Event Title
Who Stole the American Dream?
Description
Speaking about his current best-selling book, "WHO Stole the American Dream?, Hedrick Smith will describe how America moved from an era of widely shared power and effective bipartisan politics in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, to today's polarized politics, starkly unequal democracy, gaping financial inequalities, with a middle class and a national economy – stuck in a rut. Smith breaks with the conventional explanation that the demise of America’s middle class was caused solely by market forces, globalization and new technologies. He sees a political power shift in Washington and wedge economics in the private sector as the main causes, and he lays out an agenda for systemic reforms and political changes based on a revival of grass roots civic activism.”
About the Lecturer: Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy Award-winning producer/correspondent
Document Type
Event
Start Date
27-11-2013 12:00 PM
End Date
27-11-2013 1:15 PM
Location
Fairhaven College Auditorium
Resource Type
Moving image
Title of Series
World Issues Forum
Genre/Form
lectures
Contributing Repository
Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Political culture--United States--History; Polarization (Social sciences)--United States; Middle class--United States--Economic conditions; Middle class--Political activity--United States; Income distribution--United States; Divided government--United States
Geographic Coverage
United States--Politics and government--1945-1989; United States--Politics and government--1989-
Type
Moving image
Keywords
American dream, bipartisan politics
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws.
Language
English
Format
video/mp4
Who Stole the American Dream?
Fairhaven College Auditorium
Speaking about his current best-selling book, "WHO Stole the American Dream?, Hedrick Smith will describe how America moved from an era of widely shared power and effective bipartisan politics in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, to today's polarized politics, starkly unequal democracy, gaping financial inequalities, with a middle class and a national economy – stuck in a rut. Smith breaks with the conventional explanation that the demise of America’s middle class was caused solely by market forces, globalization and new technologies. He sees a political power shift in Washington and wedge economics in the private sector as the main causes, and he lays out an agenda for systemic reforms and political changes based on a revival of grass roots civic activism.”
About the Lecturer: Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy Award-winning producer/correspondent