The Lexus and the Olive Tree "The Lexus and the Olive Tree": An Analysis

A reading of Thomas L. Friedman's book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree yields what some consider a thorough and highly accessible summary of the theoretical economic force of globalization. Friedman first reinforces the idea that globalization is a quantifiable, currently operating and currently successful economic system. He portrays it as the new international system which has replaced the world economic system established by Cold War politics, insisting that a single global market has been created by the integrating of capital, technology and information which he calls "the global economy." While it is certainly true that domestic economies and politics have been influenced by growth in technology, Friedman's reading of globalization as a viable and self-contained "system" is nanve in its Utopianism, simplistic in its assumptions about the past, present and future, and simply incorrect in its analysis of the present world economic landscape.

Friedman's book has been celebrated by some reviews (in The New York Times and The New Yorker) on account of his simplistic use of the "Lexus" and "Olive Tree" extended metaphor. While this device works to unify the book's content, it is a simplistic and superficial rendering of the global economy predominantly as a provider of material rewards (the "Lexus"), at the expense of the organic "Olive Tree" realities of culture, geography and community. In minimizing the unique cultural ide

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ividual freedom, Friedman criticizes isolationists and protectionists, who he feels are inhibiting the process of globalization which will benefit most of the world's populace. Friedman's choice of title is explained, by the writer himself, in the following excerpt: "It struck me then that the Lexus and the olive tree were actually pretty good symbols of the post cold war era. "Half the world seemed to be emerging from the cold war intent on building a better Lexus... And half the world - sometimes half the same country, sometimes half the same person - was still caught up in the fight over who owns which olive tree."(Friedman 1) In response to this passage, Dowbenko (1999) translates, "as 'the smart worker bees' were plugging into the global economy selling luxury cars to those who could afford them, while 'the stupid worker bees' were still trying to carve up the land according to their antiquated notions of nations and ownership. Silly peasants. When will they learn?" (Dowbenko 1) Dowbenko's scathing interpretation of this passage seems justified. Yet, despite Friedman's unflattering portrayal of the working person, the overriding tone of the book is excit
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Approximate Word count = 1545
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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