Life in a Corporatized WorldRandy Shawbyline‚ Jun. 25‚ 2009Since the post-WWII industrial boom, writers have sought to assess the impact of this development on people’s lives. In the 1950’s, David Riessman’s The Lonely Crowd, William Whyte’s The Organization Man, C. Wright Mills’ White Collar, and David Sloan’s novel, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit all explored how the rise of mass corporate culture in the United States shaped character -- and not for the better. As the 1960’s created even greater middle-class affluence, a new set of books emerged. Such works as Charles Reich’s bestselling, The Greening of America, and Phillip Slater’s The Pursuit of Loneliness raised doubts about our society’s increasingly money-based values. Both offered alternative value systems that they believed would provide more enriching lives. When I heard about Douglas Rushkoff’s new book, Life, Inc., I hoped that it would provide a valuable updating to the above critiques, one more in line with 21st Century America. While it did not fulfill my expectations, Rushkoff provides many insights of how people are more impacted by corporate values than even they likely recognize. |