Third+Wave+Ch+23

__//**Gandhi with Satellites**//__ starts of by showing the chaos around the world such as the Islamic uprise in Iran etc. But the chaos seen is the eruption of a new civilization.

Then, it starts talking about the failures of the Second wave strategy. The Second Wave is the society during the Industrial Revolution which left a world of poverty behind.

The single dominant strategy trying to reduce the gaps between the world's rich and poor is known as the Second Wave strategy.Many countries' governments have tried to implement this strategy but most have failed except a few exceptions such as South Korea and Taiwan. The reasons for the failures are Neo-colonism, bad planning, corruption, tribalism, backward religions etc. The conclusion made is that the second wave strategy has failed far more times than it has succeeded.The case study of Iran trying to implement the second wave strategy and failed made people question the very roots premises of the Second Wave strategy.

The Second Wave strategy was looked upon as a successful model for the world however, the general crisis of industrialism had exploded, shaking the structure of the Second Wave strategy. Soon, doubts were casts over the Second Wave strategy as to whether the Second Wave strategy would work. After the failures of the Second Wave strategy and the angry hauls of the poor countries, the world switched to the First Wave strategy overnight.This strategy is the reverse of the Second Wave strategy. Itcalls for new emphasis on rural development instead of going through agricultural means during the Second Wave strategy. The First Wave strategy favours decentralized, small-scale facilities designed for villagesTechnology development also started during the First Wave strategy. The First Wave strategy soon started to spread throughtout the whole world.

Yet even though the First Wave strategy has many benefits, it remains a strategy for ameliorating the worst of the First Wave conditions without even transforming them. The First Wave strategy also de-emphasizes on the role of advanced science and technology. As good as the First Wave strategy may seem, it also benefits certain countries and many other countries are not able to use premechanized First Wave methods. Ultimately, the First Wave strategy is a recipe for stagnation and is only applicable to poor countries the Second Wave strategy have missed out.

The Third Wave is the post-industrial society. Most countries have been transitioning from a Second Wave society into a Third Wave society. The Third Wave civilation has many features such as decentralized production, renewable energy etc. What is most astonishing is that the Third Wave resembles the features found in the First Wave societies. Even though it gives people an eerie sense of deja vu, the Third Wave societies provide rich and poor countries with wholly new opportunities.

Sun, Shrimp and Chips- It may be possible to combine elements of the past and the future (first and third wave) into a new and better present. First wave societies facing energy crisis is often forgotten. In many of these societies, Indian scientist Amulya Kumar N. Reddy has shown, the most urgent need is for decentralized energy in the countryside instead of centralized one for cities. Reddy has studies showing requirements of villages can be easily met by a tiny, cheap bio-gas plant using local human and animal waste. Such units are more useful, ecologically sound and economical than centralized generating plants. There is a parallel between some problems facing First or Third Wave societies, and neither can rely on energy systems designed for the Second Wave era. At the Environmental Research Lab in Tucson, shrimps are reared in long troughs, of which waste is recycled to fertilize vegetables alongside cucumbers and lettuce in greenhouses. In Massachusetts, at the New Alchemy Institute, chickens are reared atop fish tank, allowing their droppings to fertilize algae which the fishes then eat. These innovations are relevant for First Wave societies. Forecast of 20-year trends in food supply by the Center for Future Research at University of Southern California suggests many key developments would slash need for artificial fertilizers. In long term, we can imagine much agriculture devoted to cultivation of energy crops. We may see converge of weather modification, computers, satellite monitoring and genetics to revolutionize the world’s food supply. First Wave governments must consider these potentials in agricultural planning, combining the hoe and the computer. New technologies open up fresh possibilities. Emergence of super-advanced biotechnologies holds great promise for transforming First Wave societies. First Wave countries face massive unemployment and underemployment. The poorer countries ought to prepare for the “materials age” instead of building steel capabilities like during the Second Wave. They should focus on microelectronics. Ward Morehouse of University of Lund said microelectronics has product diversity for poor countries to choose to suit their needs, and lends itself to the decentralization of production. This means reduced population pressure on big cities and miniaturization cuts transport costs. The industrial world people into cities for production, now we are moving factories and work forces back into countryside Telecommunications is more of a precondition for economic development instead of vice versa. It may be cheaper, more energy-conserving and appropriate in long term to lay in advanced communication networks in place of costly roads. President Suharto inaugurated a satellite communications system linking the Indonesian archipelago together, much as railroads linked the two coasts of America a century ago. Social analysts, scholars and scientists believe such transformation is underway, carrying us towards a radical synthesis: Gandhi (vision of the idyllic green pastures) with satellites.

The Original Prosumers- Most First Wave populations have been drawn into the money system. Prosumption has to be seen as a positive force, rather than holdover from the past. French architect planner Yona Friedman reminds us the poor do not necessarily need jobs but just food and shelter. One can often grow one’s food and build one’s roof. Thus government should relax land laws and building code, encouraging presumption, making it hard for squatters to build or improve their housing. Second Wave propaganda conveys to poor people things they made are inferior to the worst mass-produced junk. The Third Wave challenges the Second Wave notion that education takes place in a classroom. Today education has to be combined with work, politics, community service and even play. Anthropologist Sir Edmund Leach argued that reading is easier to learn and more useful than writing, that not everyone needs to learn to write. Better nutrition will raise intelligence level and functional competence among children, increasing motivation. Features of Third Wave are consonant with those of First Wave, implying possibility of change with less pain, disruption, and future shock.

The Starting Line- Third Wave civilization is not fully formed, but for the poor and rich it liberates possibilities. It calls attention to First Wave strengths.

By WenHao