Stacked Deck: A Story of Selfishness in America [Hardcover]

Lawrence Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1998

Americans for generations have been raised with the mantra that we can grow up to be anything we want to be, achieve anything we can imagine. How many of us believe the message? Dream big. It is a fundamental ideology of unbounded opportunity underscoring our drive to succeed. Yet for many Americans the reality, no matter how hard they try, is far from the visions of glory, the unattainable dream of rags to riches that leaves them feeling like failures. To understand this ideology and its effect on society, Lawrence E. Mitchell instructs us to look at the myth of individualism that pervades our laws, our social thought, our institutions, and our philosophies. It is the touchstone of our national debates on welfare reform, salary equity, FDA regulations, and a criminal defendant's right to a fair trial-and it even infiltrates our private lives every time we argue about the division of household chores or television time.In "Stacked Deck", Mitchell shows us how this artificial reality buries the way we truly live. Mitchell uses examples drawn from history, politics, law, and culture to show how our singular concern with fairness has diminished our sense of vulnerability, so that our ideas of justice, equality, and efficiency are modeled on the capabilities of the strongest in society. Large scale examples-such as blue collar layoffs and corporate downsizing, natural disasters and catastrophic illnesses-illustrate the rickety bridge between comfort and disaster. We must be reminded that we are all vulnerable to the forces of economics, society, politics, and nature. Thus, Mitchell proposes, those who start out at the top tend to stay there, just as the weak tend to remain weak."Stacked Deck" does more than outline this problem of American selfishness; it proposes a solution that is nothing less than a massive reconception of the way we relate to one another. Mitchell retains what is productive about the myth of the self-reliant individual, while asserting what is necessary to restore a sense of community. He suggests a sweeping intellectual recovery of fairness available to all levels of American society, thereby reclaiming our true sense of responsibility to others in society. Author note: Lawrence E. Mitchell is John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law at George Washington University. He is the editor of Progressive Corporate Law and the co-author of "Corporate Finance and Governance: Cases, Materials, and Problems for an Advanced Course in Corporations".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Startling consistent economic strength is withering old economic theories in this country. But one fact remains constant: even this spectacular economic performance has left most Americans running in place or not yet on their feet, and that will not change unless the strongest among us are prepared to share their good fortune with the weakest among us. Why we should believe in 'togetherness,' for both pragmatic and moral reasons, is the unique message of this well-wrought, eminently readable work." --Mario M. Cuomo

From the Publisher

Reversing the pattern of entrenched individualism in American society

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (February 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566395925
• ISBN-13: 978-1566395922
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stacked Deck is a must read!, April 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stacked Deck: A Story of Selfishness in America (Hardcover)

Larry Mitchell has written a heartfelt and compassionate book that sucessfully debunks the American myth of self-reliance at all costs. If you have ever wondered why we have lost a sense of community, why the rich get richer while others do not, or why we have lost the valuable human connections that make life worth living, you must read his book. Mitchell adeptly shows why we are all vulnerable in some way and why we should care about the less fortunate -- who have had the deck stacked against them by our institutions and our thoughtless devotion to self-reliance. Stacked Deck is a must read. If we pay attention to Mitchell's argument, we might make a more compassionate world.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book because you care., February 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stacked Deck: A Story of Selfishness in America (Hardcover)

Some authors, in effort to strengthen their own message, try and impress the reader with intellectual jargon. Instead, it puts many readers to sleep (and the book back on the shelf). Other authors, in effort to attract a broader audience, dilute their message with simple prose and, unfortunately, simplistic ideas. Mitchell's recipe for success is his ability to toe the line without reducing the impact of his message. This book should be read by every person who is not an Ivy League graduate, a country club member, or a BMW owner--and, more importantly, this book should be read by every person who is.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptionally well-thought-out exposition on fairness., June 18, 1999

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Charles D. Hayes (Wasilla, AK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stacked Deck: A Story of Selfishness in America (Hardcover)

Mitchell asks the question each and every one of us should ask ourselves at every opportunity, "Why do we treat the obviously vulnerable as different and vulnerability as pathological?" Then he states what should be obvious but is decidedly not: "A society that cares for your child will be a society in which your child cares for others." This book deserves a wide audience.