Please answer the following questions:
If Freedman's predictions are spot on and the World really is flat...Would you rather be born a genius in China or an average person in Poughkeepsie (NY)?
If America truly does work best when faced with a challenge, what will we have to begin, work on, and achieve to face the challenges of a flat world?
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52 comments:
I would rather be A person in Poughkeepsie, right now, but If we are talking about him being spot on then I would rather be a genius in China. I would want that because when you have the brains, you can get your message out to the world. In a flat world, it wouldn't matter where you are, as long as you can access the internet, or find a different way to spread the word.
As for the second question, I feel that America will need to work on a few things to face the challenges of a flat world. I think that we will need to find ways to create a more independent economy, that will still be able to compete with the rest of the world. I also think we need to stop being so lazy, and improve our education and job qualities.
I would rather be a person in Poughkeepsie, even if Friedman was exactly right. I personally do better when I know that I have to do better than someone else. By being the person in Poughkeepsie I would be pressured and challenged, therefore doing better.
As for the second question we do need to work on things in order to be able to compete in the flat world. We most definately need to become more independent and stop being as lazy as we are. While some are putting forth tons of effort the majority is slacking off and that will pull America down in this new flat world.
If Freedman's predictions are spot on, I would rather be born a genius in China because you have every opportunity opened for you. What America needs to work on is getting everyone independent and working hard. While some Americans are working hard every day, others are just being lazy but still benefiting because of the ones working hard. If we had everyone being independent, America would be a better nation and would be able to compete better in a flat world.
If his predictions are true then i would rather be a genius in China, because according to Friedman, China is one of the countries with growing opportunities for smart, hard-working people. This means that America needs to get going and start getting our jobs back by working harder than they do. We can't complain about out-sourcing if we aren't working hard. I also think that because of the recession, we will start to work for less money and work harder to keep our jobs, which is important in a recession. I believe that its all part of the economic cycle.
like everyone else, i would rather be a person in Poughkeepsie, because then i will have to strive to be better than the other competition in the world. If i were a genius in China, yeah i would be smart, but there would be little or no room for improvement, so i will not be challenged to my potential. Plus if you were a genius the smarter you were, the more publicity you would get for your service or product.
of course the United States needs to work hard, or pretty soon, we will fall behind. I think the biggest part is that kids need to stop being on the computer or cell phone all the time and focus on getting a good education. With this kids are more likely to win the competition for jobs. And the some adults in the world right now, need to get there act together and start working harder then they do now. Also as Scott says, we need to become more independent as a country and we need to develop better jobs.
I would rather be someone in Poughkeepsie because if someone faces me with a challenge i will work harder to achieve something. I would also want to be the smart person in china because China is a country where their people have good education and they have the hard working people.
For the second question i think that America needs to work on some things to comepete in the flat world. America is becoming really lazy and were starting not to care about some things. Where as other countries like China are working hard. Americans need to get off their butt and actually put effort into it and then we will be able to improve our education and job qualities.
I would rather be an average person in Poughkeepsie NY than i genius in china because i want to work up to challenges and not just be given the answers to them.i don't want to be born knowing everything. i want to learn for myself. if you know what i am saying.
America needs to begin to get more motivated and more active. we need to start working on preparing ourselfs for the future and working together with people rather than being so independent, because you accomplish more with a group then by yourself. America needs to work 5 times as hard as any other country in order to face the challenge of a flat world.
I would rather be a genius born in china because even if the world is flat I would still want to have more information. Besides the world is always advancing with technology and an average joe person may not be able to comprehend how the software or technologies work.
As for the second question we will have to work on our work ethic. Just not being lazy and perservering and gettig the job done. I think we will also have to work on staying current with our knowledge of technology. Also I believe that the more we know about the world and other economies the better off America will be.
I don't think it matters who whe would rather be, in a sense you would be the same if you were in either place. A genius in China isn't that uncommon, just as an average person in NY isn't.
For the second question we need to start focusing on education so that it is the most important thing in our society, thats what China's doing, same with India. We also need to me more dependent on ourselves so we aren't so spread out around the world.
