ABSTRACT
The Surplus American considers a future where increasing numbers of Americans will be rendered jobless and redundant. Exploring the ongoing crisis of 'surplus people' today, authors Charles Derber and Yale Magrass show that the jobless are merely the tip of the iceberg. Drawing on the work of economists and highlighting new trends, the book identifies a number of primary groups within the category of 'surplus' including the underemployed, people forcibly removed or induced to leave the labour force and retirees. Derber and Magrass argue that a majority of the US public is now part of the surplus population constituting an integral part of the economy. The authors conclude that these movements will be essential to solving the crisis of surplus people and redirecting the economy in a more positive direction.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |109 pages
You're Fired
chapter |4 pages
Americans as a Surplus People
chapter |6 pages
Who Are the Surplus People?
chapter |4 pages
How to Make Money from the Creation of Surplus People
chapter |6 pages
The Four Roots of Surplus People Production
chapter |2 pages
How Many Surplus People Are There in the United States?
chapter |2 pages
Introducing the History of Surplus People
chapter |3 pages
How Capitalism Created Surplus People Right from the Very Beginning
chapter |3 pages
How American Capitalists Controlled the Surplus Population before World War I
chapter |3 pages
World War I and the Roaring Twenties
chapter |2 pages
The Great Depression Begins
chapter |6 pages
Roosevelt, Keynes, and the New Deal
chapter |6 pages
America at Its Height
chapter |5 pages
America Enters Decline
chapter |7 pages
The Age of Reagan
chapter |8 pages
Does Our Theory Hold Up?
chapter |2 pages
What to Do? The Tea Party and the Occupy Movement
chapter |4 pages
The Tea Party and the Dangerous Politics of Reaction
chapter |2 pages
The Occupy Movement and the Politics of Hope
chapter |15 pages
The Past and Future of the Occupy Movement
chapter |16 pages
Why a Play Is an Effective Way to Discuss Politics and Economics
part |77 pages
I Like Firing People
part |32 pages
I Like Firing People: A Version Performed at Boston College