July 29, 2022
The truth about Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle
In a recent edition of this newsletter, we gave you powerful ideas for How to think about regulation.
But even the most powerful abstract ideas can flounder against concrete examples that seem to point the other way. Especially when everyone is certain they know what the facts are.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a classic example. Nearly everyone thinks they know what this book was about.
But most of those people are wrong.
Can you answer these questions…
- Was the book an expose or a novel?
- Did it aim to improve food safety, or something else?
- Was the meatpacking industry unregulated at the time The Jungle was published?
- What did Congress find when they researched the claims made in the book?
- Did Upton Sinclair support or oppose the resulting legislation?
- Who benefited from that legislation and who was harmed by it?
Perry Willis answers all of those questions and more in this follow-up article. Check it out…
ZAP The State and have a nice day,
Jim Babka, Co-creator
Zero Aggression Project