Whimsley

Book Review in Winnipeg Free Press

Thanks to MC for letting me know about this. From Sunday's Winnipeg Free Press:

A different take on consumer power

Sunday, July 30th, 2006. Reviewed by Lindsey Wiebe

'WE make choices every day," writes Ontario author Tom Slee. "We choose the clothes we wear, the way we travel, the movies we watch, and the places we shop."

But even with all this choice, Slee says, the rich are getting richer, while the middle class and poor are losing ground.

"What has gone wrong?" he asks in this thought-provoking mix of academic and social critique.

"Why is it that with more choices than any in society in history, we do not get what we want?"

These basic questions form the underpinnings of this first book by the Waterloo software professional and researcher.

In it, Slee explores the pitfalls of a free-market economy; in particular, what he refers to as "MarketThink," the idea that consumers control the market, and can hold corporations accountable.

Slee does his best to debunk this mindset, arguing that even the most reasonable of individual decisions can produce negative results for the general public.

Much of the book revolves around the fictional foibles of Jack and Jill, who live in the made-up town of Whimsley.

Slee uses the characters to illustrate the routine conflicts between personal and public gain.

Should Jack support a downtown department store, or visit a newly opened big-box development? And does it really matter if Jill leaves litter in a public park, when surely others will be more environmentally conscious?

No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart also draws on real-world examples of difficult choices, tackling everything from the issue of herd mentality to the problem of "free-riders," those who act in their own best interests while assuming, often mistakenly, that others will work for the public good.

Slee's reasoning is persuasive, and his examples numerous and far-reaching: the contentious subject of international pollution credits, for one, or the perennial public vs. private school debate.

But although No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart is more accessible than the average academic text, it still falls short of mass-market appeal, and those unfamiliar with game theory might find some sections slower than others.

Slee's pacing is often sluggish, and the overall arrangement of material feels unfocused. The sheer number of examples to deconstruct is also a little daunting, an ironic flaw in a book about the dilemmas of choice.

Slee may have been better off focusing on fewer but more detailed examples to plead his case.

On the positive side, Slee's in-text citations are clear and easy to follow, and readers hoping to learn more about the complexities of decision-making will come out with a solid list of followup books.

No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart doesn't qualify as light summer reading. However, the book does offer an intriguing critique of dominant ideas on consumer power, and puts forward a valid argument for the benefits of collective decision-making and regulation.

Lindsey Wiebe is a Free Press reporter.

bytech is a discerning individual

Doing one of my periodic googles for the book title, I came across this post by one "bytech" on a webmasters' forum. Obviously a Manitoban of taste and insight.

Quote: Originally Posted by blind2web:

"Nobody forces American or British companies to move to low cost countries; these decisions are made in Britain and America by Britains and Americans. "

bytech says: "While I agree with you, there is a hook to this. I discovered it after reading "No One Makes You Shop At Wal-Mart". It put a whole new meaning to the word "choice"... I'd recommend the book to almost anyone. You'll see your life from there-on in a whole new way."

Thank you bytech!

Link: Indian Webmasters - Page 2 - Webmaster Forum.

Featured Item

I'm a featured item in the rabble bookstore. Nice.

Book Review in This Magazine

This Magazine reviews No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart in its July/August 2006 edition. Here is what This has to say:

In our free society, even socially and economically progressive outlooks buy into the notion of personal consumer choice. Don't like Wal-Mart's labour practices? If that's the case, they say, vote with your feet and shop somewhere else. But, ironically, this belief reinforces the unrealistically simplified world view Tom Slee calls MarketThink -- the philosophical bedrock of capitalism -- which claims that rational choices will always lead to good outcomes. By examining the complications arising from the choices we make, Slee shows that free choice is actually a deception, and that instead of consistently achieving the best results, a society based on individual choice will often collectively experience negative outcomes, such as, ironically, a limit to the amount of choice we are offered. The solution? In framing the ideas of social philosophers and economists in an accessible way that brings the philosophical to the realm of the practical, Slee makes a solid case for collective action in a world of choice that is inherently interconected, putting to shame the simplistic assumptions of the free market world view. -- Vladi Ivanov

Update: The review is now online.

Book Review

Good news! the first review of No One Makes You Shop At Wal-Mart has appeared!

Bad news: it's not what I'd call glowing.

Nevertheless, in the interests of full and fair disclosure, and gritting my teeth, I hereby reproduce the whole thing. I understand that the protocol for real authors is that you don't criticize reviews, and I'll do my best imitation of a real author and bite my tongue.

It's from the June 2006 edition of Quill & Quire, p. 51.

Anyone who has tried to shepherd a child through the endless rows of toys in a department store with the proviso that only one item may be purchased knows the emotional devastation that can be wrought from the dilemma of too many choices. It's the deceptive nature of choice in our society that provides the focal point for Tom Slee's philosophical inquiry into how and why we do certain things, even when our decisions conflict with our moral compass.

Slee, a research scientist and software professional, is intrigued by the notion that a society marketing itself as full of wondrous choices is nonetheless marked by a happiness quotient that's in continual decline.

We do have choices, from whether or not to smoke, drive vehicles with poor safety records, eat foods high in trans fats, or buy certain brands of shoes and clothing. But Slee wonders whether those choices are determined by free will or are driven by a hidden hand, a cultural subtext that provides only the illusion of freedom.

To illustrate his points, Slee creates a number of scenarios in the fictitious community of Whimsley, where Jack and Jill deal with issues such as the conflict between shopping in a suburban big box or supporting downtown independent stores, or the pros and cons of using lawyers during a divorce. All of these things, Slee argues, involve different levels of choice, and in some situations, a lack of choice actually results in a better outcome. He also explores the world of game theory with respect to choice, and analyzes the role of what he calls MarketThink -- the logic of the so-called free market that has driven economics for the past few decades (also known as globalization or corporate control).

Unfortunately, Slee's approach is often difficult to follow as he tries to piece together these various strands. It's almost as if Slee falls victim to having too many choices with regard to settling on a writing style, making for an uneven text that could have benefited from more coherence and continuity. Slee also makes numerous references to the notion of collective action as an alternative to MarketThink, but this thesis is never really developed, leaving the reader wondering why Slee chose not to explore what seems like a logical conclusion to the book's central issue. - Matthew Behrens, a writer and editor in Toronto.

Oddly enough, I actually knew Mr. Behrens slightly many years ago.

How could this review be rephrased? how about this?

emotional ... philosopical ... moral.

Oh well. On to the next one!

Book Launch!

The date for a book launch at the local bookstore has been set. Here's the poster (click to enlarge).