Episode 45 - Alissa Quart: Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream

Has the American Dream been built on a fundamental delusion – that we are all independent and autonomous individuals – that whether we become insanely wealthy or completely broke - is simply a matter of choice? That if we wish to be successful we just need to work hard, put our nose to the grindstone, and pull ourselves up by our own – well, Bootstraps ? Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream is the title of Alissa Quart's new book, published by Ecco Books/HarperCollins. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation – from looking at the shadowy histories of Horatio Alger, Ayn Rand and the Americans icons of self-reliance – including Emerson and Thoreau – to debunking contemporary myths of the self-made man and woman, and examining how this American folk psychology of bootstrapping has fueled many rich fictions that have valorized a heroic independence, thus marginalizing a more social and interdependent understanding of human flourishing and wellbeing. Alissa points us to a way of embracing our dependence on others, not as something weak or shameful – but as a natural expression of our humanity – offering a more communitarian – a New American Dream. Alissa Quart is the author of four other acclaimed books Squeezed , Republic of Outsiders , Hothouse Kids , and Branded , as well as two books of poetry Thoughts and Prayers and Monetized . She is the Executive Director of the non-profit the Economic Hardship Reporting Project . She has written for many publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times , and TIME . Her honors include an Emmy, a Society of Professional Journalist award and a Nieman fellowship. She lives with her family in Brooklyn. Can We Put an End to America's Most Dangerous Myth? The New York Times – Opinion – Guest Essay Remembering Barbara Ehrenreich, Acid Wit and Workers' Champion , Alissa Quart, Time

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Episode 45 - Alissa Quart: Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream is an episode from The Mindful Cranks by Ronald Purser.

This episode is 50:25 long.

This episode was published on Mar 13, 2023.

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