In this enlightening episode, Jeff Fuhrer, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Foundation Fellow at the Eastern Bank Foundation & Author of “The Myth That Made Us, How False Beliefs About Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and how to fix it)”, dives into the underbelly of the US economy, exposing the deeply entrenched false narratives about poverty and race. Through insights from his latest book, he takes a hard look at how these myths fundamentally break our economy and perpetuate wealth inequality.
Jeff delves into the historical government policies and how their ripple effects are still felt today. What can be done to fix these systemic issues? How critical are genuine relationships and trust-building in this process?
Tune in as we explore these compelling themes, the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and discuss ways to challenge and change these societal narratives. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation that subtly addresses the power of voting, acknowledging history, and speaking truth to power in order to begin mending the wealth gap. Remember, change begins with understanding.
Episode Highlights:
13:02 – It’s a bootstrap, but it’s also broken. It’s usually a loop that you can put your finger in. And so it’s a broken bootstrap, which is just a stylized way of saying pulling yourself up by bootstraps does not work. But it is a myth that is definitely out there. And that’s another way of saying the meritocracy thing, “Well, work hard, pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Individual achievement is what we’re all about.”
13:58 – I want that to create an impact. I want people to feel like, “Wow. All this is going on today, despite our being one of the most wealthy countries in the world, by most measures, the most wealthy country in the world.” So what do we do to fix it?
23:28 – I think it’s important not to be naive about the political environment in which we are living. Everybody knows and understands it’s fractured and fragmented and fractious.
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Jeff Fuhrer