Job Values in America and China

Through exponential growth the world has become a global village, drawn together by the advances in science and technology that have become a hallmark of life post the industrial revolution. The information age, characterized by the proliferation of knowledge and intelligence brings with it a mixed opportunity. On one hand, it offers solutions to some problems that have perplexed people since the dawn of time. For instance, medical technology and engineering achievements mean that the average human being lives longer than their forbearers, and can choose to live in far diverse environments than ever before. On the other hand, it has brought with it a looming threat, a dark cloud that hovers over the horizon of the future, threatening not only the human species but all life on the planet. America on the western hemisphere is the self-proclaimed leader of the free world and operates under the political framework of democracy and a free market capitalistic system. China, in the eastern hemisphere, is clearly the leader of the Asian tigers and is the fastest growing economy in the world. It operates under the political and cultural framework of capitalism and controlled market economy. The decisions that both China and America subscribes to in regards to education, job values and information will shape the fate of the human species and future of the entire planet.

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Nuclear weapons, climate changes brought about by greenhouse gasses and overexploitation of natural resources are a feature of the information rich 21st-century world. On one end of the ever expanding boundaries of knowledge lies the promise of a utopian society where peace and prosperity reign under the watchful eye of science and technology. On the other extreme lies the threat of total annihilation of all life on the planet unleashed by the wrathful backlash of science and technology applied to malevolent ends, either willfully or by negligence, arrogance and apathy. Although both extremes nowhere near the current state of affairs in 21st-century life, two nations stand at the definitive crossroad that leads to either possibility (Brzezinski 68). Their action and decisions will have ramifications that will echo far into the future of the human race. These two countries, posted at the ends of the world from each other, have been brought together by fate to decide the destiny of the planet.

America, the only superpower in the world rose from the tribulations of religious wars, the product of tumultuous times. It was founded by pioneering and free spirited explorers who were willing to risk their lives avoiding persecution and exploring new frontiers. This same explorer spirit led to innovations and risk taking in areas of science, technology, economic, political and social matters. In days past America was referred to as the land of golden promise where dreams could come true. Under the capitalist and free market philosophies of Adam Smith among others, America has been able to mobilize its resources in ways that have seen it at the top of the human social and economic pyramid. It is no wonder that the term associated with prosperity and material success is the American dream.

China is the most populous nation on earth. It is the oldest surviving civilization on the planet. Its culture and traditions go back over 2000 BCE (Wang 1). Among its key contributions to modern life include paper, paper money, and gunpowder, among others. While people in the European continent were still living in mud huts, Chinese emperors were living in lush palaces. However, as is the nature of all things, the Chinese civilization succumbed to the laws of entropy, propelled on by massive infighting as well as adherence to a rigid social structure that had little room for flexibility and change. In recent history, the Chinese fell under the sway of communism during the period of the Second World War. Under Mao Zedong, Chinese communism flourished. Despite its numerous atrocities, one of the achievements of the communist influence in China was that it was able to raise the entire country from its primary agrarian mode of existence to a rudimentary industrial epoch. The Chinese communist dragon has dug its claws deep into Asian and global affairs. While both countries supported different camps in World War II, One of the areas that draw these two nations together is the need to control and contain the possibilities and threats inherent in an information age. Education and emphasis on proper job values offer the best hope for this.

In both America and China, a large portion of time and resources are spent on education for the youth. It is self-evident that the youth holds the future for any nation. However, the models applied in both countries differ significantly. According to the Nationmaster website, both nations have a high literacy rate among its general population; China is at 91.6% while America is at 99% (Nation Master). The importance of education as a force to shape the future of the globe lies in the fact that the youth are exposed to it while there are still plastic while their minds can still adapt to the changing complexities that characterize the information age.

Education and to some extent mass media determines what the population as a whole chooses to focus. When education focuses on matters that are concurrent with contemporary issues, the population will be in a better position to anticipate changes and adapt to them. In this regard education can be used as a tool to direct the focus and attention of people. Possible to be a political tool, designed to deliver propaganda and instill political ideas to the population. In the case of communist China, this is largely the case. For instance, the first reading exercise for first graders in a Chinese elementary textbook is a 200 character long passage about a communist figure, Grandpa Deng Xiaoping, planting a tree (Wang, 1). Rote learning, memorization, and strict adherence to order and discipline characterize the Chinese education system. In this system, Teachers and other authority figures expect children to do as instructed. The political influence of communism is evident (Wang 1).

