Taming Wild Perceptions

Randall Frost writes intelligently on a wide range of topics. In this article for brandchannel, which is published by the Interbrand consultancy, he expands on a point I made in Rebuilding Brand America. It concerns the potency of the "frontier myth" in shaping perceptions of the United States. Frost does a lot more with the observation than I did -- when we spoke, he told me he had been thinking about it ever since he read a book by Frederick Jackson Turner back in college. It was time well spent.  Frost shows how America can shift the myth of expanding into new physical territory, which is threatening, to one that "emphasizes exploration of knowledge-based, non-territorial frontiers," such as those in technology and science.  Worth reading.