Revolution in U.S. by Thomas

¶ … Revolution in U.S. By Thomas L. Friedman. Specifically it will discuss the validity of Friedman's five-gas-stations theory of the world. The five-gas-stations theory of the world revolves around oil, the economy, and much more. It revolves around the social processes at work in each gas station, including the underlying social theories of the nations these gas stations represent. They represent globalization, and the westernization of the world, at the world's expense. That is why the five-gas-stations theory is so compelling. It is not just about gas, it is about how the world perceives the United States and in that arena, the U.S. needs a revolution.

Of course, Friedman's essay is not really just about gas stations and his five-gas-station theory. In reality, his essay touched on globalization and society in the world today. It also touches on how American ingenuity (and pomposity) is flowing around the world unchecked. The gas station theory is simply part of a much larger and disturbing picture as Freidman sees it. He writes, "In most societies people cannot distinguish anymore among American power, American exports, American cultural assaults, American cultural exports, and plain vanilla globalization" (Friedman 133). This inability to distinguish between influences and American power indicates America's influence is flowing around the world, changing cultures, lives, and countries, and many people see that as alarming and somehow malevolent at the same time.

One aspect missing in Friedman's essay is the personal preference. What gas station would most people like to patronize? Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses. The communist gas station is cheapest, of course, and with today's skyrocketing gas prices, that is extremely attractive, but of course, it is not openly available, and the American consumer would never stand for that. The developing-country gas station is not appealing because it is so exploitive, (and it seems dirty), while the European gas station is too expensive and exploitative in its own right. The American gas station seems "just right," but is it really? In reality, pumping gas is not a hardship, but the lack of any human contact with ATM machines and automated pumps makes the American experience devoid of any contact or care, which seems to be just what most Americans want and accept. The Japanese gas station, on the other hand, could be work of art. The gas is expensive, but the attendants pamper driver and auto, and even better, they are guaranteed employment for life, so they are dependable and accountable at the same time. In a perfect world, the Japanese gas station would merge with the American gas station to offer great service, dependability, and low costs, just like many American businesses used to offer on their own.

Does Friedman stereotype cultural patterns in his essay? Of course, it may be difficult not to stereotype cultural patterns in this type of comparison. Societies are different, have different ideals and methods, and that leads to stereotyping patterns, right or wrong. Is every person and gas station in each of the five countries exactly the same as Friedman's description? Of course not, and that is the point. Even though these descriptions are stereotypical and even biased, they represent the "norm" for each area's gas stations (read society), and so, they are relevant and amusing, but all too true. They make the reader laugh, but they make the reader think - think about the differences between cultures, certainly, but even more, think about a world without those cultural differences, and that is a sobering thought.

Friedman misses one growing aspect of the five-gas-station theory in this model - something that is becoming increasingly important as globalization spreads a growing dependence on fossil fuels around the world. Friedman only assesses one type of automobile in his essay, the Mercedes-Benz driven by just about everyone wealthy enough to afford a car in developing countries. The Japanese gas station would be populated with small Japanese-produced sedans and coupes, fuel-efficient even with high gas prices. The American gas station would contain SUVs, Hummers, and pickup trucks, the European would contain Smart Cars and Mini-Coopers, and the communist station would not contain any cars, because there was no gas available. What autos a society depends on says a lot about that society too, and the gas-guzzling SUVs and pickups that have made up the backbone of American transportation indicate our indifference to global problems, including the problems the country is creating itself.

What is so disturbing about America's role in the five-gas-stations theory is the message it sends quite openly to the rest of the world. Friedman notes in his essay that this message breeds resentment because the United States is not content to spread technology and industrialization. In addition, it is spreading democratization, capitalism, fast food, and even Hollywood values to the rest of the world, and many of them strongly resent America for its presumption that everyone would be better off following her example, whether they want to or not (Friedman 134). The country feels the need to drag everyone down the same "righteous" path, and that is paving a path of worldwide prosperity for many. However, for those who do not prosper, or who choose not to follow that path, they are rapidly becoming bitter enemies of the country, and they pose a threat. They hate the country enough to attempt to destroy it, just at the terrorists of September 11, 2001 wanted to destroy lives and the fabric of the country. That is Friedman's underlying message in this essay, that it is dangerous to spread globalization, it could come back to bite the country even harder than it already has.

The tongue-in-cheek aspect of Friedman's essay is clear by its conclusion. He ends his essay by stating, "We want the world to follow our lead and become democratic, capitalistic, with a Web site in every pot, a Pepsi on every lip, Microsoft Windows in every computer and most of all - most of all - with everyone, everywhere, pumping their own gas" (Friedman 134). That is amusing, to be sure, but there is another underlying message here, as there is throughout this work. This lead the country wants the world to follow is tied to capitalism, to be sure, but it is tied to some of the biggest organizations in our country - Pepsi, McDonalds, Microsoft, Wal-Mart - the list goes on and on. Thus, America's drive to globalize the world is driven by sheer greed and capitalism. These corporate entities spread the country around the world not even for altruistic goals, but simply to make more money and create a heftier bottom line. That means that the country and its actions are breeding resentment and creating enemies not for some unselfish need to better people's lives, but simply to make a profit at the expense of the world's cultures and morals, and that is quite disturbing.