If his prediction are ture, I'd rather be a genius in China because I would have a better education and more opportunies to do the world some good.
America will have to begin looking for a easier and better energy source. They will have to work on better education, make it so kids are eager to learn. We also have to achieve a more vareity of jobs for our people. With these goals, we should get America off the couches and stop being lazy, put in effort, and if we work hard enough, we might be able to face the flat world
I think I'd rather be a genius in China. Since the world is flat it'd be so easy to get all my ideas out there anyways. Being average here in America just isn't gonna cut it anymore.
As for the second part, I believe that we as americans are going to have to begin really encouarging our kids to go to college like other countries do, and also maybe step up the education standards. We are going to need to achieve all this asap too. Overall we need to work harder
I think I'd rather be a genius in China because if the world is flat, it doesn't matter where you are. If you are a genius(and know how to work hard) you can do anything.
I think the thing American has to world on is to figure out a way to get the students(us) more interested in science and math. For most of the people i know, these are the least favorite subjects. Then we need to work on the ability to work, we are the obese nation afterall.
I would rather be the genius in China. With the world being flat I would still be able to get everything I want to say around the world. As long as I can access technology i can talk to everyone.
For the second question I think America needs to encourage young kids to work harder in school and get into college. That is what many people in China are doing so they can compete for more jobs. So if kids here work hard we will be able to compete for more jobs in the future.
I think I would rather be an average person in Poughkeepsie because then I would have the challenge of striving to do better than everyone else. Unlike how a genius already knows exactly what everyone else is striving to find out
I think America needs to become more independent. Being more independent shows people they can't just live off of people that work hard everyday while they just sit back and slide through.
If Friedman's ideas are true and the world is really flat, I would rather be a genius in China than an average person in Poughkeepsie. Like many have already stated, if the world is really flat, you can share your ideas easily.
If America does work best when faced with a challenge, we will have to improve our education system. We should do this even if it's already in good shape. We also need to imrove our work ethics, like Madison H. said. We shouldn't assume that the U.S.A. will remain a world power, especially if we don't work hard. Instead of just fixing the porblem, fix it and prevent it from happening again. Thirdly, we need to work on being independent, like Jeffman and Kelli H. said. We need to be more competitive and try to bring America's talent out. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the world is really flat.
I would much rather be a genius in China, even with the fact that Friedman's predictions could be true. Being on top and having smarts would give you much more a an advantage in a flat world like we live in today.
For the second question, I believe that America could make a few changes, so we stay in the top half ranking among the powers of our world in the future to come.
i would rather be a genius in china because then you could have better opertunities than others might get, and you would be able to either have something to do with the flat world and how it affects the regular people, or if the flat world wasn't a good thing you could try to do something that could help it back to being round.
i think america needs to work on becoming more idependent and inspiring their current and future workers to do everything they can to get america at its best so we are prepared for anything that may come.
If Friedman's statments are correct then I would definitely choose a genius in China. I say this because in this flat world anyone can compete for a job anywhere with a click of a button on the internet. A genius would also be hired over an average person.
I would rather be the genius in China. because withe the world being flat i can still talk and communicate with people in other countries.
I also think for the second question America needs to encourage younger kids to work harder and excel in school to get into higher end colleges. That is what many people in China are doing so they can compete for more jobs. if young kids work harder their will be a big job hunt in the future.
As of right now, I would rather be an average person in Poughkeepsie because while China is becoming connected, Friedman said only small areas of China have become connected so far, and I wouldn't want to risk being trapped in an unconnected part of China.
As for the second question, we need to focus on education if we are going to be competing on a global scale. We also need to focus more on developing creativity as that leads to innovation.
I'm not sure of my answer...it could go both ways. If a genius in China, living in the flat world and is connected like everyone else, they would have a higher percent of getting their ideas and thoughts out there and recognized, much more than an average person. But if just a normal, average person in Poughkeepsie, who is just as connected to the flat world, but being challenged, they'd have to work harder to make a difference especially the genius in China, which is what America is known for, right? I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else...but it'd have to go either way for me.
