The Selfish Capitalist: Origins of Affluenza

The Selfish Capitalist: Origins of Affluenza by James, Oliver. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780091923860.

In the bestselling Affluenza, world-renowned psychologist Oliver James introduced us to a modern-day virus sweeping through the English-speaking world — how our obsessive, envious tendencies make us twice as prone to depression, anxiety and addictions as people in other developed nations. Now The Selfish Capitalist provides more detailed substantiation for the claims made in Affluenza, and outlines the political, economic and social climate in which the virus has grown. A modern-day The State We’re In, the book’s argument will chime with a public deeply disenchanted with all the main political parties. James points out that, since the Seventies, the rich have become much, much richer, yet the average person’s wage has not increased at all. He provides a wealth of evidence to show that we have become more miserable and distressed during this time, and suggests that this is a direct consequence of Thatcherite/Blairite “Selfish Capitalism,” whose most significant act has been to rob the poor to give to the rich. The Selfish Capitalist is a rallying cry to reduce levels of distress by adopting a form of unselfish capitalism. It is a hard-hitting and thought-provoking work that tells us why our personal well-being must take precedence over the wealth of a tiny minority if we are to cure ourselves of this disease.