1977年，在加尔布雷斯写作这本书的同时，世界仍在第一次欧佩克石油冲击的影响中挣扎，也不知道会不会有第二次冲击（后来发生了 ） 。
In 1977, as Galbraith was writing, the world was still reeling from the effects of the first OPEC oil-price shock and wondering whether another one was in the pipeline (as it were).