[lbo-talk] Dispiriting Suburbs?

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Oct 23 16:06:11 PDT 2006


On Oct 23, 2006, at 12:04 AM, Michael Pollak wrote:


> I don't understand how claiming that left principles are the
> truest realization of American ideals is a bad thing.

A discourse of individual rights is compatible with American principles, but it's a real stretch to make them conform to anything collective (or secular). Competitive individualism seems so deeply ingrained into our common sense that I can't imagine how you'd break out of it. So much of American populism has centered on a critique of monopoly, the offense being the restriction of free competition, the unexamined virtue. It's in Naderism, it's in a lot of Green politics, it's in the anti-Wal-Mart movie, it's everywhere.

Doug



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