How can the flat world be a challenge if many Americans don't admit this flat world idea? America has to work together, I think especially in education like others have mentioned. Maybe there should be propaganda to get kids ambitious now. If many young Americans have an ambition to learn now it'll only help prepare for HUGE challenges in the future like some colony on Mars...The key is that we need to start now so we will be ready with many more educated, ambitious American ready for those challanges.
I would rather be a genius in China. I've seen enough of what an average American does on a daily basis, it's absolutely nothing. People in this country don't work nearly hard enough. If I were a genius in China, I would have much more potential to get my word out. People in other countries look up to doctors and scientists like America looks up to Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Am I the only person who sees a problem with this kind of thinking?
The only way America is going to be able to compete in a flat world is if it gets up off of its lazy butt and starts LEADING. Our country has become one big "fop," and if it doesn't change we are going to fall behind. ABOVE ALL ELSE - we must stop being so irresponsible!
For example on irresponsibility and ignorance: abortion.
I have a quick question for everybody - would abortion bother you all more if the doctors just ripped the fetus out and shot it in the head? It is SCIENTIFIC FACT that that would be less painful for the baby. The majority of students I've talked to consider themselves pro-choice when they have done NO RESEARCH on abortion whatsoever. Most pro-choicers I know don't know that when an abortion is performed, a living human separate from its mother's body is ripped limb from limb and can feel EVERYTHING. Or it's burned alive. Or gets a scissors shoved up the back of its head. You cannot continue to live like this - supporting things without realizing the full implications. Ignorance is killing 4000 innocent babies a day. Ignorance is killing this country.
For all of you out there who call yourselves Christians, it's about time you start refusing to participate in this recession. It's about time you stepped up to the plate. I'm sick of hearing about Christians supporting abortion when WE are supposed to be showing love. I'm sick of hearing about the "Gay Haters," and how I'm a Christian so I must be one of them, right? I'm sick of hearing about Christians who serve themselves above others and I am SICK of getting the bad reputation from these "Christians!" If you are one of these people, do the rest of us a favor - stop claiming to be a Christian so that we don't have to get labled with all of YOUR misconceptions.
I'm not trying to be a bully here. But I'm not afraid to get in peoples' faces and potentially offend them. If we want America to succeed at all, it's about time we all stepped back and examined our values.
I would personally rather be a genius in China because then i would be born with the craving for knowlege and with the world flattening i would have the same opportunity as the average person. Although the average person has a great chance of going far if they push themselves the genius is gurenteed to continuely grow and learn.
And for the second question i don't think american's are lazy. I feel we simply have different priorities. For example we may not be as book smart as other countries but threw the american dream and expereince we almost always seem to come out on top. If anything we should simply refocus more on one important thing (much like the the space race instead of many things like the war and the enviorment and economy and over do it) if we need to renew our cometetive nature we should focus on something such as the enviormental issues currently going on.
I would rather be a genious in china because there would be many opportunities open to me and with this world being flat i would have a good chance at being successful.
I have heard that it is being considered that a post secondary school is mandatory. This would be good so then everybody would have more knowlegde enabling america to face its challenges better.
i would rather be a genius in china because in the long run, especially in a flat world, it'll get you a lot farther than being an average person would.
Also, i think America will have to work a lot on its work ethic and find a way to stop letting technology do so much and start inventing new things and coming up with new ideas, because if we don't, other countries will and, consequently, will end up ahead of us in the flat world.
I would rather be a normal person in Poughkeepsie because then i would always have something to work up to and improve on. If i were a genius everyone would always count on you to know what to do and there would be to much presure all the time.
I think that it would be better at the moment to be a normal person in Poughkeepsie. Right now in China, you aren't being paid much, even when you're a genius. I've also heard a statistic, "China has more honors students than we have students." It takes more than being a genius to stand out in China.
I think that we as Americans need to learn is that we are no longer on the top. We may have the top military, but we're getting left behind in the economic dust right now. The solution would be to improve public education and to create more "untouchable" jobs.
