|
Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Undermines Us All |
The New York Times calls Barbara Ehrenreich “our premier reporter of the underside of Capitalism”. Recent books have seen her go undercover to find a job in America’s corporate sector and work in low-wage America, busting the myth of the American dream. She now looks at positive thinking – formerly a marginal 19th century healing technique, which is now seen as the key to success and prosperity.
Ehrenreich exposes the downside of the science of happiness which leads to self-blame, a morbid preoccupation with stamping out ‘negative’ thoughts and, on a national level, created an era of irrational optimism. Ehrenreich attacks conventional wisdom and faux science, and calls for clarity and courage.
Suggested hashtag for Twitter users: #foismileordie
Audio
To listen to this recording please click on the audio player below.
 |
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
|
|---|
Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of thirteen books including Nickel & Dimed: Undercover in Low-Wage USA. She is a frequent contributor to Time, Harper’s, The Progressive, The Nation, the New York Times Magazine and the Guardian, and has also written for the Times and the New Statesman. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Comments
If you would like to subscribe to our RSS Comments feed, please click on the orange XML logo below (click here to read more about our RSS feeds).
** Should you wish to retract a comment, or if you experience technical difficulties, please email us at: ideas@gwebusinesswest.co.uk. We reserve the right to delete posts containing offensive language or content.