Most Chinese graduates tend to gravitate towards highly technical courses such as engineering, medicine, and law. These careers have more prestigious connotations than other liberal careers such as journalism and arts-related professions (Alas 81).The American education system is different in that it encourages learning through exploration and risk taking. Although academic performance metrics have a role to play in this educational system, the desired product is a learner who can search for and utilize information as the need arise (Wang 1) The American education system offers an attractive lure to foreign students who can afford it. According to Zbigniew Brzezinski book Strategic Vision: America and the crisis of global power: The American dream attracts the most motivated, the most highly educated and those seeking higher education. (72)

The same author goes on to highlight the fact that even beyond the education system, many foreigners, including those of Chinese origin view America as the ultimate in job value attainment. He states, Many foreign scientists, doctors, and entrepreneurs still see more rewarding opportunities for themselves in America than at home (72). The political and socio-economic aspects of educational and job values in both countries mean that both nations need to consider how to work together towards a solution that favors all the parties involved. As Chinese students flood American educational institutions, they bring with them foreign exchange dollars that the United States utilizes to prop up its educational system. In this way, the global economy remains vibrant. The Chinese economy benefits from the influx of highly skilled specialists who return to the mainland after their education and training in the United States. The transfer of youth and young professionals as either workers or students between the two nations offers the possibility of even closer cultural ties and understanding between them. These relations and integrations are an important foundation for future partnership and cooperation. Although education and job value combination provides one of the intersection points where close collaboration between these two giants may be untied, another is on the internet.

The internet is the backbone of the current information explosion, and it transforms all cultures, societies, and civilizations that it meets. As expected, the two largest world forces have staked an enormous claim to this information superhighway. The United States is the motherland of the internet since it provided the right environment for innovation, research, resources, and skilled specialists that made the internet possible. However, once the internet became open to the public, no single country could lay a claim to cyberspace. In the planent, being the most populated country planet, China offers a vibrant market for the internet. From content generation to e-commerce to educational applications, China cannot be ignored in matters related to cyberspace. The political climate in China means that not all information available on the internet is accessible to the Chinese public.

According to Brandon chew in his article Reptilian democracy, the Chinese government internet censorship is known as the great firewall of China. Like the actual great wall, this firewall keeps out external forces from reaching the mainland population. The main difference is that the Great Wall of China kept out real invaders while the firewall keeps out information and knowledge that the government fears will undermine its communist policies as well as political force. Even American multinational have had to contend with the power of the great firewall. For instance, Google, the foremost search engine in the rest of the world had to make the moral and ethical dilemma whether to allow a seemingly dictatorial regime access and control of its servers and the information that it served the public. The dilemma was that if Google refused to the Chinese governments terms, not only would they lose a valuable market, but also their position as the dominant search engine would be at risk. Their competitors may not hesitate to work with the Chinese. Google, guided by their mantra of dont be evil and a self-proclaimed mandate of universal information access allowed Beijings censorship to access China. According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, this was an unavoidableprincipled decision (chew 185).

The backlash that Google and other technological giants such as yahoo And Microsoft have received from certain quarters of the public over their cooperation with a repressive Chinese regime has been relentless. One congressional hearing even labeled them as Nazi collaborators[in bed with] a Stalinist nightmare revived for the 21st century (chew 184). However, the ramifications of such collaborations are vital to the well being of the planet as a global community. As information and communication begin to flow freely into the Chinese mainland, Chinese society is slowly but irrevocably changed. Like a stream of water flowing into and out of a dormant pool, the pool will not stay stagnant for very long. The information and job value potential created by the flow of information between the two global behemoths far outweigh any short-term concerns of some politicians and a section of the American population. For instance, because of the internet in China, many social and political activists can let the world know of the repressive conditions perpetrated by the Beijing administration. Apart from that, non-conventional job value opportunities such as web developers, bloggers, data center wo...