> Here is a short section from a new book that I am just now completing.
>
> <snip>
thanks, michael. very interesting, and i'm curious to hear responses on this list.
while i'm inclined to agree with liza, in principle, i also think this popular focus on choice as a barometer of democracy is a holdover from orwell -- or of a misreading of orwell. the omnipresence of the victory label in _1984_ was a metaphor for the victory of the repressive state over individuals and individuality, but perhaps even more for the victory of ideology over a concern for real human beings and their real attempts to be really human. how many of us honestly confuse 150 varieties of breakfast cereal with genuine democracy or genuine political-economic freedom? probably none of us. maybe the explosion of variety and the particular kind of "choice" associated with it is as orwellian as if we were buying halliburton baby food and halliburton vodka to drink while we watch halliburton news on our halliburton tv sets.
maybe. ;-)
i don't know that variety as such is necessarily some bugbear (although michael makes some very interesting points, here), but it certainly isn't some transparent indicator of human freedom. to be honest, i think this complements rather than conflicts with liza's point, but i may not have made it clear, yet, how i think that is.
j