Review of Unchecked capitalism is killing us!
Posted: 21 Sep 2023, 05:52
[Following is a volunteer review of "Unchecked capitalism is killing us!" by Earl Rynerson.]
Unchecked capitalism is killing us! by Earl Rynerson is a highly informative book about the effects of unchecked capitalism on American democracy.
Rynerson breaks down his book into industries whose lobbyists have been slowly taking over the government. He uses the “boiling frog” concept to explain the dire situation that the United States is in - this is a concept I learned about in college and at that time it was applied to climate change, but it applies to other problems created by slow changes. This metaphor is certainly applicable here as America’s current clash between citizen needs and corporate greed began 30 years ago, during the Regan years, and worsened when Clinton passed the “Free Trade” agreement with China, moving many of our manufacturing jobs, alongside the taxes those companies would have been paying, off-shore. Rynerson wrote this book as a call for change as he argues that if we continue to let corporations run the country, people will continue to get poorer, sicker, and less tolerant.
I give this book five out of five stars as it is about an important subject, is very well written, and was professionally edited. I only found minor typos which didn't affect my understanding.
However, while I do give this book five out of five stars, it isn't perfect and there are a few changes I would make. The first thing I would fix is the typos. Another thing I would like is more data and statistics when the author says things like “We are getting closer to an oligarch-style of government every month.” While citations are not required in creative nonfiction, I would love to have them provided to fact-check and learn more. I would appreciate knowing the author's sources, especially when Rynerson provides links to the articles and some of the data he references to bolster arguments. I would appreciate some consistency here! I also would love more explanations and definitions for some of the terms used in the book such as “shell games” which I have only heard of in passing. As this is an educational book, I feel like having a list of terms would increase the general public's understanding. I might also change around some of the locations of some of the information such as the Dodd-Frank Act, which is first mentioned and then brought up again and finally explained 8 pages later. Then there are other acts mentioned such as the Bayh–Dolye Act of 1980, which are referenced with little context. All of these things could easily be done through footnotes. The author in general has a few side tangents that could have been a footnote or a note put at the end. I think doing this would have made the book a bit easier to read. I personally really enjoy footnotes because not only are they providing this information, but I think they provide a cleaner overall look. One last thing is that I would also remind the author to be mindful of his tone as one part of his book made me angry. While I believe that calls for change such as these should create some kind of emotional reaction, I felt like framing obese people in the light he did was tasteless. While it may be true that obesity is caused by sugar and eating processed food, I also think it is wrong to make it seem like it is purely their fault and it is wrong to be a society that is tolerant of differences such as weight. It made me angry that the author blamed people for making poor choices right after explaining the sneaky ways industries are purposely making it hard for people to make these healthy choices for themselves. It also seemed to be a bit classist as there are other systemic issues at play when it comes to food accessibility. Sure sugar is addictive and we shouldn't be choosing the processed stuff but it is also often the most accessible food due to price, and other factors. I feel like the author should be promoting empathy showing that maybe we shouldn’t judge people for choices that they might not have made intentionally, especially since sugar addiction begins early as he pointed out in this chapter. If I were going to further edit the book I would be extra mindful of my tone and where I'm placing the blame, especially when I want to appeal to a varied audience.
However, this book is still worth reading. There were many things that I enjoyed about this book. One thing I liked is the author's transparency surrounding his political affiliations, education, and other demographic data which can be used to determine where potential bias may lie. As this is a highly political book, having this information easily available helped me believe the many facts presented. I also enjoyed that Rynerson presented solutions at the end of every chapter in addition to having a full chapter dedicated to the subject. He presents solutions that can be implemented on a few different levels that vary in complexity. This easily could have had a different tone, but including these solutions leaves a glimmer of hope that change is possible. The last thing I enjoyed was how the author, in some chapters points out the most important segments to remember. The boom has a lot of information that tells the story of US economic policy and the impact on the people that has led us to where we are today. This amount of data can sometimes be hard to digest, and having this section reinforces the important information.
I would recommend this to university students studying political science or those interested in the effects of capitalism. At times it feels like the kind of textbook that I would have been assigned while finishing my political science minor. I would suggest a wider audience read this book as it talks about extremely important topics, but I'm not sure how much of the general public would have the fortitude to complete this book as it is extremely long and even I, who chose the book as I was interested in the subject, struggled to get through it as it is extremely fact heavy. However, I do recommend those who read this book discuss its contents with others as well as try some of the solutions for themselves.
