Thomas Friedman's new book "My Head is Fat"

Ooops, the new book is "The World Is Flat", yet another of his patented paeons to globalization...Will someone please tell this jackass that the world can only take so much unsubstantiated BULLSHIT that promotes the globalized monied elites around the world and consistently impoverishes the masses.

Globalization is just a new codeword for what the world's economic system has alwasys done, drain the poor and middle classes for the benefit of those 'connected' elites-- formerly called 'our betters' in the higher stations of life. M$M will always pay a premium for sycophantic 'reporters' like Friedman.

We wish he would simply TELL THE TRUTH and take Fareed Zakaria with him in persuit of it.

Also, pay attention to the full title of Confessions of An Economic Hitman ... go to
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1774934#1774977

He seems to know his stuff in the ME. I have his book "From Beruit to Jerusalem". He always seemed to be a fair man to me.

And I like this article by Fareed:
http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/082304.html

by Kerry.

He said, "Isn't that what we want? For terrorism to go back to being a nuisance rather than the constant fear we have now?"

Re: his cheerleading. At least it appeared to be honest cheerleading without an ulterior motive, as opposed to the neocon cheerleading.

What's he saying now? Mistake, or stay the course?

he was on the "good war/badly prosecuted" bandwagon...you know, the one going over the cliff...

and promotes 'outsourcing' jobs to the ME. He thinks that, I'm not making this up.

As for his intelligence, admittedly anyone who speaks Arabic and has a sister living in Israel, is well acquainted with the situation there. He disapproves of the settlers movement there.

But he doesn't get the connection with 'futurist' end-times eschatology (oringinating from the Jesuit Ribera in the late 1500s during the Counter-Reformation) that requires a Third Temple, something these settlers want also, with how that scenario will inflame the Middle East, since the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque would be needed for that prophetic viewpoint to come about. The odd thing is this 'futurist' view is now accepted by Protestant US churches...Bush's lower income 'base' of support. The long-held 'historicist' view of eschatology -- which the Reformation was based upon-- is being ignored.

His cheerleading for globalized 'outsourcing' of US jobs, which the Bush Administration supports, is right in line with the "Race To The Bottom" (book by Alan Tonelson). Friedman counters by saying we're in a 'race to the top' with the Chinese and Indians etc. etc. But he makes sure to lampoon US education as inferior. And he has no idea what will replace the jobs being outsourced will be.

about the US educational system. It's looking more and more like a joke, especially our lower level system at high school and elementary levels.

Our colleges are a little better at the undergraduate level though frequently dominated by a sports/partying culture, and at the graduate level the math and science/engineering fields at many universities are dominated by Asians (primarilly Indian and Chinese).

This means that the US WILL lose its edge at some point and no amount of protectionist pandering will save us.

I do think he's naive about the effects of globalization and its ability to lift up the poor. It's not the panacea its made to be. He frequently ignores the exploitation by corporations such as sweathshop labor. He also seems to ignore the idea that the US corporations will eventually have a tougher future when their current consumer base in the US will further erode due to lessening buying power.

Ultimately, he's shallow like most other columnists and news pundits nowadays.

As for Iraq, he's simply dead wrong. On the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, at times he can be reasonable (he does criticize Sharon's and neocon policies RE settlements).

know what I mean. If you like excessive CEO pay, rising world poverty and even more IMF/WorldBank/Multinational corporate ripoffs be my guest. And Zakaria, although agreed a nice guy, is just as big a cheerleader for this as Friedman.

If you don't like it will it help alleviate the problem? I'd say no. The US must openly compete in the global business world and each of us are stuck with this reality. There is no way to isolate the US that will function. Japan tried it, Russia tried it, the Muslim nations have tried it, China tried it and the people are still suffering especially the poor. France led the way out of the Male elite feudal system and when the German peasants saw Napoleon as a savior even the German leaders changed.

about how STUPID it would be to invade and occupy Iraq.

He needs counseling, just like Shrub. And he's sooooo for globalization. Apparently he hasn't read Pat Buchanan's article "Suicide by Free Trade" www.amconmag.com/2004_04_12/buchanan.html

Pay special attention to the last paragraph. Kerry might have won if he'd pressed on with the talk about going after those Benedict Arnold CEOs....but he listened to guys like Friedman and Zakaria instead. You too ?

and not on globalization at all, which I know nothing about. Just that in that one book, Friedmanlooks at both Israel and the Middle East with what seemed to me when I read it an objective eye.

And it was refreshing to hear someone say, Zakariza that is, that the "nuanced" position, though not as popular, might be the most right.

I am not a student of either. I don't know their entire positions on most things. I liked one book, and one article.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
The Benedict Arnold CEO's talk went bye bye with the primary season, it seemed. I thought it was the difference between his primary staff and his general election staff. And the difference between the primary red meat and the general election move to the center.

This is a bona-fide LOL review of "The World is Flat." The word "flayed" comes to mind. Ouch.

http://www.nypress.com/18/16/news&columns/taibbi.cfm


excerpt:

"Thomas Friedman in possession of 500 pages of ruminations on the metaphorical theme of flatness would be a very dangerous thing indeed. It would be like letting a chimpanzee loose in the NORAD control room; even the best-case scenario is an image that could keep you awake well into your 50s."

(Thanks to the person who originally posted the link on DU.)

just because he said it. No argument or persuasion necessary, the oracle has spoken ! And he's right on the money with the metaphors.

BTW, in The Lexus and The Olive Tree, good ole Tom is busy praising Enron...you'd think he'd edit that out in the future.

Yes, one would think he'd actually now even come out with a tome entitled "Enron, I Hardly Knew Ye" or some such, but that would require permanent residency in the reality-based community!

(My favorite line of the review is the very last -- I'm still laughing.)

the world is flat, like an ice cream sundae, with more beef than sizzle....

honestly, i thought i was going to pee myself laughing. this is why we have english majors, to skewer ignant sunzabitches so precisely as to make you cry with pleasure. in my ideal world such quality critics should be making big bucks. scathing monologues are an art to be savored.

Then the World sucks. Thanks Tom for telling us what we known for 30 years.

making the obvious obtuse is his middle name.

what a crock of shit.

Funny, I was just going to say, he says the same thing repeatedly with different words.