Spirit Level, The [Paperback]

 

 

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This book is very well documented. It allows us to get informed about the consequences of choices we collectively made for decades. At the same time, it shows us that health problems in America are not only medical problems that could be solved by an extended medicare system.

DIAGNOSIS.......I do have to applaud the authors, Wilkinson and Pickett, for their inclusive research into this topic. While the numerous charts, graphs and descriptions do become somewhat repetitive at times, the message, itself, is very clear; Only in equality based societies can we experience a political and economic standard that views all persons as being deserving. In societies that have vast differences in wealth between those in the upper 10% income brackets vs. those in the lower 10% (such as the U.S.) the social ills are many times greater than in the equality based societies (Scandinavia). Teenage pregnancies, life expectancies, general health care, incarceration rates, acts of violence, prejudices and racism, etc... are all glaring examples of excess in the unequally based social structures.

PROGNOSIS......I do have to fully disagree with the author's and their solutions on how to reverse this decadent trend. They speak of the overall history of mankind as having evolved from cave-man status, past slavery and into greater and more equal civil rights and, by doing so, imply that we shall evolve past our unequal status into one that is more congenial for all involved. Unfortunately what the authors fail to take into account is that not all societies evolve. Some simply decay and die. If upward social evolution were always the case we would all be still under the control of the Roman Empire! No, there are numerous cultures and societies that have reached an apex and then failed from their internal workings. They no longer considered what was best for society as a whole but, rather, what was best for the controlling elite and what steps they needed to take to increase both their monies and overall power and social control. Such, to my chagrin, appears to be the prognosis for countries such as the U.S. and England. Corporate interests, on the heels of 'free trade' agreements, have gained nearly complete control over the democratic process and have unlimited monies in which to invest in their future and right-slanted political campaigns. While I agree that the human spirit is strong and that co-op economic relationships can ease the slide into complete destruction, I feel that inevitably the handwriting was put on the wall in the mid '70s and is not about to be erased by progressives like myself and the authors. What this book strongly suggests is a movement toward a more socialistic form of government of which I would be all in favour of. But, alas, the American public is presently so uninformed about the simple meaning of the word 'socialism' that they automatically reject it prior to any level of understanding can occur. Affiliates like Fox News and right-wing radio flood the airways with propaganda that is directly against the contents of this text such that any rational concepts fall on completely deaf ears. Generally, citizens of affluent societies, over time, become 'fat and lazy' and no longer can recall the principles that led to their success let alone make the changes necessary to prevent their future downfall.

Alas, poor readers......Read this text for how society was and how it should be and not for how it is going to be. No, I do not suggest that any of us should quit our idealistic stances nor that authors such as these have their voices be quieted. None of us should..."..go quietly into that good night.". I am simply attempting to point out the elephant that been in our room for quite some time now.

P.S. No one should buy this book who merely thinks it is a manual on how to take care of goldfish. :)

One does not have to google too deep to be convinced the authors; Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, are active advocates for progressive causes so the uneasy feeling that the evidence presented in their book was sifted and selected to suit the author's preconceptions should not cause much surprise. Indeed, by the end of the book the authors have cast aside any pretence of being disinterested researchers. This is not to suggest their effort should be written off as political rhetoric, just that a grain or two of salt may be called for.

The bulk of the book is devoted to examining, one by one, various social ills and demonstrating they are correlated, in rich societies at least, to the degree of income inequality within the society. The greater the inequality; the worse off the society, regardless of its overall wealth. This explains, for example, why the USA, one of the world's wealthiest countries, has higher levels of mental illness, lower life expectancies and so on, than poorer countries in which income is distributed more equally than in the U.S. The results are consistent both in comparisons between selected rich countries and in comparisons between the U.S. individual states. The data presented is extensive and well documented.

It is easy to concur with the authors. After all, isn't it obvious that taking inequality to the extreme by limiting all income to one or a few individuals would be disastrous? And too, we have the example of the odious income of Wall Street bankers which has had less than ideal results. Still, some of the correlations cited are more difficult to accept as causal than others. For example, call it a gut feel but it seems likely something more than just income inequality is needed to explain high rates of obesity. The authors themselves concede the evidence linking inequality to social mobility (achieving a higher status than your parents) is weak. On the other side, the data and discussion on why income equality leads to greater violence was revealing and fascinating. We could do worse than to incorporate some of this thinking into our social planning. In some instances Mr. Wilkinson and Ms. Pickett are repetitive, driving their points home maybe once too often but, on balance, their hypothesis is well developed.

Early in the book the authors cite the case of a young, unemployed lad who spent a month's income purchasing the latest cell phone in order to be more attractive to girls. If you can accept the author's contention that such behaviour is entirely normal and efforts to limit the damage it causes should be focused on ensuring the lad has a more adequate income then this book should hit home with you and contains much data you might find useful and informative. But if you feel the lad's cell phone purchase was irresponsible or at least has elements of irresponsibility and the damage could best be limited by smartening the boy up then you will be less enamoured with the book. In either case, it is worth a read.

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1.0 out of 5 stars not worth the paper
I had to give a one star because i could not give nothing...! This book is not worth the paper it is written on: this is not the kind of wisdom, of sprit, we need in the world... Read more

Published 3 months ago by zirka

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