Ø
An
economic gadfly who argues for 1) the “countervailing power” of government
(previously he believed big business could do this among themselves, e.g., one
oligopolist checks the power of another oligopolist) against corporate abuse and
against 2) consumerism and the credo that M.I.B.
“…an
unregulated capitalist economy is chaos in the making.” (133)
Ø
Argues
for a “social balance” – (read quote on p. 134) between the public sector
and the private market sphere. Concerned for example that the more Americans
became chained to a consumerist lifestyle the more they worked and the more
childcare was farmed out (135).
Ø
The
“Dependence Effect” (similar to Veblen’s pecuniary emulation) is reflected
in this set of causal links:
Ø
Ergo,
advertising dominates our daily life: a. ads everywhere (even considered placing
sticker ads for bras on melons and ads for condoms on bananas – too
tasteless?) b. ads aimed at children to increase “pester power” (137)
Ø
Sackrey
argues that a “growth lobby” (Galbraith’s term) has support in mainstream
economics in the assumption of M.I.B. which in turn supports political bias
towards constant increases in GDP per capita. (138)
Ø
The
Affluent Society(A.S.) ~
“How much extra welfare do we get from an additional 1% of GDP if it
represents goods we did not know about last year (or last week) [and] if their
production and consumption spoil the environment…” (138)
Ø
The
New Industrial State ~
Large oligopolies emphasize “product differentiation” (Coke vs. Pepsi) and
employ a cadre of technocrats to influence government and advertisers and
designers to influence us. (Proctor and Gamble and G.M. spent $2.5 billion in
ads in year 2000 alone). (139)
Ø
The
Anatomy of Power ~
corporations use “compensatory power” (buying labor, materials) and
“conditioned power” (power of persuasion) and “power of the sack” to
have us buy into notion of G.M. CEO C. Wilson that “What’s good for G.M. is
good for America” and “develop a [product dependence] bordering on
addiction.” (140)
Ø
In A.S.
he contended that the “engines of mass communication” push for “more
beer but not…more schools” making a politician calling for “a new public
service…a wastrel.” (141) i.e., the public sector is inferior.
Ø
We
actually begin to equate freedom with the right to buy a t.v. and communism with
a coerced demand for schools. (e.g., John Irving’s crusade against “trailer
park envy.”
“All private wants, where the individual can
choose, are inherently superior to all public desires…(for schools, clean air
etc.) (142)
Ø
And as a
consequence we have private opulence and public squalor.
Ø
Galbraith’s
belief in a “new class” of the educated who would fight for improved public
services proved false by the anti-government consensus beginning with the Reagan
years.
Ø
Even so,
the size of government has expanded since Reagan took office, but its role has
changed to increasing corporate subsidies, defense and national security while
reducing regulatory burden on business, dismantling the welfare state and
reducing spending on education, infrastructure etc.
“…federal investments in education, infrastructure, and research as
shares of GDP have continued to fall through the last three administrations.”
(as quoted in Reich 145)
Ø
The
Environment:
·
Should we
privatize natural habitats?
·
Can
population and living habits of humans continue as at present?
·
“Of all
human food, breast milk is not the most contaminated.” (Rachel’s Env. And
Hlth Wkly #699)
·
We allow
“3,000 …industrial chemicals [to be distributed] without their having
…been subjected to analysis by the EPA…” (149)
·
Almost
all food samples tested by USDA from 1994 – 1997 were above safe levels for
children. (149-150)
·
Childhood
asthma epidemic attributable to higher ozone levels (150-151).
·
Fish
finding technology have “made it possible to sweep the oceans like a vacuum
cleaner.” As a result of this excessive harvesting, “4 billion pounds of
fish ‘bycatch’ ground up and dumped in ocean. (151)
·
Global
warming ~ “Eleven of the past 16 years have been the hottest of the
century.”