Tuesday, February 25, 2014

It's a Small World



During the last two weeks while I watched the Olympics and read Tweets about the events, I realized it really is a small world—one that’s getting smaller by the nanosecond. With technology continually and instantly connecting us, I think we’re influencing each other in many new ways.

I don’t know if you watched the spectacular Sochi Olympics opening ceremony, but one performance stood out in my mind for a peculiar reason. A rather stoic Russian Police Choir (except for the main singers who grooved) performed the song, Get Lucky, by the French electronic music duo, Daft Punk, in English. I found it a rather bold song choice since it’s about, well, someone getting lucky. Granted it’s a catchy tune and won a Grammy, but I didn’t expect to see it performed in this venue…and by policemen.

The spread of popular music shouldn’t have surprised me. Gangnam Style, the pop song by South Korean musician, Psy, went viral and became a global hit. In the United States, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood danced to it during the CMA Awards, Today Show hosts jived to the beat, and Halloween lights on some houses were synced to flash to the song. (Pity the neighbors as the light show was repeated over and over, all night long.)

I noticed another curious thing at the Olympics—fist-bumping. I had thought this was a uniquely American good-luck/celebratory action but apparently I was wrong. President Putin fist-bumped the Russian hockey team prior to a game. A Chinese athlete triple-fist-bumped (top, bottom, front) his coach before competing in aerial skiing. I expect he needed extra luck to jump 60 feet in the air, summersault multiple times, and land on his feet.

If this ritual began in America perhaps it went international in 2008 when Barack and Michelle Obama knocked knuckles in what the Washington Post called “the fist-bump heard ’round the world.” Maybe everyone should fist-bump instead of shaking hands to help prevent the spread of germs.

Speaking of around the world, my niece ordered a used textbook for medical school from an on-line bookseller. She monitored the book’s journey on her computer as it was sent from India, traveled to London, made a stop in New York, then arrived at her Philadelphia home. Surprisingly, it was more cost effective for her to buy a used book sent from another country than purchase a new one from the U.S.

Thank goodness for cable television broadcasting shows produced in other countries such as, The Artful Detective (Canada) and Sherlock (U.K.), into my living room. My favorite is Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries based on Kerry Greenwood’s excellent books set in the late 1920s. Unfortunately, this Australian series may be discontinued due to budget concerns even though they have a large audience. (Please, please, bring back Phryne Fisher for a third season!)

Maybe it’s not a small world after all, but a small universe. Olympic athletes who won gold medals on February 15, 2014, the anniversary of last year’s asteroid strike in Russia, will receive additional medals imbedded with a piece of the space rock. And, last November, the Olympic Torch went to the International Space Station and was taken on a spacewalk.

Do you feel the world has become smaller?

14 comments:

  1. Yep: McDonald’s in China and accents losing their strength in the US. All we need is Esperanza to complete the smushing of cultures.

    ~ Jim

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  2. Jim, in fifty years I expect everyone to speak in abbreviations similar to what they use to text on their cell phones.

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  3. Yes, copies of my books turn up in Europe and other places I have never visited, but would like to.

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  4. I only managed to see the ice dancing and was mesmerized by their beauty and strength. In old Madrid where my daughter and I went a few years ago, there was Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. I didn't see the same thing in Venice or Florence, though in an earlier visit.

    I enjoy all the British mysteries and comedies but I've never seen the Australian mystery series you mentioned. Our local PBS station hasn't carried.

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  5. Warren, what a good feeling it must be to have your books read in other countries. I wonder if writers should consider the international audience when writing?

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  6. Gloria, the ice dancers were fantastic. I don't know how anyone can balance on one thin blade with the other leg in the air and make circles in the ice. It doesn't seem possible.

    I hope you write about Old Madrid. I'd love to visit one day.

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  7. I'm surprised by the smallness of the mystery writers' world. I read the same names over, and sometimes even meet some of them. Before computers, the Kevin Beacon rule indicated the world's smallness. But with computers and smart phones, not only is the world small, it's instantaneous.

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  8. I was kind of surprised by the performance of Get Lucky, too, and wondered if the people who chose it were aware of the nuances.

    I'm often surprised at how small the world seems to be when it comes to commerce. They can grow flowers, a delicate commodity, overseas and import them to florists in the US more efficiently than from local growers? It boogles my mind.

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  9. I definitely feel like the world has become smaller. I'm constantly noticing people who I know from very different circles commenting on posts online. It's crazy.

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  10. E.B., I also remember the Kevin Bacon rule where one person is linked to anyone else in the world by only six degrees of separation. (Trivia alert--I recently saw an app to calculate the degrees of separation between actors called The Oracle of Bacon.) Now, with technology, it might be only one degree of separation.

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  11. KM, I was also surprised by the song choice. I don’t know if something was lost in translation or if it the odd combination was purposely chosen for humor.

    The small world commerce boggles my mind, too. I’ve heard that in some cases it’s less expensive to fly to another country for surgery or medical procedures.

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  12. Sarah, I agree that it’s surprising, sometimes startling, to see people comment online that you know or used to know. Maybe this is the new version of using a small town in a murder mystery because it’s difficult for anybody to hide or keep a secret when we’re interconnected.

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  13. I am glad I am not the only one who was surprised by the Russian soldiers choir singing "Get Lucky." Something was definitely missed in translation.
    Our world does seem smaller, but it is interesting to see how local traditions and preferences remain. When my daughter worked in Korea, she mentioned that the Pizza Hut chain was everywhere. But the most popular type of pizza there was the sweet potato pizza. She liked it, but I just can't imagine sweet potato becoming my favorite pizza topping.

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  14. I hope you were able to visit your daughter while she was in Korea, Shari. That must have been a fascinating place for her to live and work. I'm not sure about sweet potato pizza topping either, but I'm willing to give it a try.

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