Western Culture: American Prosperity and Consumption

In his thought-provoking book, Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive, Jonathan Walton uncovers some of the hard truths about American culture. In this excerpt, he describes the consumption associated with the American way of life.

At the turn of World War II, with much of the world in disarray, the United States accounted for 50 percent of the world economic output, cementing its monetary dominance. Decades later, the United States still holds 25 percent of global output and the largest economy. Closer to home, the US median…