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told the AP。 〃It's the last thing I have of my son。〃 We are moving into a world where
more and more communication is in the form of bits traveling through cyberspace and
stored onservers located all over the world。 No government controls this cyber…realm。
So the question is： Who owns your bits when you die？ The AP reported that Yahoo！ denied
the Ellsworth family their son's password； citing the fact that Yahoo！ policy calls
for erasing all accounts that are inactive for ninety days and the fact that all Yahoo！
users agree at sign…up that rights to a member's ID or account contents terminate
upon death。 〃While we sympathize with any grieving family； Yahoo！ accounts and any
contents therein are nontransferable〃 even after death； Karen Mahon； a Yahoo！
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spokeswoman told the AP。 As we get rid of more and more paper and communicate through
more and more digitized formats； you better sort out before you die； and include in
your will； to whom； if anyone； you want to leave your bits。 This is very real。 I stored
many chapters of this book in my AOL account； feeling it would be safest in cyberspace。
If something had happened to me during my writing； my family and publisher would have
had to sue AOL to try to get this text。 Somebody； please； sort all this out。
Death of the Salesmen
In the fall of 2004； I went out to Minneapolis to visit my mother and had three
world…is…flat encounters right in a row。 First； before I left home in Washington；
I dialed 411 …directory assistance…to try to get a friend's phone number in
Minneapolis。 A computer answered and a computerized voice asked me to pronounce the
name of the person whose number I was requesting。 For whatever reason； I could not
get the computer to hear me correctly； and it kept saying back to me in a computerized
voice； 〃Did you say 。。。 ？〃 I kept having to say the family name in a voice that masked
my exasperation （otherwise the computer never would have understood me）。 〃No； I didn't
say that。。。 I said。。。〃 Eventually； I was connected to an operator； but I did not enjoy
this friction…free encounter with directory information。 I craved the friction of
another human being。 It may be cheaper and more efficient to have a computer dispense
phone numbers； but for me it brought only frustration。
When I arrived in Minneapolis； I had dinner with family friends； one of whom has spent
his life working as a wholesaler in the Midwest； selling goods to the biggest retailers
in the region。 He is a natural salesman。 When I asked him what was new； he sighed
and said that business just wasn't what it used to be。 Everything was now being sold
at 1 percent margins； he explained。 No problem。 He was selling mostly commodity items
so that； given his volumes； he could handle the slim profit margin。 But what bothered
him； he mentioned； was the fact that he no longer
had human contact with some of his biggest accounts。 Even commodities and low…cost
goods have certain differentiating elements that need to be sold and highlighted。
〃Everything is by e…mail now；〃 he said。 〃I am dealing with a young kid at ＇one of
the biggest retailers in the nation＇； and he says； 'Just e…mail me your bid。' I've
never met him。 Half the time he doesn't get back to me。 I am not sure how to deal
with him 。。。 In the old days； I used to stop by the office； give the buyers a few
Vikings tickets。 We were friends。 。 。 Tommy； all anyone cares about today is price。〃
Fortunately； my friend is a successful businessman and has a range of enterprises。
But as I reflected later on what he was saying； I was drawn back to that scene in
Death of a Salesman in which Willy Loman says that； unlike his colleague Charley；
he intends to be 〃well liked。〃 He tells his sons that in business and in life； character；
personality； and human connections are more important than smarts。 Says Willy； 〃The
man who makes an appearance in the business world； the man who creates personal
interest； is the man who gets ahead。 Be liked and you will never want。〃
Not when the world goes flat。 It's hard to create a human bond with e…mail and streaming
Internet。 The next day； I had dinner with my friend Ken Greer； who runs a media company
that I discuss in greater detail later。 Ken had a similar lament： So many contracts
were going these days to the advertising firms that were selling just numbers； not
creative instinct。 Then Ken said something that really hit home with me： 〃It is like
they have cut all the fat out of the business〃 and turned everything into a numbers
game。 〃But fat is what gives meat its taste；〃 Ken added。 〃The leanest cuts of meat
don't taste very good。 You want it marbled with at least a little fat。〃
The flattening process relentlessly trims the fat out of business and life； but； as
Ken noted； fat is what gives life taste and texture。 Fat is also what keeps us warm。
Yes； the consumer in us wants Wal…Mart prices； with all the fat gone。 But the employee
in us wants a little fat left on the bone； the way Costco does it； so that it can
offer health care to almost all its employees； rather than just less than half of
them； as Wal…Mart does。 But the shareholder in us wants Wal…Mart's profit margins；
not Costco's。 Yet the citizen in us
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wants Costco's benefits； rather than Wal…Mart's； because the difference ultimately
may have to be paid for by society。 The consumer in me wants lower phone bills； but
the human being in me also wants to speak to an operator when I call 411。 Yes； the
reader in me loves to surf the Net and read the bloggers； but the citizen in me also
wishes that some of those bloggers had an editor； a middleman； to tell them to check
some of their facts one more time before they pressed the Send button and told the
whole world that something was wrong or unfair。
Given these conflicting emotions and pressures； there is potential here for American
politics to get completely reshuffled…with workers and corporate interests
realigning themselves into different parties。 Think about it： Social conservatives
from the right wing of the Republican party； who do not like globalization or closer
integration with the world because it brings too many foreigners and foreign cultural
mores into America； might align themselves with unions from the left wing of the
Democratic Party； who don't like globalization for the way it facilitates the
outsourcing and offshoring of jobs。 They might be called the Wall Party and militate
for more friction and fat everywhere。 Let's face it： Republican cultural
conservatives have much more in common with the steelworkers of Youngstown； Ohio；
the farmers of rural China； and the mullahs of central Saudi Arabia； who would also
like more walls； than they do with investment bankers onWall Street orservice workers
linked to the global economy in Palo Alto； who have been enriched by the flattening
of the world。
Meanwhile； the business wing of the Republican Party； which believes in free trade；
deregulation； more integration； and lower taxes…everything that would flatten the
world even more…may end up aligning itself with the social liberals of the Democratic
Party； many of whom are East Coast or West Coast global service industry workers。
They might also be joined by Hollywood and other entertainment workers。 All of them
are huge beneficiaries of the flat world。 They might be called the Web Party； whose
main platform would be to promote more global integration。 Many residents of Manhattan
and Palo Alto have more interests in common with the people of Shanghai and Bangalore
than they do
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with the residents of Youngstown or Topeka。 In short； in a flat world； we are likely
to see many social liberals； white…collar global service industry workers； and Wall
Street types driven together； and many social conservatives； white…collar local
service industry workers； and labor unions driven together。
The Passion of the Christ audience will be in the same trench with the Teamsters and
the AFL…CIO； while the Hollywood and Wall Street liberals and the You've Got Mail
crowd will be in the same trench with the high…tech workers of Silicon Valley and
the global service providers of Manhattan and San Francisco。 It will be Mel Gibson
and Jimmy Hoffa Jr。 versus Bill Gates and Meg Ryan。
More and more； politics in the flat world will consist of asking which values；
frictions； and fats are worth preserving…which should； in Marx's language； be kept
solid…and which must be left to melt away into the air。 Countries； companies； and
individuals will be able to give intelligent answers to these questions only if they
understand the real nature and texture of the global playing field and how different
it isfrom the one that existed in the Cold War era and before。 And countries； companies；
and individuals will be able to make sound political choices only if they fully
appreciate the flattened playing field and understand all the new tools now available
to them for collaborating and competing on it。 I hope this book will provide a nuanced
framework for this hugely important political debate and the great sorting out that
is just aroun