July 2, 2010
Here is a spectacular video. First, it is great with respect to format (media):
It gets its idea across unforgettably.
It was cheap to produce.
It mixes verbal communication with pictures.
The two media reinforce each other.
Second, it is great with respect to content:
It stresses a crucial issue: time perspective.
It shows how important this is in society.
it shows where it makes a difference geographically.
It shows how this makes a difference in families.
It shows how digital technology is literally shaping children's brains.
It shows why knowing what good is does not always lead to ethical decisions.
It illustrates its points with memorable examples ("mental hooks").
It does not mention east-west distribution: Why Asians are beating the West. But it is obvious that time perspective is a major factor, as Malcolm Gladwell discusses in his great little book, Outliers. The question is: Is there a north-south division in Asia? Gladwell thinks there may be, but there is not much evidence. But there is a problem: Gladwell says rice agriculture/culture (southern) is probably more future-oriented than wheat agriculture/culture (northern). So, the north-south split may be reversed in China.
What about India? I'd like to know.
Does living near the equator shape people's concept of time: no major seasonal changes or changes in the length of daylight? The video suggests that it does.
It raises two issues for the West: north-south and Protestant-Catholic. Which is dominant? Did the north go Protestant because it was way up north?
He accepts Max Weber's Protestant ethic hypothesis. So do I. But there are lots of scholars who don't.
Does this close-to-the-equator explanation work in the southern hemisphere? Are those closer to Antarctica more future-oriented?
A similar question: Do Jews divide up in terms of geography? Sephardic Jews were southern (Mediterranean). Ashkenazi Jews were northern.
The Scots and the Dutch are northern. Armenians are more northern than southern, but it's not as clear here -- like the Jews.
Video games make boys present-oriented. If the video is correct, Western boys are cursed early in life. School will not help them. Their brains have been "rewired" -- a digital/hardware term. (Our language has been re-wired.)
Teenage girls don't play video games as much. Are they more future-oriented? College enrollment/graduation rates indicate that they are: 55%-45%.
These questions occurred to me because of one short video. Now, that's productive!
One thing is unmistably wise: put restrictions on your teenagers' use of digital technology. Here is a family challenge!
© 2022 GaryNorth.com, Inc., 2005-2021 All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.