Ike Pigott writes today at the splendid Occam's Razr about the common youth fallacy of "world-beating" behaviour.

In his post, he posits whether young people recently graduating from college and university really should set out along the path of life to fashion the world at large according to their own image. Or, rather, should they instead work to wrangle down their own world according to a more manageable, measured idea of change?

As is Ike's habit, there's always a little creative wrinkle to things, and his post today was fashioned into a sort of mock "graduation speech" he might one day deliver to an expectant class of university hopefuls.

I couldn't help but notice the mainly US-centric bent of his article, a framing for which the talented Mr. Ike can't be faulted.

For one, Ike's based in Birmingham, Alabama and has spent the bulk of his career in television journalism. The daily fare of American news perhaps doesn't afford the average US Southerner the chance to get to know our part of the world more intimately, let alone the delicate nuances of the post-communist mindset. For two, post-communist Eastern Europe as a centre of excellence isn't something frequently commented about in the mainstream media. Outside of the business press, not much is said about the inner-nuances of the countries which have become home to millions of dollars and euros in foreign direct investment.

I was prompted to comment at his blog on how such a "speech" -- even if delivered in jest -- would often be just enough to snip the thin threads from which many of our young Czech people dangle. Threads which are very often their lifeline.

Have a squizz at Ike's post and once done, I'd be curious to know your thoughts on the following things in the comments section:

** Would a focus on "improving your own world, and not the world at large" as Ike writes, reinforce Czech society's tendency towards insularity and occasional self-centredness?

** Isn't what we could use here in this country the very thing Ike claims is anathema to US youth?

** Does Ike's post have any relevance, per se, for our Czech society, given that we haven't had enough of a baseline to determine one way or the other? It hasn't even been 20 years yet, in other words.

Wishing you the best of things,
ADM