Economics as a Symptom of Sadism

Since the book is not exclusively on economics, I need to say a few words about the title. The title reflects the theme of the book - which is an analysis of pathology in American culture and education. My book might be called an expose, but I don't like to think of it that way. The chapters on celebrities and CEOs don't reveal their secret lives. They are exposes in the sense that the book reveals the confusion of image with reality in the hero worship of actors, anchors, athletes, and CEOs. The chapter on economics addresses the legitimizing myths economists endorse to justify inequalities in income. There is a concern with American education, and I touch on that. But what I say about graduate schools would really be a revelation. Most people know nothing about it. I think they would be fascinated to learn. From a graduate student's point of view, graduate schools are the most totalitarian institutions in the country and the social consequences for everyone are considerable, but never realized, never faced. If Sammy Sosa hits a home run that means he hit a ball hard with a bat. So what? It almost seems like sacrilege to say that. The media not only indoctrinates, it intimidates. I think I never heard anyone say that. Don't agree with me? But could I say, "So what?" on TV? There would be no more chance of saying that on TV than there would be of criticizing Saddam Hussein on Iraqi TV when he was in power. That is censorship. Millions of people are fans, but millions of people are not. "The Media is the Censor" is one chapter, and there is more on censorship, lawyers, Congress, and justice as fairness.