So, does anyone else see that we’re now facing the deadliest threat to our national security since Sputnik One’s launch in the mid 1950’s, and if so, do they notice the reaction of Americans to the huge threat we now face is slightly more subdued? When Sputnik was launched in the depths of the ’Cold War’ by the Soviets to win the all important Space Race, Americans were scared and shocked. Winning the Space Race was all important because it meant you dropped Atomic bombs on their heads from Outer Space; losing meant they nuked you from Outer Space.
American’s weren’t worried about losing the Space Race until it was lost; that’s because in the eyes of most Americans if one thing was a truism it was that the United States of America always came out on top. It was a truism until Sputnik One was launched, anyway; now Godless commie pinky’s were going to nuke us by dropping Atomic bombs on our American heads from space! We were doomed!
We reacted, as well; renewing our commitment to the space race and to science overall, strengthening our defenses and our economy, virtually all of the people in American society all trying to desperately push the U.S. ahead at the same time most thought we’d be nuked at any moment.
We weren’t; in fact the Soviet Union never wanted to exterminate us because our love of God, liberty, freedom, and democratic ways were too big of a threat for communism to be allowed to survive. That was a bunch of hooey American leader made up to justify otherwise indefensible national policies and decisions most of us believed. But we did think it true, and we reacted to the threat when Sputnik One’s launch made it so near and clear!
The results of our reactions to overcome the threat of Sputnik One benefited the nation so much it vaulted us to the global top of the hill as its undisputed Kings by the end of the 1950’s. Americans have gotten so used to being “King of the Global Hill” we’re missing an important element to the game itself!
You need one other opponent, minimum, for it to have any validity, if it even does then; ideally you’d want every nation to play in the game so its results were indisputable. Americans don’t see what the rest of the world does; a new contest has started which has replaced Global King of the Hill with a totally different type of competition for the world’s nations.
Everyone else sees the reality we made possible through the ‘dot.com’ bust of the late 1990’s early 2000’s; that due to advances in hi speed internet and cellular capabilities, there is no global hill to be King of anymore. No barrier or obstacle remains too separate mankind from communicating instantly to one and other from anywhere either person is in the world. Information can be accessed and used by everyone with the capabilities to do so and the effect of this inspired Thomas Friedman’s recent bestseller about this subject.
America, the world has gone flat, the oceans may as well be solid, the Alps or deserts hardly counting as barrier’s dividing nation’s anymore, and not preventing instantaneous access to communication and information on a scale never dreamed of before.
The world’s been flattened and every other nation is in a race across it except us; we haven’t acknowledged this has even happened, much less joined the race. Most Americans think we’re still winners and still Kings of the Global hill; we’re in for some hard surprises, I fear.
Can we react in any manner as effectively as did those Americans before us? Or have we lost the logical reasoning skills needed to do so? What do you think about this? Get ready for a logic test to see where you stand, cause next post will have some shocking VALID data from verifiable sources.
Time to make the donuts, Americans!!!