Both are elements of capitalism, and yet they often come into conflict with each other: the desire to own a piece of the pie, versus the desire to buy an even cheaper pie elsewhere.
This is hardly a new phenomenon in America; it has been around since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, as a new book about the A&P grocery chain shows. But, to some extent, our inability to choose between these two competing characteristics of capitalism goes a long way toward explaining the limits of progressive politics in our society. We somehow want to have the benefits of being a master along with the benefits of being a servant, instead of being a society of citizens who share benefits and burdens.
Will we ever be the latter? Who knows? We seem to be completely unwilling to try. And unwilling to understand that, when everyone is out for themselves, everyone is guaranteed to lose.
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