If Capitalism Is the Disease, What Is the Cure?
Last week, Jacob Sullum blogged a New York Times' op-ed by "contrarian sociologist" Mike Males. In his fun piece, Males noted vast increases in anti-social behavior among middle-aged people and concluded that, pace media hysteria about kids, "what experts label 'adolescent risk taking' is really baby boomer risk taking."
Now Michelle Shinghal notes the letters in response to Males, especially this gem:
I suspect that many of these badly behaving adults come from the lower and middle economic classes.
Given this era of unprecedented wealth for an exclusive few; the decline of real wages; astronomical higher-education costs; health care and housing woes; the obsolescence and theft of pensions; not to mention mergers, layoffs and outsourcing, it's no surprise that adults increasingly turn to alcohol, crime, drugs and risky sex to escape their woes.
Mr. Males has laid out the human costs of American capitalism. The remedy? Electing politicians whose ideas will create positive social and economic change for all, not for the few.
It's time we take care of the families on Main Street, not just Wall Street.