Griftopia
2010 book by Matt Taibbi / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America is a 2010 book by American political journalist Matt Taibbi about the events that led to the financial crisis of 2008.
Author | Matt Taibbi |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Publisher | Spiegel & Grau |
Publication date | November 2010 |
Media type | Print, e-book |
Pages | 252 |
ISBN | 978-0385529952 |
OCLC | 795624595 |
Preceded by | The Great Derangement |
Followed by | The Divide |
It argues that the crisis was not an accident of the free market but the result of a complex and ongoing politico-financial process taking place in the United States whereby wealth and power are transferred to a super-rich "grifter class" that holds a grip on the political process. Taibbi maintains that "all of us, conservatives and progressives, are being bled dry by a tiny oligarchy of extremely clever criminals and their castrato henchmen in government."[1]
Critical reception was mixed. One observer described Griftopia as "necessary ... corrective" of the assertion that bubbles are inevitable in the market system,[2] and another review said the book contests the idea greed of the American consumer was a primary cause of the problem.[3] More negative reviews described Griftopia as "superficial and one-sided"[4] and as spoiled by Taibbi's use of hyperbolic and profane language.[5][2]