In a message dated 97-06-16 18:44:01 EDT, you write: >"Harvard prof tells working class to tighten belts; working class raises >middle finger in response." > >How do you do this critique without risking snobbery? > >Doug While I too use much of Schor's work, I have always been bothered by a few things: 1. there really is a lack of class analysis--the work uses income as the defining factor, and ignores the fact that very wealthy people consume and waste a whole lot more than people in the working class--whether they are part of the union aristocracy or not. 2. It ignores an analysis of where consumerism comes from--consumerism is to capitalism as the sacraments are to Catholicism. Consumerism is fostered by capitalism: it is what keeps us in debt and makes banks rich. For people to reduce consumption, they must somehow reject the heart of capitalism. maggie coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
