This is Neoliberalism, Part V: the false promise of “Choice”

Beware of politicians, pundits and experts who say they support consumer “choice” — that word does not mean what you think it means.

Milton Friedman was Reagan’s “favorite economist”. [Source: Iowa Public Radio | Photo: Wikimedia Commons]

As progressives we must always — and I mean ALWAYS — be on guard about ANY conservative or centrist argument that uses the word “choice.” These types of attacks utilize the talking points and the philosophical underpinnings of neoliberalism as set forth in Milton Friedman‘s seminal book, Free to Choose, which sought to portray neoliberal capitalism as the perfect system because it offered “choice” to the Consumer. Friedman was Reagan’s favorite economist and his neoliberal principles informed and guided many of the anti-government, pro-market policies that defined “Reaganomics”.

Indeed, Friedman’s work played a critical role in fueling the so-called “Reagan Revolution”.

In 1980, the year Reagan was elected, Milton Friedman published his watershed book, “Free to Choose”, which defined American Neoliberalism. [Source: Christopher Wink]

The book that powered the Reagan Revolution

Free to Choose was a PBS TV series that was simultaneously published as a book in January, 1980. The concurrent airing of the TV series ensured…