Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Looking backward

Thomas Sowells article earlier was entitled Looking Back, which reminded me of the great book by Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward. It's a utopian novel set in the far off time of 2000. Anyway I looked up the project Gutenberg version of this novel and started reading it when I came across this passage. See if it reminds you of anything in our modern world.
The great city bazaar crushed its country rivals with branch stores, and in the city itself absorbed its smaller rivals till the business of a whole quarter was concentrated under one roof, with a hundred former proprietors of shops serving as clerks. Having no business of his own to put his money in, the small capitalist, at the same time that he took service under the corporation, found no other investment for his money but its stocks and bonds, thus becoming doubly dependent upon it.
Like I said, does that remind you anything in particular?

No comments: