Melinda Gates: Why I'm an Optimist..

[Charles Pegge]

Why I'm an optimist about changing the world

Melinda Gates

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/17/gates.millennium.goals/

[danbaron]

[font=courier new][size=8pt]"My TEDxChange talk focuses on the question of how Coca-Cola has become so ubiquitous around the world and what governments and the development community can learn from the company's success. By analyzing what Coca-Cola has done to become so prevalent, we can apply those lessons to the millennium goals and save even more lives."

(I guess that Bill and Melinda Gates have done a lot of good with their foundation. It isn't clear to me what she is saying in this article.)

Governments, and the "development community", should copy Coca-Cola? Does she mean that poor countries can become profitable, by marketing and advertising? Maybe, Pakistan can become as "prevalent", as Coca-Cola? Maybe she cites the Coca-Cola Company (corporation), because it has made a lot of money. And, if for instance, Nigeria and Haiti copy Coca-Cola, they can make a lot of money too? Every third world country can adopt Coke's corporate model, and world poverty will be eliminated? The world's economic problems will be solved if all countries structure themselves like successful corporations? Every country will become wealthy, by marketing and selling its "widgets", worldwide? The global market will expand forever at an ever increasing rate? The world's resources are unlimited - there is, and always will be, enough of everything, for everyone?! We'll all live like the Gates do?!! (Why does she choose to talk about Coca-Cola, instead of Microsoft? Is Coca-Cola, more, "ubiquitous"? (I'll bet that being a billionaire helps with one's optimism.))

:twisted:

[Petr Schreiber]

Dan,

have a look at the whole video.

Read the text below only if you don't have time to watch the video and if you are really sure I understood it well :D

I did not read the article, but the video clearly shows why Coca-Cola was picked. If I understood the speech correctly, the point is not in making all poor countries rich, but to persuade them to use some elemental hygienic resources (toilets, ...). And to do this not by scaring them (you don't use anticonception, you will die on AIDS), but by positive motivation - making them simply want it.

Another concept is to use knowledge of local people to help change going faster and more natural. Coca-Cola has local re-sellers in Africa for example, which transport the drink to otherwise unreachable places - now imagine the same with medical care, ...

It sounds pretty odd on the first look, but it has its logic. Even your answer about why Coca-Cola and not Microsoft should be answered, take a look.
I am usually scared when somebody starts talking about making somebody else want something he does not at the moment, but in case of medical care I have not that big problem with it.


Petr

P.S: Charles - thanks for the link!

[danbaron]

[font=courier new][size=8pt]I guess I'm the dumb one, Petr.

My connection is so slow that I cannot watch videos.

I thought the article transcribed what she said in the video.

:oops::unguee: :shock: :twisted:
Dan