Ep. 23: The Media's Grim Addiction to Perseverance Porn
Added 2018-01-17 16:24:03 +0000 UTCWe’ve all seen these feel good segments on the local news. The adorable and resourceful seven-year-old in California who's been recycling cans since he was three and now has $10,000 saved up for college. The Oklahoma community that chipped in to buy a car for a beloved Walmart greeter so she wouldn't have to walk to work in the bitter cold anymore. The “inspiring teen” who returned to his fast food job soon after being injured in a car accident.
No doubt, these are all heartwarming tales of perseverance in the face of adversity, a testament to the can-do spirit of average citizens––but they're also something else: ideological agitprop meant to obscure and decontextualize the harsh realities of poverty, the exorbitant cost of higher education and healthcare, and the profound absence of basic social services in the United States.
What are the origins of this ethos? Whom does it benefit and, perhaps most important of all, how does the media consistently work to reinforce this "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mythology?
We are joined by Tony Valdés of the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
The Guest
Antonio Valdés is CEO of the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, a Philadelphia nonprofit agency specializing in providing behavioral health services to children and families.
Show Notes
Nima Shirazi | September 1, 2012 | Wide Asleep In America
Busted: America's Poverty Myths
On The Media | September-October 2016 | WNYC
Media’s Grim Addiction to Perseverance Porn
Adam Johnson | August 3, 2017 | FAIR
The Decline of Social Mobility in America
Alana Semuels | July 14, 2016 | The Atlantic
Challenging The Bootstrap Myth
Antonio Valdés | February 3, 2016 | TEDxPhiladelphia
The American Myth of Social Mobility
Howard Steven Friedman | July 16, 2012 | The Huffington Post
The Asset Value of Whiteness: Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap
Amy Traub, Laura Sullivan, Tatjana Meschede, & Tom Shapiro | February 6, 2017 | Demos
Sam Adler-Bell | February 8, 2017 | Commonweal
John Swansburg | September 29, 2014 | Slate
Comments
One movie example that is along these lines but with a positive impact is "i, daniel blake" Instead of focusing on bootstrapism it does a really good job of questioning why the hell people get put in these positions to begin with. Great episode! (In the couple of days since listening to it i've heard 4 textbook examples......sigh......)
Emma & Brian
2018-01-20 17:10:52 +0000 UTCAnother effin invaluable episode. One small note is, I think it'd resonate more for those to whom these ideas are newer, to give more credence to the "meritocracy" framework from which they're likely approaching the subject. Like those kids are incredible. Tough balance re determinism vs free will : ecosystem vs subsystem. Keep up the good work CN squad -- best part of my 2018 so far. 🤘👨❤️👨🤗💕🤩 Hey also sometimes I have trouble distinguishing between your voices. Can one of you speak in a spooky voice or maybe in a Canadian accent? I'll upgrade to critic level for at least three months if you do.
greg
2018-01-18 02:13:08 +0000 UTCI'd chalk it up to the Protestant idea of predestination influencing our culture. You see it in other things like Wall Street or police corruption. It's always "bad apples", we never consider issues to be systemic. Those people aren't part of the elect and there's nothing we can do to help them.
Henry
2018-01-17 18:56:42 +0000 UTC
