CBS: Selfishness central to US society values

Are any of you surprised to hear this?  We have been talking about the pervasive selfish “ethic” of American society for eons, always noting in passing that this is inevitable since selfish behavior, praised by the likes of Ayn Rand as a virtue, and defended indirectly by the entire establishment, from corporadoes and politicians to their media whores, and even the churches, is woven deep in the fabric of capitalism. From time to time glimmers of truth bubble to the surface, but they don’t stay long in the public radar, for reasons any of you can understand.—PG

Selfish U.S.?: Study says country becoming more self-centered

A study published in the journal of the Association for Psychological Science says that Americans are more focused on themselves than they were 200 years ago. Anne Fulenwider, editor in chief of Marie Claire, and John Tierney, columnist for The New York Times, discuss the findings on “CBS This Morning.”