How Fort Wayne, Indiana amplified America then fell silent...

[electra225]

I saw this video and thought it might be of interest to you guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKvRCdK6VdI

[TC Chris]

The audio was interesting, if not fully accurate, but my gripe is that the images had no relationship to what was being said, in time or in topic. I'm sure they could have pieced together relevant images from advertising and archival sources to illlustrate the text.

I was interested in his point no. 3, management matters--in its goals. Modern corporate management elevates shareholder value over all else. There is no local loyalty. No other goals matter. Older, more locally focused managers often valued supporting their local communities with jobs that helped the whole community flourish. It's a choice. Of course, technological innovation matters too. Where I grew up, a big local employer made power shovels--the cables, drums, and clutches kind. They were killed off quickly by hydraulically-activated devices because they never adapted. No amount of community commitment is going to preserve jobs if your product is obsolete and nobody buys it.

Chris Campbell