The Luddite - An anticapitalist Tech blog helped me understand why these seemingly contradictory worldviews don't necessarily have to be--its a matter of what and for whom technology has been put to use.

As an example, Louis Pasteur gave away his patent for the good of medicine. It sounds almost impossible to believe against the modern backdrop of pharmaceutical companies that don't even want to develop cures, they want "subscription" customers.

People have been trained now that since no one watches out for them they have to take their pound of flesh however it can be gotten--this is what stands out to people when they talk about societal decay, selfishness and anomie but it can be difficult to put ones finger on without understanding the workings of the machine.