Frankendesign

America as a gated community
Brain Eno

Time Magazine, International Edition | 30 December 2002

(...)
Too often, the U.S. presents the "American way" as the only way, insisting on its kind of free market Darwinism as the only acceptable" model of human progress." But isn't civilization what happens when people stop behaving as if they're trapped in a ruthless Darwinian struggle and start thinking about communities and shared futures? America as a gated community won't work, because not even the world's sole superpower can build walls high enough to shield itself from the intertwined realities of the 21st century.

There's a better form of security: reconnect with the rest of the world, don't shut it out; stop making enemies and start making friends. Perhaps it's asking a lot to expect America to act differently from all the other empires in history, but wasn't that the original idea?"

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