Episode 9: Framing the Gambler

In 'The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business', David T. Courtwright chronicles the evolution of addictive behaviors and the industries that exploit them. The book delves into the history of human pursuit of pleasure, vice, and addiction, highlighting how industrialization, global trade, and technological advancements have created a system of 'limbic capitalism' that encourages excessive consumption. Courtwright argues that this system, supported by multinational industries, complicit governments, and criminal organizations, has led to a widespread culture of addiction affecting various aspects of modern life, including food, social media, gambling, and substance use.

This book, based on fifteen years of field research in Las Vegas, explores how the mechanical rhythm of electronic gambling machines induces a trancelike state known as the 'machine zone. ' In this state, gamblers' daily worries and bodily awareness fade away, and they continue to play not to win, but to maintain the state of continuous play. Schüll delves into the strategic design of game algorithms, machine ergonomics, casino architecture, and 'ambience management,' all aimed at maximizing 'time on device. ' The book also examines the broader social and cultural implications of machine gambling, including the debate over whether addiction stems from the consumer, the product, or the interplay between the two.

In 'Lying for Money,' Dan Davies delves into the world of financial fraud, explaining how such crimes work by manipulating institutional psychology. The book categorizes frauds into four main types: long firm, counterfeiting, control fraud, and market crimes. Davies uses historical and contemporary examples, such as the Great Salad Oil swindle and the Theranos scandal, to illustrate how these frauds operate and how they shape the development of the modern world economy. The book emphasizes the systemic weaknesses that fraudsters exploit and the importance of maintaining a skeptical approach to unusually rapid growth.

Empire of Pain is a comprehensive and damning narrative about the Sackler family, who built their pharmaceutical empire through aggressive marketing and questionable ethics. The book traces the family's history from their early success with tranquilizers like Librium and Valium to the devastating impact of OxyContin, which contributed significantly to the opioid crisis. Keefe's work is based on extensive research and exposes the family's ruthless business tactics, their influence on medical and governmental bodies, and their attempts to evade accountability for the harm caused by their products.

In 'Merchants of Doubt', historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway expose how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. The book highlights how the same individuals repeatedly denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole, all while promoting an ideology of free market fundamentalism aided by a compliant media.