Whats the politics of the book?
The book seems to be very politically aggressive, but my question is, is it liberal or conservative?
Liberal. Extremely liberal, at least in the American definition of "liberal."
It's moderate, although some folks would have you believe he's a radical.
The term that I've been using for work like Max Barry's is "militant moderate". He's warning us of a possible slide into corporate fascism, but refuses to suggest that we go too far in the other way.
The book seems to support universal health care, income tax, a strong SEC, and strict rules on corporate involvement in politics. This plants it slightly left in America.
It never condemns corporations outright, though, and the EU is depicted as fighting a losing battle, so the book is slightly right in the UK and European countries where government policies often reflect socialist values.
"Universal healthcare" is not "slightly left", it is all out socialist.
JG is as mediocre as NationStates, which leads me to believe that the author didn't "do it on purpose". :P Just my opinion, though!
PS: Every bit of material wealth you enjoy in life (including that computer your typing on) was brought to you by capitalism, free enterprise and corporations. Show a little bit of gratitude, mkay?
Catholic Europe
02-07-2003, 10:19
Most likely liberal - what with Violet being like that etc...
"Universal healthcare" is not "slightly left", it is all out socialist.
JG is as mediocre as NationStates, which leads me to believe that the author didn't "do it on purpose". :P Just my opinion, though!
PS: Every bit of material wealth you enjoy in life (including that computer your typing on) was brought to you by capitalism, free enterprise and corporations. Show a little bit of gratitude, mkay?
Bob: I think the Soviets proved that you can have material wealth, even computers, without any capitalism. You just have less of it, and the government is trying to kill you all the time. So don't give capitalism 100% of the credit -- government alone can do some things.
"Universal healthcare" is not "slightly left", it is all out socialist.
right up until YOU have a major medical problem or someone in your family does and the insurance HMO decides to wait until after your estimated life expectancy to approve you for an organ transplant.
that is exactly what happened to my wife and we lost our house because the HMO bought and paid Republican Congress has passed laws that prohibit HMO's from being responsible for thier actions. :evil:
btw my wife has survived for 12 years post transplant surgery after living almost a year past her life expectancy for the HMO to finally approve the transplant
[violet]
03-07-2003, 07:26
The term that I've been using for work like Max Barry's is "militant moderate". He's warning us of a possible slide into corporate fascism, but refuses to suggest that we go too far in the other way.
The book seems to support universal health care, income tax, a strong SEC, and strict rules on corporate involvement in politics. This plants it slightly left in America.
It never condemns corporations outright, though, and the EU is depicted as fighting a losing battle, so the book is slightly right in the UK and European countries where government policies often reflect socialist values.
Heheh, "militant moderate." That's neat.
It never condemns corporations outright, though, and the EU is depicted as fighting a losing battle, so the book is slightly right in the UK and European countries where government policies often reflect socialist values.
Yes, I like the term "militant moderate" too. Really though, what I respected about JG was that there wasn't one side of ideas presented as "right" -- just some that were very obviously bad ideas. Like, killing kids to make money, or declaring commercial anarchy without some sort of stable leadership to make it function, etc.
Come to think of it, the most memorable political-stance-revealing scene in the book for me was the one when the teacher at the McDonald's school criticised Hayley's speech. And took a left-of-moderate, but more importantly humanist, stance.
I think how you come down on the politics of the book depends on whether or not you separate capitalism from consumerism. Certainly, the book is anti-consumerism. But, one can imagine free markets without consumerism. It would require a strong education system, but, it could exist.
The book does express the idea that community can only be expressed through government action... and that is to the left.
But, as a libertarian who opposes centralized power, I enjoyed the book... since I favor strong individual autonomy over centralized government or corporate power. Whether big brother is manifest by government or corporations... it is still unwelcome to individual liberty.