As my good friend Kelli siad i to would rather be just an average joe so i could work and strive for something in life instead of having everything just handed to me!
I dont necessarily think that America needs to become more independent but they need to keep encouring our youth to work hard and keep striving for more because we are the future!
As my good friend Kelli siad i to would rather be just an average joe so i could work and strive for something in life instead of having everything just handed to me!
I dont necessarily think that America needs to become more independent but they need to keep encouring our youth to work hard and keep striving for more because we are the future!
I would rather be a person in Poughkeepsie because when someone is better i will try to get better.
I would rather be a genious in china if the world was flat because you could just get your smart ideas on the internet and try to get the world to see it. Because in a flat world you can spread the word no matter where u are.
America will have to work on our economy and unemployment rate we3 need to get all the lazy people off the couch and get them to start working so they can stop living off the govt.
I would rather be a genius in China because all you need is the Internet to be noticed, as Scott said it wouldn't matter where you are, as long as you have access to the Internet.
I think that America will need to start working a lot harder as jobs become more harder to get. I also think that if we educate our youth better they will be able to succeed in our flat world.
i would rather be a person from poughkeepsie because there are alot of people in china who are geniusous and in america an average person can live quite well for doing half the work of a genius. i think that america will need to pound some dents out of the challenges of the flat world we need to become energy independent.
I would rather be an average person in Poughkeepsie, New York, than be a genius in China. If I was faced with a challenge I would work as hard as possible to achieve it because it would mean so much more. The pressure to succeed in something will be harder, and the expectations higher. Therefore, I would work harder and do my best.
With the world being flat, people are slacking off in America. This will do us much damage and bring us further down behind countries that get off their butts and do something. It all goes back to Americans being lazy.
i think that i would rather be a person from Poughkeepsie because then you can work your up and surprise people.
and for the second question i think that the United States needs to create a stable economy and more ways to invent new energy sources
If i had to choose i would be born a person in Poughkeepsie, New York. in all my sports i seem to do better under pressure and have challenges to accomplish so to speak.
As for the second question, America must improve its education system, and allow the free market to work instead of the current policy of trying to go around natural economic cycles.
i would much rather be an average guy because being a genius would be cool for a while but most genius' are so smart intellectually that they cant communicate to a normal in a way that that average person would understand so even in a "flat" world it would be incredibly hard to get your ideas across to the average person, the person that needs those ideas the most.
the second question. i feel like the united states is such a material places now that nobody wants to do the jobs that make this country function. we need more people into science math weapon production. did you know that the government will pay you to go to college to be a nuclear physicists?... that's terrible that the government will pay for your post secondary education because they don't have enough people in that field of work
I would much rather be a genius in China. I think that no matter what the situation is, being very smart is always a good thing. It will get you good jobs, and just make everything easier. Everything is just better when your really smart.
As for the second question, I think that America has to continue its push for education. We need our next generations to keep up with the rest of the world, and if we improve our education we can do that.
Oh boy, a twofer question. Alrighty lets get started. Honest to god, I would rather be an average joe living in Poughkeepsie( is that even a real place?) than be born in the communistic china. If you were a genius in china, they'd probably make you work for them until you die against your will.
America seems to get things done in a time of crisis. To prove my point, 9/11. I agree with Scott that we need a more independent economy to strengthen our place in the global economy.
I would rather be an average person in Poughkeepsie. When you are a genius you already know everything and there is nothing to strive for.
For the second question i think that we need to encourage kids to work harder. That everyone should go to college for at least a couple of year.
I would rather be a the person in Poughkeepsie because a lot of average people do just fine in this world. Plus when you are a genius you never really have a challenge because you know most already. Being average would give you a lot of challenges to be able to push yourself and then in the end you can be proud of it. Also i agree that if you can get on the internet you can get your word out.
Second Question:
I feel America will have to work a lot harder with there jobs. Also in school focus more on science and math because those two subjects seem to be the most important now and for the future. We will need to know more in those subjects to be able to stay up high in the economy.
