July 24, 2012

American Craftsmanship on the Wain

A thoughtful essay on craftsmanship from Louis Uchitelle for the NY Times. A point that resonates with me:

...craftsmanship is, if not a birthright, then a vital ingredient of the American self-image as a can-do, inventive, we-can-make-anything people.

I honestly believe most Americans still hold on to that definition of our country's values. But, in truth, those values have wained, radically redefined by our economic shift towards services, financials, and computer technologies (an industry whose manufacturing is predominantly outsourced). The loss of craft within American culture risks a vital foundational ingredient that built this country into greatness.