Fame & fortune

An excerpt:

[Clinical child psychologist Oliver James] defines the symptoms of the "affluenza virus" as "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous." The disease, a 21st century one, can lead to emotional distress: depression, anxiety, addiction and personality disorder. To further his researches, the author visited seven world centres of affluence where the deadly virus lurks: New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Shanghai, Moscow, Copenhagen and New York, where he interviewed selected victims of affluence. As other people are always fascinating – even those James dismisses as boring because they lead blatantly shallow lives – these interviews are the most interesting part of his book. Indeed, they evoke feelings of pity: how can such privileged people lead such hollow, empty lives? Yet one must still inquire if the author’s jet setting investigations have led him to diagnose a new disease or to re-label an old one.

Two thousand years ago, in Palestine, a rich young man, was invited by an itinerant preacher to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor and to seek the kingdom of heaven. He chose not to and we are told he "went away sad, for he had many possessions". So the burden of riches is not new. It is James’ contention that this "sadness", fostered by rampant capitalism, is no longer the privilege of a few but can grip whole societies. In Sydney, apparently, it has become a pandemic. He quotes a Sydney woman, aged 35, who says, "It made me very angry to realise I had been persuaded… that there is no value in family, friends or home life and it is considered despicable to want children."

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