Clive Chafer

I've read some insubstantial reviews of this book on Goodreads that accuse this book of being insubstantial. Mouth breathers, every one.

It's true that there is a certain political angle to Harvey's analysis, but the facts stand firmly with him. Primary among those facts are the massive transfers of wealth that have widened the gap between rich and poor in the contemporary world. That's not a political opinion, it's a fact.

Secondly, there is the demonstrably negative effects that these transfers have had not just on the poor, but on women as a whole. Yes, some women have benefited, but on the whole the effects have been devastating. Also a fact.

Third, I happen to think that Harvey's politics are pretty sound. The absolute priority of money over people is one of the worst possible ways of viewing both life and society.

Fourth, the timing of this book is exquisite. Harvey turned out to be absolutely right in predicting the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, and what turned out to be the largest-ever transfer of wealth to the wealthiest class in history during the Obama presidency.

Is this really the world we want to live in? To me, it looks very much like a return to the very worst days of oligopoly, a quasi-aristocracy that can and does anything it wants in the pursuit of its own insatiable greed. All it will do is breed unrest and hatred and misery.… (mehr)