Monday, April 04, 2005

Challenge of Flatism

We have been slow to rise to the challenge of flatism, in contrast to Communism, maybe because flatism doesn't involve ICBM missiles aimed at our cities. Indeed, the hot line, which used to connect the Kremlin with the White House, has been replaced by the help line, which connects everyone in America to call centers in Bangalore. While the other end of the hot line might have had Leonid Brezhnev threatening nuclear war, the other end of the help line just has a soft voice eager to help you sort out your AOL bill or collaborate with you on a new piece of software. No, that voice has none of the menace of Nikita Khrushchev pounding a shoe on the table at the United Nations, and it has none of the sinister snarl of the bad guys in ''From Russia With Love.'' No, that voice on the help line just has a friendly Indian lilt that masks any sense of threat or challenge. It simply says:
''Hello, my name is Rajiv. Can I help you?''

From
It's a Flat World, After All
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: April 3, 2005 in the New York Times
(P.S - The article requires registration)
The entire article gives a very interesting perspective of how the world is changing ..... check it out