[lbo-talk] new blog post: a nation in decline?: part 3: an unhealthy nation

[Wojtek S]

[WS:] I think comparing the "middle America' standards of living to those
enjoyed by elites - as suggested by reference to a "famous Berkeley chef" -
missed a fundamental point, namely  that most middle American do not envy
those elite standards - they do not know what those standards are and they
they are something horrible.  They think that thier own standards of living
- the suburban sprawl, the gas guzzling cars, the fast food and WalMart
shopping is the highest living of standards every achieved and envied by
everyone else, which is why they hate America.

I have some personal experience in trying to introduce those 'higher
standards of living' to middle America - it does not work that way, and at
the end it causes resentment.

Wojtek

On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 11:58 AM, michael perelman <
michael.perelman3 at gmail.com> wrote:


> Michael,
>
> Excellent point about the food, aesthetics, and the like.  What is
> weird is how little social sacrifice would be needed to provide a
> decent life for everybody.  Instead, the system is geared to let
> majority of people separate into narrow interest groups and fight over
> scraps.
>
>
> --
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> Chico, CA
> 95929
>
> 530 898 5321
> fax 530 898 5901
> http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com
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