So more tensions now.
Nancy Pelosi, for a brief moment in time, rode in arguably the most tracked plane in history, as she touched down on Taiwan a few minutes ago.
And armchair war activists have already begun their calculations. From plane tracking to calculating the military power in the South China Sea, almost everyone has now become a China expert.
The internet and social media have brought a lot of good to our society, but a lot of ills as well. Once such malady is the incessant commentary that one is subject to on television, Twitter and the like (I don’t mention Facebook since well, who uses FB nowadays!) on the posturing between the two biggest economies of the modern world. Half-baked experts give their two bits on who is thinking what, and on what happens next. WWIII trends and all hell breaks loose…on a screen near you.
An interesting study would be the ripple effect of such events on the productivity of people in general. Am sure a linear relationship will emerge between the intensity of the crisis and the corresponding micro-fall in the daily GDP. Maybe a slight bump in liquor sales brought about by end-of-the-world theorists.
But seriously, what is it that makes us dial into crises happening halfway around the world? Yes, such events affect everyone now., given how globalised the world is, but what good can come of Twitter refreshes and 24/7 debates? Are we in a position to change possible outcomes? If not, then why not change our reactions instead?
Times are bad – a recession looms, and a war is already on. I think staying put, rolling up one’s sleeves and working hard are the need of the hour, not engaging in gossip that has little consequence.
What do you think?