I would rather be born a genius in China because there would be more options because you will get better schooling. As for the second question, I agree with Erin, we cant complain about our jobs being outsourced because we arent workin hard enough. We have to improve our work ethic and work on getting better education for the smarter kids.
I would rather be an average Joe right here in America. You wouldn't be stressed out day by day with this extremely difficult job. It would be nice just to earn a decent living and to have a beautiful family. If i was that genious in China i would probably be forced by the Gov't to do so much stuff, and not have anytime for relationships or families.
We will have to create a more independent economy, not so much dependent on the outside world. i also think that we will need to work on jobs not being so.... when you wake up on monday morning and you just want to lay in bed, sort of job.
I would rather be a average person in Poughkeepsie than a genius in China. Even if Friedman's predictions are spot on because if you are a genious you might be lazy because you think that you can do anything you want, but if you are just average you have to work for your money. Also im China it is a communist government so even though i am a genious i might not be able to take advantage of that.
And for the second question i think that America has alot of work to do. We need to improve our education so we can compete for jobs with people from India and China. We also need to stop being so lazy, if every American strives for a good education then we will be a big player in the new "flat" world.
I would rather be a person in Poughkeepsie than a genius in China. I like a challenge, and if I was already a genius, there would be nothing to strive for. I always work harder when competing with other people. I always want to be the better person at something.
I think America has a lot to work on to face the flat world. We will need to keep getting the newest technology and keep ahead of everyone else. We will also, like everyone else said, stop being lazy. Other countries are working hard and we aren't. We should step it up.
I believe that if Friedman is correct and on spot, i would rather be born average in Poughkeepsie. Like Brittany said, I believe that if you of I was born a genius, there would be no room for improvement. If i was born a genius, I would have to say that i would only be a genius of that time period. AS we know, all things change as time goes on. I would rather be born average and haev room to grow, improve, and challenge myself, rather then just having it all right away.
In order for America to work its best, i think it needs to fix a couple things. One of them would be, as Scott said, a more independent economy. i think this would help us very much because then we wouldnt have to depend on others to cover up our mistakes.
If Freedmans preditions are spot on, i would rather be born in rural China because being born in such a rural place i think i would have the drive to share my ideas and change my life for the better. and having a flat world would make it a lot easier for me to share my ideas with the rest of the world over the internet.
I believe in order for America to thrive as it used to we should creat a lot of green jobs for the people that have been laid off. This would help us in many ways. One way would be economicly i think we wouldnt have to rely on foreign oil as much. We also would be helping the environment. Lastly and most importantly we wouldnt have as many people laid off.
Liek Evan, I think that it would be best to be the guy from Poughkeepsie. I think this because as an average Joe, you would have to work harder to get your ideas across. As for the genious in the communist Chinese city, he may not even get his ideas heard.
With the second question, i think American will need to work harder to be able to compete in the flat world. We need to be more economicaly independent and our schools need to teach better how to learn rather than just learning.
I would rather be born just as an average person like Sarah said because then you have to strive for things. Genius's don't really have question usually about things they can just figure out everything. When you have question some people actually enjoy not knowing the meaning of things and just living live, but then you think of everything in a certain way in a certain order it;s just not as easy to be laid back and enjoy things. I believe that in life you should have question because you should always be wondering more and more.
I would rather be an average person in New York because China tends to have a more dictated government and they would take advantage of you. They would use you to make China famous and they wouldn't care and they would uproot you from your home and your family. Your life would only consist of the subject you were a genius in.
I agree with Scott that we have to work on having a more independent economy because we need to keep jobs in the US so people that have difficult working can work harder with all the jobs we will have.
I personally would want to be a genius in China. There I would probably have a better chance of actually being noticed right off the bat. I would also want to be a genius for the fact that because I am a genuis I know I already have a chance of success in this world.
As for the second question America would have to crack down on students, and convince these students that if they truely try and study hard during school, they would have a chance of competing well in the flat world. If the means considering changing our criteria on how America teaches in order to be on top, hey, I'm game.
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