This thought came to me when I was watching the movie "xxx". An interesting movie that talks about how a guy, tries to make a Japanese run factory return to his hometown. Though a funny way, it shows the clash the two different cultures. The Western or more correctly American, where more emphasis is given on individual satisfaction and creativity, and the oriental where your society and the duty towards it (Indian "Karma"), is given more emphasis to. So where else on one side we have American families loosing their job but having better family life, on the other hand the Japanese Manager, who works his ass out, finds himself ridiculed by his wife comparing him with the American families. Though at this level things are fine, but at economic constraints, it brings an important question that has troubled me for most of my existence here. That of being how this country in the first hand became so rich and powerful, and what sort of suture entails this country. Geographic and mineral richness can not be the only reason, as India also has them and maybe so many other country that are languishing in poverty. I believe it is in history and more important culture. And for certain period my search in it has thrown some answers. One thing could be the entrepreneurial spirit or as others will say Capitalism, that this country encouraged. The classical example could be the putting railroad connecting California to the east, is a good example (see Ken Burns "American stories The West: The Grandest Enterprise under God"", I think PBS has always been enlightening especially if one comes from another country). As can be seen in these and other stories from past American power came from its creative people be it the people who settled in west or be it FDR's social reforms or Einshower's National highway act. All creative answers, to hurdles plaguing this relative new country.
But what future entails this country. Somehow I do not see some breaks in Economic Fundamentals. First the two aspects where American excelled at, people from other places are sort of doing better. In manufacturing atleast at large scale areas, China at simpler stuff and Japan at more complicated areas area are doing better. In scientific temper, years at stretch American student’s antipathy towards science and engineering are point of concern to organization like NSF. And it is no surprise that visionaries like Bill Gates are even questioning how US will fare in future (see the discussion on this matter by Bill Gates, Shirley Tilghman: President Princeton, David Dreier, U.S. Representative (R-California) ). So how will America fare in future? One of the thing which I found which I find could be the hardest hindrance is the change in culture. America was made by entrepreneurial and hardworking people. Unfortunately American today lacks it today. Americans because of years of prosperity have lost the hard working aspect of their forefathers. Also because of aspects like Insurance and especially the growth of middle class stereotypes as a socialist would call or suburban dysfunction, especially after 1950's among other things make more American avoid taking too many risks with their lives. And thus we are seeing people from other portions doing better than Native American born people. Classical examples are Asians who excel Native American even Caucasian whites both in education as well as in Economic terms. Especially with low labor gone to Spanish, manufacturing gone to China, Service and IT industry being outsourced to India and other countries what are then American’s doing. It is no doubt American are managing the show, but for how long. As we are seeing in IT, because of lack of American doing the lower level work, I do not think American can produce high class managers in future, if today’s young generation do not dirty themselves with manual work.
Though I do think it is as grave as I might be projecting. One of the aspects of America is its recover from its problem. The aspect of creation of "Social Security System" after the great dustbowl, FDR's workers plan to Einshower’s National highway act are classical aspects how American meet depressing time and turned it to an advantage. The other aspects are the intellectual might of this country as well as the premier university it has. All these have mde this place what it is
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