Radio Curious

When we purchase and consume what we believe is necessary for our  lives, do we obtain what we need or do we end up with what the forces of 21st century capitalism tell us what we need?  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Benjamin Barber, author of “Consumed, How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole.”The concepts of dumbing down the consumer and the development of brand devotion in the early years of a person’s life are explored in this book. I spoke with Benjamin Barber from his home in New York City in early April, 2007 and began our conversation by asking him to explain how consumers are targeted in a way that there will never be enough shoppers, and how consumers are as he states, infantilized.

Benjamin Barber is a Senior Research Scholar at The Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society of The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, the President and Founder of the Interdependence Movement, and Walt Whitman Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Rutgers University.

The book he recommends is “The March” E.L. Doctorow.  This interview was recorded on April 9, 2007, and was originally broadcast April 11, 2007.

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