C. Wright Mills. (Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout) C. Wright
Mills, the radical Columbia University sociologist who died 50
years ago (March 20, 1962) at age 45, would have loved Occupy
Wall Street. In the 1950s, when most college professors were
cautious about their political views and lifestyles, Mills rode
a motorcycle to work; wore plaid shirts, jeans and work boots
instead of flannel suits; built his house with his own hands;
and, in a torrent of books and articles, warned that America was
becoming a nation of "cheerful robots," heading toward a third
world war and was being corrupted by an economic elite. In three
books published between 1948 and 1956 - "The New Men of Power,"
"White Collar" and "The Power Elite" - Mills challenged the
widely held belief that American society, having triumphed over
the fundamental problems of the 20th century (depression, war
and fascism) had become a model of economic success, political
democracy and social well-being. At a time when social
scientists and journalists