Customer Reviews

Thomas L. Friedman Reporting: The Other Side of Outsourcing

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Ooh, this was novel! Instead of looking at outsourcing from the perspective of the US and lamenting the exit of American jobs, this work looks at how residents of Bangalore view outsourcing. The work is hosted by Friedman, and he proves that he's not just a strong writer, but a quick and witty speaker.

The work brings up all kinds of exciting ideas. Friedman introduces a term "glocalization," combining the best of the global and the local. He give the example of Indian statue makers now working on animation that tries to describe the events of Hindu gods in cartoon form. Some Indians ask, "Why should we adopt Valentine's Day when we have had love holidays in this country since the writings of the Kama Sutra?" Friedman even responds, "And it's not like the West is about to start a Kama Sutra Day." One interviewee says, "Globalization must be a two-way street." Right on! The West cannot try to dump all its goods on developing countries but be upset when those markets want to sell Westerners products at a profit too. No one points to the unjust dynamics of colonialism, but globalization's equalizing force may be a response to that historical injustice.

This work leaves no stone unturned. It asks, "Some of these Indians are getting rich and becoming consumers, but what about the poor Indian masses?" It asks if these computer experts are doing things so that Indian youth will benefit as well. It asks what happens to poor Indian women who used to make money off of incense sticks when the West can make them and distribute them for cheaper. It points out that Muslim Indians are embracing globalization in ways that counterparts in the Arab region are not. I can't understate how thoughtful this work was.

The work doesn't mention something that I see as conspicuous, wearing my gender studies cap: this work showed as many females as males and did not show any gender segregation. Some authors have said that some Indian men embrace Westernization but prefer wives who are highly traditional. In this work, Indian women are shown having computer jobs and taking computer classes. Then again, the Indian dynamic of trying to have sons and not daughters does not come up. Still, there is no suggestion in this work that Indian men will be global while their female counterparts will be forced to stay at home raising kids. There is much gender equality in this work.

I am an African-American viewer and I must mention two things here. At one point, a globalized Indian says, "There are parts of India that are still as unadvanced as many areas in Africa." Why does Africa have to be at the bottom?! This Indian suggests that globalization is not offering Africans the good that his compatriots are enjoying. What world leaders are helping to bring Africans to this globalized feast? Near the end of the work Friedman interviews little Indian children who say they want to be chemists and physicists when they are adults. I wish I could hear more African-American children say that, rather than wanting to be rappers or basketball players. I hope more young people from my own community can see this and aim high, in a realistic way, like these enterprising Indian youth.