves　everywhere。　No　wonder　a　Mexican　journalist　told　me　about　the　day　he　
interviewed　a　Chinese　central　bank　official；　who　told　him　something　about　China's　


relationship　with　America　that　really　rattled　him：　〃First　we　were　afraid　of　the　wolf；　
then　we　wanted　to　dance　with　the　wolf；　and　now　we　want　to　be　the　wolf。〃　
A　few　days　after　returning　from　Mexico；　I　had　breakfast　in　Washington　with　a　friend　
from　Egypt；Lamees　El…Hadidy；　a　longtime　business　reporter　in　Cairo。　Naturally　I　asked　
her　where　she　was　when　she　discovered　the　world　was　flat。　She　answered　that　it　was　
a　just　few　weeks　earlier；　during　the　Muslim　holy　month　of　Ramadan。　She　had　done　a　
story　for　CNBC　Arabiya　Television　about　the　colorful　lanterns　called　fawanis；　
311　
each　with　a　burning　candle　inside；that　Egyptian　schoolchildren　traditionally　carried　
around　during　Ramadan；　a　tradition　dating　back　centuries　to　the　Fatimid　period　in　
Egypt。　Kids　swing　the　lanterns　and　sing　songs；　and　people　give　them　candy　or　gifts；　
as　in　America　on　Halloween。　For　centuries；　small；　low…wage　workshops　in　Cairo's　older　
neighborhoods　have　manufactured　these　lanterns…until　thelast　few　years。That　was　when　
plastic　Chinese…made　Ramadan　lanterns；　each　with　a　battery…powered　light　instead　of　
a　candle；　began　flooding　the　market；　crippling　the　traditional　Egyptian　workshops。　
Said　Lamees；　〃They　are　invading　our　tradition　…in　an　innovative　way…and　we　are　doing　
nothing　about　it。。。　These　lanterns　come　out　of　our　tradition；　our　soul；　but　＇the　
Chinese　versions＇　are　more　creative　and　advanced　than　the　Egyptian　ones。〃　Lamees　said　
that　when　she　asked　Egyptians；　〃Do　you　know　wher