Charleston County Public Library

Bootstrapped, liberating ourselves from the American Dream, Alissa Quart

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-261) and index

index present

non fiction

Bootstrapped

bibliography

1371927711

Alissa Quart

liberating ourselves from the American Dream

Examines the American obsession with self-reliance and how it has led to inequality, self-blame, and shifted the responsibility for survival onto the backs of ordinary people"The promise that you can "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" is central to the story of the American Dream. It's the belief that if you work hard and rely on your own resources, you will eventually succeed. However time and again we have seen how this foundational myth, with its emphasis on individual determination, brittle self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment, does not help us. Instead, as income inequality rises around us, we are left with shame and self-blame for our condition. Acclaimed journalist Alissa Quart argues that at the heart of our suffering is a do-it-yourself ethos, the misplaced belief in our own independence and the conviction that we must rely on ourselves alone. Looking at a range of delusions and half solutions--from "grit" to the false Horatio Alger story to the rise of GoFundMe--Quart reveals how we have been steered away from robust social programs that would address the root causes of our problems. Meanwhile, the responsibility for survival has been shifted onto the backs of ordinary people, burdening generations with debt instead of providing the social safety net we so desperately need"--, Dust jacket flap

Preface: Forget self-reliance -- Part I: Creators of the American Dream. The backstory ; Where's Walden? ; Little house of propaganda ; The Horatio Alger lie -- Part II: Brokers of the American Dream. Rich fictions ; The self-made voter ; Zen incorporated -- Part III: Burdens of the American Dream. Go fund yourself ; Mothers' revolution ; The con of the side hustle -- Part IV: Toward a new American Dream. Class traitors ; The feeling is mutual aid ; Boss workers ; Inequality therapy ; Volunteering ourselves ; Unmaking the self-made myth -- Epilogue: My independence day

Liberating ourselves from the American Dream