The Sell Out was a two part short story in The New York Times written by Simon Rich. In the story a man named Hershel is pickled at a factory he works in in the early 1900s and brought back to life in modern day New York. He lives with his great great grandson, Simon, who is lazy, narcissistic, and edits movies scripts for a living. His girlfriend, Claire, who Hershel thinks is on the brink of death because of her thinness, also frequently visits.

http://mixedmindsalad.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/a-critical-view-on-modern-society/

The story shows an interesting parallel between common practices in America at the turn of the century versus common practices in modern day America. For example, Simon often complains about minor inconveniences he experiences from his job, such as the internet being temporarily out of service, while Hershel experienced people dying at his job from getting caught in machines (something Hershel treated rather nonchalantly).
The story also really emphasizes the leap in technological advances between these two time periods. The food is much more bountiful, and the quality of life is much higher. I feel as as Hershel has a hard time dealing with the fact that despite these breakthroughs, there seems to be much less moral integrity. These is clear in the situation where Claire is hit on in a bar and Simon does nothing to help her get rid of the unwanted suitor.

http://obrag.org/?p=60

It's sort of interesting how someone with such an outdated mindset has a much more level headed way of dealing with the world in general. I also find it interesting how Hershel is many times the voice of moral righteousness, but is often alone in his stance, which is relatable to many instances in modern society.