ABSTRACT
A boorish and persistent army of meddlers, equipped with righteous indignation and a formidable array of theories and technologies, has made almost everyone's business its own. Meddling in the lives of others is the republic's most visible obsession. For in late-twentieth-century America the term—which carries with it a multitude of negative connotations—has been euphemized through a wide variety of double-talk. In a nation devoted to converting every privilege, need, aspiration, and interest into a right, it becomes more and more difficult to escape the wrath of someone's meddlesome behavior. Although there are many different species and subspecies of meddlers, most fall into two basic groups: amateur or avocational meddlers and professional or vocational meddlers. Despite the loftiness of motive, however, the primary task of all vocational meddlers is staying in business. Finally, there is a pervasive cultural mood that provides both a context and an impetus to meddling in modern society.
