Rich people things : [real life secrets of the predator class] / Chris Lehmann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lehmann, Chris.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elite (Social sciences)--United States.

Elite (Social sciences).

United States.

Rich people--United States.

Rich people.

Wealth--United States.

Wealth.

United States--Social conditions--21st century.

Social conditions.

Social classes--United States.

Social classes.

Physical Description:

v, 247 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

Updated edition, Expanded edition.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Ill. : Haymarket Books ; [Minneapolis, Minn.] : Trade distribution in the US, Consortium Book Sales and Distribution, 2011.

Summary:

How do the very well-to-do keep their edge? In Rich People Things, Chris Lehmann lays bare the various dogmas and delusions that prop up plutocratic rule in the post-meltdown age. It's a humorous and harrowing tale of warped populism, phony reform, and blind deference to the nation's financial elite.

From ideological stanchions such as the Free Market, through the bastions of the liberal media, including the New York Times and Wired magazine, to gatekeepers such as David Brooks and Alan Greenspan, Lehmann covers the vast array of comforting and comprehensive protections that allow the uber-privileged to maintain their iron grip on almost half of America's wealth. With chapters on Malcolm Gladwell, the Supreme Court, the memoir, and more, few are spared from Lehmann's pointed prose. As the author explains, "American class privilege is very much like the idea of sex in a Catholic school-it's not supposed to exist in the first place, but once it presents itself in your mind's eye, you realize that it's everywhere." Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The US Constitution 9

2 The New York Times 15

3 Meritocracy 21

4 Populism 27

5 David Brooks 33

6 The Free Market 41

7 The Stock Market 47

8 "Class Warfare" 53

9 The Democratic Party 59

10 The Prosperity Gospel 65

11 Wired Magazine 71

12 The Creative Class 77

13 Malcolm Gladwell 85

14 Reality Television 93

15 Damien Hirst 101

16 Ayn Rand 107

17 The Memoir 115

18 The Supreme Court 121

19 Higher Learning 127

20 The Troubled Asset Relief Program 137

21 The Lobbying World 145

22 Libertarianism 153

23 The iPad 163

24 Steve Forbes 169

25 Alan Greenspan 177

26 The Sporting Life 185

27 Frank Gehry 191

28 The Social Media 201

29 Tax Cuts 211

Conclusion: The Language Problem 221.

Notes:

Subtitle from cover.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1608461521

9781608461523

OCLC:

709681381

Publisher Number:

99957737118