******
Unchecked capitalism is killing us!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Unchecked capitalism is killing us! by Earl Rynerson is a highly informative book about the effects of unchecked capitalism on American democracy.
Rynerson breaks down his book into industries whose lobbyists have been slowly taking over the government. He uses the “boiling frog” concept to explain the dire situation that the United States is in - this is a concept I learned about in college and at that time it was applied to climate change, but it applies to other problems created by slow changes. This metaphor is certainly applicable here as America’s current clash between citizen needs and corporate greed began 30 years ago, during the Regan years, and worsened when Clinton passed the “Free Trade” agreement with China, moving many of our manufacturing jobs, alongside the taxes those companies would have been paying, off-shore. Rynerson wrote this book as a call for change as he argues that if we continue to let corporations run the country, people will continue to get poorer, sicker, and less tolerant.
I give this book five out of five stars as it is about an important subject, is very well written, and was professionally edited. I only found minor typos which didn't affect my understanding.
However, while I do give this book five out of five stars, it isn't perfect and there are a few changes I would make. The first thing I would fix is the typos. Another thing I would like is more data and statistics when the author says things like “We are getting closer to an oligarch-style of government every month.” While citations are not required in creative nonfiction, I would love to have them provided to fact-check and learn more. I would appreciate knowing the author's sources, especially when Rynerson provides links to the articles and some of the data he references to bolster arguments. I would appreciate some consistency here! I also would love more explanations and definitions for some of the terms used in the book such as “shell games” which I have only heard of in passing. As this is an educational book, I feel like having a list of terms would increase the general public's understanding. I might also change around some of the locations of some of the information such as the Dodd-Frank Act, which is first mentioned and then brought up again and finally explained 8 pages later. Then there are other acts mentioned such as the Bayh–Dolye Act of 1980, which are referenced with little context. All of these things could easily be done through footnotes. The author in general has a few side tangents that could have been a footnote or a note put at the end. I think doing this would have made the book a bit easier to read. I personally really enjoy footnotes because not only are they providing this information, but I think they provide a cleaner overall look. One last thing is that I would also remind the author to be mindful of his tone as one part of his book made me angry. While I believe that calls for change such as these should create some kind of emotional reaction, I felt like framing obese people in the light he did was tasteless. While it may be true that obesity is caused by sugar and eating processed food, I also think it is wrong to make it seem like it is purely their fault and it is wrong to be a society that is tolerant of differences such as weight. It made me angry that the author blamed people for making poor choices right after explaining the sneaky ways industries are purposely making it hard for people to make these healthy choices for themselves. It also seemed to be a bit classist as there are other systemic issues at play when it comes to food accessibility. Sure sugar is addictive and we shouldn't be choosing the processed stuff but it is also often the most accessible food due to price, and other factors. I feel like the author should be promoting empathy showing that maybe we shouldn’t judge people for choices that they might not have made intentionally, especially since sugar addiction begins early as he pointed out in this chapter. If I were going to further edit the book I would be extra mindful of my tone and where I'm placing the blame, especially when I want to appeal to a varied audience.
However, this book is still worth reading. There were many things that I enjoyed about this book. One thing I liked is the author's transparency surrounding his political affiliations, education, and other demographic data which can be used to determine where potential bias may lie. As this is a highly political book, having this information easily available helped me believe the many facts presented. I also enjoyed that Rynerson presented solutions at the end of every chapter in addition to having a full chapter dedicated to the subject. He presents solutions that can be implemented on a few different levels that vary in complexity. This easily could have had a different tone, but including these solutions leaves a glimmer of hope that change is possible. The last thing I enjoyed was how the author, in some chapters points out the most important segments to remember. The boom has a lot of information that tells the story of US economic policy and the impact on the people that has led us to where we are today. This amount of data can sometimes be hard to digest, and having this section reinforces the important information.
I would recommend this to university students studying political science or those interested in the effects of capitalism. At times it feels like the kind of textbook that I would have been assigned while finishing my political science minor. I would suggest a wider audience read this book as it talks about extremely important topics, but I'm not sure how much of the general public would have the fortitude to complete this book as it is extremely long and even I, who chose the book as I was interested in the subject, struggled to get through it as it is extremely fact heavy. However, I do recommend those who read this book discuss its contents with others as well as try some of the solutions for themselves.
******
Unchecked capitalism is killing us!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon