I wrote a few days ago about the heart-string pulling cover story in Fast Company magazine (see Outsourcing Heart Strings). Then I stumbled upon this article from the current issue of The American Enterprise. In it, James Glassman goes even farther than I did about the heart strings angle of outsourcing.
Two thirds of Americans now own their own homes. We have more cars, more children in college, more cultural institutions. We work shorter hours. Yes, some people have trouble making ends meet, and over the past few years many hard workers have lost their jobs. But on the whole, we’re more prosperous than any other nation in history—and far better off than we were in the past.
And still, Americans complain.
As the late Gilda Radner of “Saturday Night Live” joked endearingly, “It’s always something.” But there is a darker side. Too much whining could presage a decadent and complacent America (much like present-day Europe) where every obstacle and minor setback is viewed not as a challenge, but as a personal affront. And of course someone else’s fault.
Please read the whole thing.
I like the way he mentions the "personal affront." The point of my original posting, which I didn't directly spell out, was that journalists are lazy and tend to approach stories like overseas outsourcing from the human interest perspective. All they have to do is show you the sappy while skipping over facts. Again, I can think of many compelling reasons to discourage outsourcing without resorting to reporting the whining. Glassman is right, there is a culture of whine that is increasing in this country. More and more, I'm seeing journalists swept up in it themselves.
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Long Way From Home by The Heavy