As I browse through the internet for various blogs, videos and articles that pertain to my specific career paths, I started to remember one specific writer, David Brooks, who stuck out to me after reading a few of his articles for my ENC1145 class my Freshman year. Brooks, who writes various Op-Ed articles for the New York Times writes witty, thought-provoking pieces that really make me think about the subject matter. Unlike various other Op-Ed writers I've read, he seems to present an opinionby raising questions and how he personally sees the issues at hand rather than just outright argue one side . Even if I don't agree with him on a viewpoint, he always seems to bring up great points that make me think about why I don't agree with him. Brooks tends to take a moderately conservative stance and comments on societal progression as a middle-aged upper-class citizen, so it's interesting to see how he compares the past, present and future from another generational standpoint.
One article that I find to be particularly interesting is from earlier this month called Where Are the Jobs? Here he talks about the lack of progression in innovation where it is not as rapid today as the previous years. One line that stood out to me was "A person born in 1900 began with horse-drawn buggies and died with men walking on the Moon, but the last few decades have seen nothing like that sort of technological advance." He addresses concern about the advancement of travel, cure to diseases, grain production, and energy sources by comparing their rapid past progression to their stagnancy today- of course these are extremely important developments but Brooks doesn't really mention the innovation of digital communication today. He also doesn't mention the effect of the economy on funding for technological advancement, which I believe is a huge factor in any societal progression. Although he acknowledges Steve Jobs for his contribution to modern technological innovation, he argues that there is nothing else that seems to follow Jobs' work in Apple's development to be the next breakthrough in society. However, I think Jobs opened the door to innovation in the digital word- something that hasn't been stagnant since its breakthrough. Jobs may have passed away, but that doesn't mean the great minds working for Apple or large innovative companies will stop working to create the next big thing or inspire someone else to come up with the next modern marvel in technology. I do agree that there will be challenges to keep society moving as fast as it has been, but maybe a little stagnation is necessary to reflect on what really needs to be fixed after decades of non-stop movement. And who knows, maybe the next innovation deals with a social, political or environmental movement instead of a tangible invention!
As I mentioned before, whether or not I agree with his pieces they get me to think. As a reader, I find this intriguing and as an aspiring writer, I have an example to follow so I can do just that- provoke thought and discussion like David Brooks does so well.
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