Originally Posted by stereoman
Here's an interesting assertion from the middle of the article:
Quote
The culture of consumerism is the result of Madison Ave. saturation-campaigns and propaganda; there's nothing inherently wrong with the American people. Workers are constantly being blamed for "living beyond their means", but the real problem originates from flawed monetary policy and destructive commercialism. It's the prevailing "sicko" corporate culture that has created a nation of spendthrifts and speculators. Ordinary people are not at fault.
What are your thoughts on that?

The marketing referred to has been very much the marketing of a economic philosophy.... that itself has been equated with the founding principals of American political philosophy.

Free markets have been proposed as the economic reflection of the principals of democracy and thus fundamental to our national character. Pseudo free-market economics has been identified as being at the core of a ersatz survival of the fittest view of human existence where wealth is socially worshiped as the ultimate reflection a successful well lived life. Following along this logic, the power of the United States is itself a vindication of the idea that we, and our system, are better than anyone else. We stand as the sole remaining super power at the apex of humanity.

Given the collapse of the US Dollar, the rise of the Euro, the emergence of the Chinese, and the fact that Osama Bin Laden clones have more or less fought us to a draw around the world... one wonders at what point our nation might re-evaluate it's role in the world.


"It's not a lie if you believe it." -- George Costanza
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. --Bertrand Russel