Introduction: inverted quarantine -- Two historical case studies -- The fallout shelter panic of 1961 -- Suburbanization as inverted quarantine -- Assembling a personal commodity bubble for one's body -- Drinking -- Eating -- Breathing -- Consequences of inverted quarantine -- Imaginary refuge -- Political anesthesia -- Conclusion: the future of an illusion -- Notes -- References -- Index
Summary
Many Americans today rightly fear that they are exposed to toxins in their environment. Yet we have responded not by pushing for governmental regulation, but instead by shopping. Andrew Szasz examines this phenomenon and argues that when consumers believe that they are buying a defense from hazards, they feel less urgency to fix them. To achieve real protection, he concludes, we must give up individual solutions and together seek reform
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-317) and index
