The author's practically vindicated by our times

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	• The Culture of Contentment John Kenneth Galbraith Mariner Books, 1993 - 195 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Compelling Argument is it.

Galbraith's argument in this book is that since the end of World War II a larger number of Americans have prospered more and struggled less to make ends meet and their new-found contentment has changed society. These changes are because the contented class will not accept any threat to their prosperity.

I'm not qualified to judge the arguments made but I found the them compelling especially given the recent lassie-faire business and anti-government trends.

One major distraction in the book is Galbraith's unusual writing style. Most sentences are phrased oddly, the result sounding like something Yoda might write.

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Prescient insights!

After reading this book I was struck with the profound nature of both the "Economic Accommodation I/II" and "Military Nexus I/II" chapters with regard to the current tax cut proposals and the impending war with Iraq. As Galbraith asserts in Economic Accommodation concerning questionable supply-side tax policy, "it must be emphasized, the required doctrine need not be the subject of serious empirical proof." When, oh when, are we going to realize as an overall society that the 80's boom was a deficit spending trick and the late 90's boom was the product of massive business productivity gains from global expansion after communism, computer/telecom technology and increasing consumer debt (not "the maestro"). As Galbraith points out, the long-term implications of these macro-economic policies are scary, but our culture seems incapable of thinking long-term. The Military Nexus section also makes you wonder about the "War on Terror". A conventional military war on an invisible (or nearly invisible) enemy - Hmmm? Excellent book!

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The author's practically vindicated by our times

I read this book when it was first published and I can confidently assert, after reading a very detailed Congressional Budget survey on income growth over the past 20 years, through both the Reagan And Clinton years, and a throrough reading of the culural trends of the past decade that the author stands virtually vindicated. I suppose only a fairly steep recession will persuade the masses, especially those people of whom Professor Galbraith writes of, something's seriously awry today in many spheres of everyday life and only then might prompt serious consideration to bring the regulatory state back in to remedy these glaring problems. So kudos to Professor Galbraith for an extremely prescient piece of social commentary. Only the most devout free market acolytes could miss the significance of its message!

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Making the same point over and over again

This is not a bad "state of the nation" book, I've read much worse before. The central is idea of America held hostage by a sizable minority of affluent and content citizens and therefore blind for the plight of the less well-of is interesting, even thought-provoking. However, one good idea does not make a good book. These 180-odd pages ought to have been condensed in a 5 page article. Also, Galbraith uses this one idea to explain an astonishing variety of phenomena, which undermines its credibility. On the positive side, this book certainly contains some very poignant observations, written in Galbraith's typical witty, sometimes even sarcastic prose.

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Excellent

This and all of Galbraith's books are classic. I noticed his books sometimes have gotten rather negative reviews. These seem to come from the same people who will be voting for Pat Buchanan for president. Galbraith is very much a Democrat. His ideas are "liberal". That does not stop him from being one of the most brilliant Economists of the 20th century. The joy of reading his books goes beyond just Gabraith's ideas. In reading his books one gets to know him. He is the sort of writer who lets the reader into his world. Some people may not like what he says. It is hard to take a look at yourself sometimes. Others will cherish his writing.

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reviews: page 1, 2

This book traces the course of America's current sense of contentment, stemming from the economic comfort achieved by the fortunate, politically dominant community during the Reagan-Bush era of the 1980s. Galbraith focuses on the results of this stasis, including short-term thinking and investment, government as a burden, and corporate sclerosis. The author also explores international issues, such as the parallels between the denial of trouble in Eastern Europe and problems unrecognized in America. This book is a groundbreaking assessment of the future of America.

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