> Today, however, this Pascal wager does not obtain anymore. The
> proletariat has quite a bit to lose - their homes, their pensions
> (even if meager), their cars, tee-vees, iphones, bar-b-cues, sixpacks,
> games etc. - but not that much to win.
Nonsense. We have trillions in unpayable and crushing mortgage debt, student loans, credit cards and other Wall Street scams to free ourselves from. And we have schools, colleges, healthcare, parks, and green jobs to win.
I suppose many academics and professionals do have something to lose. But I've noticed a huge psychological gap between folks with semi-secure positions, and everyone else -- including those of us just entering the job market (which, incidentally, remains soul-crushingly horrible). The former have very little idea of how abysmal things are out here.
-- DRR