
‘Money doesn’t kill people, but it changes the fabric of daily life’ - mazsa
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/02/luc-sante-books-interview
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quxbar
> How can you be promoting the life of the poor in the 19th century when so
> many of them didn’t eat every day? Well yeah, it’s bad, but is it really any
> worse than the situation today when everybody’s fed but you have an
> incredible percentage of New Yorkers who live in the shelter system –
> including people who have regular jobs?

For somebody who's an expert on this, I'm shocked at such a reduction. Infant
mortality rates, for example, are more important to me than awesome jazz
clubs.

~~~
coldtea
> _For somebody who 's an expert on this, I'm shocked at such a reduction.
> Infant mortality rates, for example, are more important to me than awesome
> jazz clubs._

"Shocked" at what? It's not like he said today's people should live in 19th
century conditions to create better jazz.

If "infant mortality" rates shock you, then there are much better targets than
a historian talking about jazz clubs in old times. Like the fact that the US,
for all its wealth, resources and technology, lags behinds far too many modern
countries in infant mortality reduction, and what should be done to change
that.

If anything when he says "is it really any worse than the situation today when
everybody’s fed but you have an incredible percentage of New Yorkers who live
in the shelter system" he's really addressing this issue, that there's far too
many things to fix even now.

~~~
jeswin
I can see where the author is coming from and it is all well expressed, but I
can't see how this is anything but "a romanticised vision"; contrary to what
he claims.

If I had to choose between going hungry and living in a shelter but with food
to eat, I'd most certainly choose the latter. If you aren't in that exact
situation though, it would seem bad enough.

Sante also laments how security leads to a decline of liberal lifestyle. Well
that's true and it might seem like a (terrible) loss, but only for men. Women
are able to experience the world better today, thanks to somewhat better
security. Crimes against women have gone down significantly in the last 40
years. Comparing rape incidents per 1000 people in the US, it went down from
2.5 to 0.5 between 1970 and 2000.

So, the author is only seeing one side. It could well be that the situation
has improved overall.

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finalight
money can't kill people, but lack of do kills

~~~
welly
> money can't kill people, but lack of do kills

do?

