One Red Hot Country Mama!

I was reading this story originally published in Esquire magazine, about outsourcing your life, where one of the editors outsources his life to India. He outsources his editorial research, his online shopping and even his phone calls to parents reading stories to his son and settling arguments with his wife. In the story, the author A.J. Jacobs outsources his apology to his wife, Julie to his Indian personal assistant, Asha:

Hello Asha,

My wife got annoyed at me because I forgot to get cash at the automatic
bank machine. . . . I wonder if you could tell her that I love her, but
gently remind her that she too forgets things — she has lost her wallet
twice in the last month. And she forgot to buy nail clippers for
Jasper.
AJ

I can’t tell you what a thrill I got from sending that note.
It’s pretty hard to get much more passive-aggressive than bickering
with your wife via an email from a subcontinent halfway around the
world.

The next morning, Asha CC’d me on the email she sent to Julie.

Julie

Do understand your anger that I forgot to pick up the cash at the
automatic machine. I have been forgetful and I am sorry about that.

But I guess that doesn’t change the fact that I love you so much. . . .

Love
AJ

P. S. This is Asha mailing on behalf of Mr. Jacobs.

As if that weren’t enough, she also sent Julie an e-card. I
click on it: two teddy bears embracing, with the words "Anytime you
need a hug, I’ve got one for you. . . . I’m sorry."

Damn! My outsourcers are too friggin’ nice! They kept the apology part
but took out my little jabs. They are trying to save me from myself.
They are superegoing my id. I feel castrated.

Julie, on the other hand, seems quite pleased: "That’s nice, sweetie. I forgive you."

Disappointingly, the article is sexist at times but A.J. has an interesting point at the end about Honey, his other personal assistant and the economy in general:

The point is, she’s got talent. If Honey is a guide, the Indian
workforce can be just as innovative and aggressive as the American, so
the "benefits" might not be so beneficial. Us high-end types will be as
vulnerable as assembly-line workers. (Friedman’s other pro-outsourcing
argument seems more persuasive — that free trade will open up the huge
Chinese and Indian markets to American exports.)

He concludes:

Yes, America, we’re cooked.

I think an article like this gets to the heart of the outsourcing dilemma. However, I think it is exaggerated. The premise of the article was based on Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, which is a about how we are getting a more level playing field in global economy due to the technological, economic and sociological shifts.

The book and the premise that it is based on has been criticized by Economists and Political Scientists alike. The fact is, 90% of the world’s phone calls, web traffic and investments are local – so it seems the world is still quite round. Professor Michael Veseth argues in his article The World is Flat? Globaloney: 

Government, I think, it the ultimate reason the world remains
persistently round. Brazil is a country blessed by natural and human
wealth. In a truly flat world, Brazil would be filthy rich. But Brazil
has been cursed by decades of bad government, and that has created an
environment where it’s nearly impossible to start a business, much less
develop one that can compete in the global marketplace.

The world is in fact filled with cultural, natural, political and
economic barriers that keep individuals and nations from competing on a
level playing field.

So – even though a guy can outsource his life for a week, the world is still as round… at the moment.