Hi Raymond Duray; Re: "They are a fine introduction to any individual considering putting money in the markets, and I highly recommend them both to thoughtful readers." I haven't read the new book, but I have Extraordinary Popular Delusions, and treasure it. At this time I think the market is still way over valued, and I'm not getting near it. Maybe in 5 years. But the fact is that having bubble markets is not a good indicator of an Empire's demise. Britain had them for hundreds of years before they fell off the throne of the world.
Re: "I come down on the side of Mark Twain and the Anti-Imperialist League which was active a century ago. I believe you think America's hegemony of the world's commerce and homogenization of cultures is an acceptable future."
(1) American hegemony is probably overstated. The rest of the world has as much of an effect on the US as vice versa. What the US does is take the culture of the world and repackage it for mass consumption. The only reason this works is because human desires are mostly universal. McDonalds, for instance, sells "hamburgers", which are named for a German city.
(2) The homogenization of cultures is only going to proceed exactly as far as the desires of the people making up those cultures are homogenous. Most people choose where to spend money based on what they want. If McDonalds is able to attract customers in Paris, then certain snobs will simply have to rethink their estimate of what Paris culture was really like before McDonalds "replaced" it. If the Parisians really are different, then McDonalds won't work there. It's not like McDonalds is going to force people to buy their crappy product at gunpoint.
Re: "Think of WalMart bullying it's way into markets in Mexico and China, using its tremendous corporate treasury to ruthlessly destroy indigenous retailers." If Walmart is doing anything other than trying to maximize corporate net worth I'd imagine that the shareholders would be a mite upset. Instead of throwing away money ruthlessly destroying "indigenous retailers", I'd guess that Walmart is out competing them. That means they're providing the locals with products cheaper than before. In addition, I doubt that Walmart exports US labor to run those Mexican Walmarts.
It's already been proved by massive illegal immigration that the "indigenous" population of Mexico and China would rather live in the US. They want to come to the US, and the vast majority want to come here for no reason other than so that they can eat crappy food at McDonalds, buy cheap goods at Walmart, work at the local equivalent of Nike sweat shops, and live in identical, mass manufactured ticky-tacky housing. Oh, and have healthy lives, with the best health system in the world, where the citizens live an average of 54 months older than in Mexico and China (73/79 vs 70/77 and 68/71):
efmoody.com
Your perception of them as having their culture destroyed by the US is elitist and possibly racist. The US isn't destroying their culture, they are. They're running away from their own culture as fast as they can.
If you want to go visit a place where the natives live like they did 200 years ago, why do you take the low road and wish for laws who's primary effect is keeping the 3rd world in a very much undesired obsolete historical era? If you want to see how primitive man lived there are plenty of places to see it in the advanced world. But of course there, you're going to have to pay full freight because free workers aren't going to display themselves in poverty for your appreciation at less than the full US minimum wage. It's much kinder and gentler than keeping the slaves on the cotton plantations so that you can enjoy a relaxing mint julep without having the inconvenience of seeing a motor vehicle.
Your desire is not uncommon, and there are plenty of places right here in the US that cater to it. For example, if you like seeing huge amounts of wood being inefficiently converted into glass (lots of jobs, but the resulting glass is too expensive for poor people to even think about buying it) using preindustrial techniques, you can do it right here:
Inside the reconstructed Glasshouse of 1608, skilled artisans produce glassware in much the same manner as did 17th-century craftsmen.
apva.org
It's too bad that visiting stuff like this in the US won't be as plush as living on high value dollars among people who would beg for the chance to risk their lives to trade places with you, but at least here in the US you can look them in the eye as equals.
-- Carl |
