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Sunday, June 09, 2002

# Posted 1:37 PM by Dan  

AMERICAN EXCESS. In a thought-provoking piece for the LA Times Magazine (free registration required), Patrick J. Kiger discusses the role of excess in Southern California, but uses it to tell a story about America in general. His overall point: America loves things large. He's right: I find the portions at British restaurants woefully inadequate. A French Anthropologist says the desire for excess comes from the earliest, most primitive structures in our mental evolution: the reptilian brain. "The reptilian wants to grab as much food as possible, to be as big and powerful as possible, because it's focused on survival. When it comes to a choice between the intellect and the reptilian, the reptilian always wins." This does not explain why it is a uniquely American phenomenon. Near the end of the piece, Kiger quotes Benjamin Barber, who said, "One of the reasons America's in trouble now...is that we're perceived as materialists and secular." Really? Our materialism explains global anger toward us? Why, then, does Mullah Omar drive a Limited Edition Toyota Land Cruiser with a CD player, despite the Taliban's prohibition of music?
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