America Would Rather Destroy Itself Than Take Care of Itself
The authors of ‘The Innovation Delusion’ explain why the thrill of the new has led to a disastrous pandemic response
It didn’t have to be like this. Businesses shuttering, restaurants needlessly floundering, and scores of workers losing jobs and filing for unemployment as Congress doled out $1,200 checks and wished most of us good luck. At the same time, millions have been poured into innovating our way out of disaster, throwing out the advice of experts. The pandemic has amplified a singular American value — we would rather have things die and be reborn than maintained.
In their new book The Innovation Delusion, Lee Vinsel, a professor in the department of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech, and Andrew L. Russell, a professor of history at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, break down our country’s obsession with innovation, our aversion to maintenance, and the price we pay for elevating one at the expense of the other.
GEN: We’ve seen the thesis of your book play out over the past six months of the pandemic. Our government has failed to pass legislation that would maintain Americans’ quality of life — how far did that $1,200 payout go? — preferring legislation that forces people, places, and institutions…
