Requiem for the American Dream
Requiem for the American Dream is a book on income inequality by political activist and linguist – Noam Chomsky, also labeled as the most influential thinker of our time. A clear summary of the fundamentals and history of mechanisms enabling and sustaining concentration of power to the few with wealth, this book extensively discusses the author’s analysis of neoliberalism, and the process whereby financial markets, financial institutions, and financial elites gain greater influence over economic policy and economic outcomes. Noam Chomsky also considers this masterpiece as his final, long-form documentary interviews that contain his most powerful political ideas with unprecedented, breathtaking directness.
The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power
1. Reduce Democracy
2. Shape Ideology
3. Redesign the Economy
4. Shift the Burden
5. Attack Solidarity
6. Run the Regulators
7. Engineer Elections
8. Keep the Rabble in Line
9. Manufacture Consent
10. Marginalize the Population
"A primer in Chomsky’s analysis of the faults of the American political and economic system. Taking as its backbone the idea that 'a significant part of the American Dream is class mobility: You’re born poor, you work hard, you get rich,' Chomsky systematically documents the many ways the system is rigged from top to bottom to ensure that corporations always win."
— Bill Moyers
"Chomsky observes the present-day United States with such lucid clarity that readers may feel they are viewing familiar terrain for the first time. Chomsky and his collaborators have created a perceptive and revelatory examination of the forces driving America inequality."
— Publishers Weekly
"Noam Chomsky in Requiem for the American Dream directs the fierce light of his intellect on the utopian ideology of neoliberalism, the absurd idea that markets should dictate all aspects of human society. He dissects the disastrous consequences of this ideology for our society, culture, and politics."
— Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt
"While many books attempt to explain how we got to this political moment (some successfully), Noam Chomsky’s latest, Requiem for the American Dream, provides necessary historical context. Zooming in on ten ways that government and corporate interests have kept the American people down, Chomsky offers a compelling history that explains today’s economic and political landscape."
— Huffington Post