(really) entrepreneureal

I was just gabbing with Damon from Web3dStudents.org (a great organization that you should definitely check out.  For Damon’s sharp-witted musings on the Open Metaverse and the future of mixed reality, check him out here) about the upcoming election, and how it’s resulting in a revelation for him by airing all sorts of skeletons from closets he didn’t even realize were out there.  The first skeleton to rear its ugly (bony) head?

People aren’t as smart as we would like to think.

This isn’t meant as an intellectual attack, or a condescending critique of the brainpower of the average American, but more of a realization that the image of semi-sophistication we are presented by the various media outlets (like newspapers, op-eds, blogs, heck, even political commentary on FOX News) does not represent the majority.  In fact, the Bubba interviews that we get on local news (”Uhhh, I didn’t ree-uh-lize that mah vee-hicle would do that”) are likely more representative, if that isn’t scary enough.

Second skeleton?

There is an intellectual disconnect between the local and the international.

What do I mean by this?  Well, it goes like this: a certain country gains its independence from an old colonial power.  This same country then proceeds to dominate two world wars, while simultaneously building up a reputation – and a world market – around its industrial, and then technological, prowess.  The country constantly teeters at the top of the world economic order, as well as the shit list of every terrorist on the planet (or so some would have you believe).  Now, it totally makes sense to assume that such a magnificent country, with such an amazing reputation and indisputable track record of economic and technological success, would be built on the backs of total geniuses.  Right?  Riiiiight?!

Wrong.

We constantly make the fundamental mistake of assuming that the global presence of an industrial power is mirrored in its people, when this could never really be the case.  Think about it: the knowledge of those behind the Agricultural sector (farmers), the Finance sector (analysts), even the damn WalMart sector (average Joes and Janes) is super specific and, let’s face it, often super limited.  The complex intellectual arguments that take place at the global level around geo-politics, international finance, international development, etc., these are all anomalies, and must appear like a foreign language to avid FOX News watchers.  And can we imagine a world run by academics, or moguls like Branson?  Our corn fields would die, we would live and die by the next white paper and, to top it all off, we’d be in jail (and then maybe make a billion dollars. Maybe).

There are countries out there that are banking (future pun intended) their reputations on the backs of exactly this fact of life: Dubai, Singapore, Switzerland, etc.  These countries have the benefit of hindsight, and the flexibility (usually linked to their small size) to adapt to the changing reality on the ground, and are consciously choosing to evolve and progress along a different path.  Unfortunately, many countries don’t have this luxury – especially those dependent on the industrial and economic backbones that got them this far.

So, does this mean we’re screwed?  Well, whether we vote for Sarah Palin or not, it would seem that the correlation between international success in the long term and local smarts isn’t exactly set in stone.  If anything, it’s a recognition that the sum truly is greater than the parts, and that even dispersed individuals who wouldn’t know France from a frenulum sometimes get it right.

Good riddance.