Salem-News.com Book Reviews articles

How Capitalism Destroyed American Democracy: Part 1

Book review: The Waste Makers by Vance Packard.

(CALGARY, Alberta) - American journalist and social critic Vance Packard (1914-1996) was the originator of the pop sociology book, with The Hidden Persuaders, his million-selling 1957 exposé of the use of consumer motivational research and other psychological techniques, including depth psychology and subliminal tactics by advertisers to manipulate expectations and induce desire for products.

It was followed two years later by The Status Seekers where he described American social stratification and behavior. The next year, 1960, saw publication of The Waste Makers, and here we are today, almost exactly a half-century later, exploring the outcome of his ground breaking book.