Fukyama's book "the Economy of Trust" is right on the ball - he tracies
how people link in different societies. He says that the US used to link
very well, but that linkage has degenerated in the last few decades.
At 03:36 PM 17/1/96 -0500, Ray Evans Harrell wrote:
>Replying to LO4870 --
>
>Doug Seeley said:snip
>>The opposite phenomenon occurs with the removal of links from a connected
>>community. Suddenly, its connectivity rapidly disentegrates leaving a
>>dispersed "archipelago" of relatively small sub-communities.
>
>>Does this ring any bells ??
>
>It certainly does, from the demise of the 1,600 opera houses in Iowa--to
>health care--to the elderly--to education-- to the new "for-profit Star
>System"--to the demise of the "not-for-profit" public service area in the
>new flat tax proposals from both parties in Congress--to the coming
>integration of several million out of work angry workers into a private
>sector that doesn't have room for the workers they have. Sounds like a
>recipe for:
>
>"connectivity rapidly disentegrating, leaving a dispersed
>'archipelago' of relatively small sub-communities."
>
>i.e. you can only trust your relatives. Maybe like Bosnia? Is there
>something about American culture or business that makes us keep making
>this mistake? Maybe a rebel gene?
>
>Ray Evans Harrell
Gray Southon
-- Gray Southon Consultant in Health Management Research and Analsysis 15 Parthenia St., Caringbah, NSW 2229, Australia Ph/Fax +61 2 524 7822 em gsouthon@ozemail.com.au