1. Is Putnam correct about
a. Declining social capital in America and
b. A growing opportunity gap between affluent and less well-off children? Explain.
2. American Dan Lawton commenting on his first trip to Africa:
In Ghana, I have danced, eaten, and spoken with more strangers in six weeks than I would have in America in six years, And this paradox—that despite its material wealth and technological might America is so standoffish and lonely—has been burning a hole in my head.
a. Do you agree that Americans are “standoffish and lonely”?
b. If so, do you have any explanation for that condition?
Thus we see that American capitalism, despite its extraordinary success, is criticized for problems of poverty, inequality, and unfairness, among others. Perhaps the more interesting concern, however, is mounting evidence that our lives are increasingly solitary, distant, alone, and unshared. The market is driven by and rewards individual achievement.