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the most contentious political and geopolitical questions in a flat world…especially
if more and more American companies start feeling ripped off by more and more Chinese
companies。 If you are in the business of selling words； music； or pharmaceuticals
and you are not worried about protecting your intellectual property； you are not
paying attention。
And while you are sorting that out； sort this out as well。 On November 13； 2004； Lance
Cpl。 Justin M。 Ellsworth； twenty； was killed by a roadside bomb during a foot patrol
in Iraq。 On December 21； 2004； the Associated Press reported that his family was
demanding that Yahoo！ give them the password for their deceased son's e…mail account
so they could have access to all his e…mail； including notes to and from others。 〃I
want to be able to remember him in his words。 I know he thought he was doing what
he needed to do。 I want to have that for the future；〃 John Ellsworth； Justin's father；
told the AP。 〃It's the last thing I have of my son。〃 We are moving into a world where
more and more communication is in the form of bits traveling through cyberspace and
stored onservers located all over the world。 No government controls this cyber…realm。
So the question is： Who owns your bits when you die？ The AP reported that Yahoo！ denied
the Ellsworth family their son's password； citing the fact that Yahoo！ policy calls
for erasing all accounts that are inactive for ninety days and the fact that all Yahoo！
users agree at sign…up that rights to a member's ID or account contents terminate
upon death。 〃While we sympathize with any grieving family； Yahoo！ accounts and any
contents therein are nontransferable〃 even after death； Karen Mahon； a Yahoo！
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spokeswoman told the AP。 As we get rid of more and more paper and communicate through
more and more digitized formats； you better sort out before you die； and include in
your will； to whom； if anyone； you want to leave your bits。 This is very real。 I stored
many chapters of this book in my AOL account； feeling it would be safest in cyberspace。
If something had happened to me during my writing； my family and publisher would have
had to sue AOL to try to get this text。 Somebody； please； sort all this out。
Death of the Salesmen
In the fall of 2004； I went out to Minneapolis to visit my mother and had three
world…is…flat encounters right in a row。 First； before I left home in Washington；
I dialed 411 …directory assistance…to try to get a friend's phone number in
Minneapolis。 A computer answered and a computerized voice asked me to pronounce the
name of the person whose number I was requesting。 For whatever reason； I could not
get the computer to hear me correctly； and it kept saying back to me in a computerized
voice； 〃Did you say 。。。 ？〃 I kept having to say the family name in a voice that masked
my exasperation （otherwise the computer never would have understood me）。 〃No； I didn't
say that。。。 I said。。。〃 Eventually； I was connected to an operator； but I did not enjoy
this friction…free encounter with directory information。 I craved the friction of
another human being。 It may be cheaper and more efficient to have a computer dispense
phone numbers； but for me it brought only frustration。
When I arrived in Minneapolis； I had dinner with family friends； one of whom has spent
his life working as a wholesaler in the Midwest； selling goods to the biggest retailers
in the region。 He is a natural salesman。 When I asked him what was new； he sighed
and said that business just wasn't what it used to be。 Everything was now being sold
at 1 percent margins； he explained。 No problem。 He was selling mostly commodity items
so that； given his volumes； he could handle the slim profit margin。 But what bothered
him； he mentioned； was the fact that he no longer
had human contact with some of his biggest accounts。 Even commodities and low…cost
goods have certain differentiating elements that need to be sold and highlighted。
〃Everything is by e…mail now；〃 he said。 〃I am dealing with a young kid at ＇one of
the biggest retailers in the nation＇； and he says； 'Just e…mail me your bid。' I've
never met him。 Half the time he doesn't get back to me。 I am not sure how to deal
with him 。。。 In the old days； I used to stop by the office； give the buyers a few
Vikings tickets。 We were friends。 。 。 Tommy； all anyone cares about today is price。〃
Fortunately； my friend is a successful businessman and has a range of enterprises。
But as I reflected later on what he was saying； I was drawn back to that scene in
Death of a Salesman in which Willy Loman says that； unlike his colleague Charley；
he intends to be 〃well liked。〃 He tells his sons that in business and in life； character；
personality； and human connections are more important than smarts。 Says Willy； 〃The
man who makes an appearance in the business world； the man who creates personal
interest； is the man who gets ahead。 Be liked and you will never want。〃
Not when the world goes flat。 It's hard to create a human bond with e…mail and streaming
Internet。 The next day； I had dinner with my friend Ken Greer； who runs a media company
that I discuss in greater detail later。 Ken had a similar lament： So many contracts
were going these days to the advertising firms that were selling just numbers； not
creative instinct。 Then Ken said something that really hit home with me： 〃It is like
they have cut all the fat out of the business〃 and turned everything into a numbers
game。 〃But fat is what gives meat its taste；〃 Ken added。 〃The leanest cuts of meat
don't taste very good。 You want it marbled with at least a little fat。〃
The flattening process relentlessly trims the fat out of business and life； but； as
Ken noted； fat is what gives life taste and texture。 Fat is also what keeps us warm。
Yes； the consumer in us wants Wal…Mart prices； with all the fat gone。 But the employee
in us wants a little fat left on the bone； the way Costco does it； so that it can
offer health care to almost all its employees； rather than just less than half of
them； as Wal…Mart does。 But the shareholder in us wants Wal…Mart's profit margins；
not Costco's。 Yet the citizen in us
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wants Costco's benefits； rather than Wal…Mart's； because the difference ultimately
may have to be paid for by society。 The consumer in me wants lower phone bills； but
the human being in me also wants to speak to an operator when I call 411。 Yes； the
reader in me loves to surf the Net and read the bloggers； but the citizen in me also
wishes that some of those bloggers had an editor； a middleman； to tell them to check
some of their facts one more time before they pressed the Send button and told the
whole world that something was wrong or unfair。
Given these conflicting emotions and pressures； there is potential here for American
politics to get completely reshuffled…with workers and corporate interests
realigning themselves into different parties。 Think about it： Social conservatives
from the right wing of the Republican party； who do not like globalization or closer
integration with the world because it brings too many forei