Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Prof. Jerome Manis has made his latest book, America’s 100 Million Victims, available as a pdf file for free download. Check out Jerry’s other books at his website.

Preface...................................................................4
1. The Question of Victimhood............................5
2. Å Nation of Victims.........................................14
3. Criminology and Victimology........................23
4. 100 Million Dropouts.......................................34
5. 68 Million Mentally Ill......................................44
6. 50 Million Smokers.........................................53
7. 47 Million Uninsured.......................................63
8. 37 Million in Poverty.......................................71
9. The Costs of Victimhood...............................79
10, Victims of Democracy...................................91
Conclusion..........................................................104

As the bankers get bailed out while homeowners are still thrown out on the street by foreclosures, have you noticed that conservative pundits often try to blame the homeowners themselves for the economic meltdown? This passage from the book is one that I found relevant. It is plucked out of a much larger context that Jerry builds before we get to this:

Rejecting the view that the complainants of recession could be victims has become a widespread explanation by many conservatives. In recent decades, the conception of victimhood has been rejected and its exponents have been targeted as “un-American.” Among the many justifications are the established traditions of individualism, personal responsibility, and penalties for failure.

There is also a new article for download on greed (see website) which is very timely, considering the present economic meltdown and its antecedents.

I hope you’ll take the opportunity to learn more about Jerry’s writing through his gift of this book free for anyone to download.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/06/2009 03:34:00 PM