Each week Tim Worstall rounds up the 'best' of British bloggin, and in the 5th installment The Filter^ got nominated for football and porn. Thanks to The Obscurer for the nomination!
I was chatting to one of my economics professors, and he challenged the premise of my post. He thought that it would be legal to sell dirty mags, but most stores don't so that they can be "family friendly". I can appreciate how national chains will cater to such consumer pressure, but I'd still expect independent stores to offer filth. Unless, of course, there's no demand in which case my original point is even more valid - legislation is not the sole means to affect what is or is not sold in shops. The power of social norms, which should not be underestimated.
I find it funny when people here ask me how America differs from living in Europe. They seem to be offended when I say that America seems "less free". In terms of economic freedom, America is more free, of course. But I'm not here to start up my own business, hire employees for low wages, deny people healthcare etc. The economic freedom is largely irrelevent to me. Here, without a car, I am a very poor consumer, reliant on my local monopolies. Ironically services such as public transport and taxis are less reliable and knowledgable in the more tightly regulated UK, and I suffer as a result. That's fine - I don't want others to subsidise my travel, but I'm too poor to really sample America's riches. I still haven't been able to get to the astonishingly good Wegman's, and shop at Safeway where vegetables are usually rotten, and fish is not worth buying. (Don't get me started on cheese...) Fortunately, this is where the economic freedom does play a part - I expect Safeway to improve in response to Wegmans and without doing anything different, they'll start selling proper chedder.
Mainly, however, personal freedom is what I notice - the ability to engage in free choice, attitudes toward religion, being permitted to get drunk, etc. In this regard, Europe is far more liberal, free and enticing. And since these are the facets of daily life, my notion of freedom is heavily weighted by them. The social norms that frown upon delinquincy are not what upsets me though, it's the police state that's emerging as a result of 9-11, and the Orwellian Dept. of Homeland Security. In other words, it wasn't the jogger (offended at my drunkeness) that irked, it was the policeman who threatened to arrest me.
The UK and the USA are both social welfare states, more mercentilist than capitalist. In contrast, America is very socially conservative, and is not wholly free.
In terms of economic freedom the US can be quite restrictive as well, things like florists needing a state licence to create displays, funeral directors getting laws passed that all bodies must be embalmed, even those to be cremated. (Jessica Mitford was very funnyabout it years ago, The American Way of Death). I set up a business in California and couldn’t believe the paperwork nonsense....including having to lay down a deposit for sales tax that (might) be collected in the future, something of a difference from the UK, where everybody, including the VATman, assumes that VAT collected but as yet unpaid is part of the working capital of the business.
I also remember going into the magazine shop at the local mall, looking around and high up, trying to spot what I wanted. The shop assistant, 60 ish woman, said in a very loud voice "We do stock Playboy you know, but you have to ask for it at the counter" which caused a certain redness around the cheekbones. My equally loud reply caused a few sniggers amongst the other patrons: "Um, actually, do you stock The Economist?"
Posted by: Tim Worstall | March 26, 2005 at 04:10 PM