Chapter 5: The Politics of Greed Summary and Analysis

Greed is part of human nature, but most parents do not want to raise their children to be greedy. The church was one of the only places where the evils of greed had been discussed. With New Age thinking that everyone can have whatever they want, fueled by the decline of the church, concern for the ethics of greed is fading. The eighties saw communal concern for justice and social welfare replaced by "conservative notions of individual responsibility and self-centered materialism." (page 64)

The idealism of students to battle oppressive capitalism quickly faded with the opportunities for wealth and advancement they encountered in the real world. These individuals represent the dawning of a generation truly blind to sex or race—they are willing to abandon their own race or gender for their own...