06.22.16
A New Renaissance is here: Sad, very sad, if you don’t see it
While things pretty much suck here and there’s no shortage of people living out of cars on the street, Tom Friedman, alarmed at the rise of Donald Trump, declares that we’re actually in a New Renaissance.
And after checking his stack of recent book press releases sent by wise people who want publicity, he’s found an expert to say so, Ian Goldin, director of the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University.
Consulting by e-mail, readers are told:
“Now, like then, new media have democratized information exchange, amplifying the voices of those who feel they have been injured in the upheaval,??? said Goldin. “Now, like then, public leaders and public institutions have failed to keep up with rapid change, and popular trust has been deeply eroded.??? Now, like then, “this is the best moment in history to be alive??? — human health, literacy, aggregate wealth and education are flourishing — and “there are more scientists alive today than in all previous generations … as in the Renaissance, key anchors in people’s lives — like the workplace and community — are being fundamentally dislocated. The pace of technological change is outstripping the average person’s ability to adapt. Now, like then, said Goldin, “sizable parts of the population found their skills were no longer needed, or they lived in places left behind, so inequality grew.???
The answer to all the turmoil is, of course, found by consulting the Internet’s Box of Crackerjack tech-spertise: “More risk-taking is required when things change more rapidly, both for workers who have to change jobs and for businesses who have to constantly innovate to stay ahead.”
They’d probably tar and feather the guy in Pennsylvania. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Check the appropriate song. You’ve heard it before, “China Toilet Blues, still timely, with me channeling Captain Beefheart, somewhere between Trout Mask Replica and Bongo Fury.
Downloadable for your device, just go to the site. Tell your friends. Share. Make me happy for a minute.