The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It)
Jeff Fuhrer
Sep 2024 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Christopher Douyard
headphones
Audiobook
8 hr 47 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 57 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
The Myth That Made Us exposes how false narratives-of a supposedly post-racist nation, of the self-made man, of the primacy of profit- and shareholder value-maximizing for businesses, and of minimal government interference-have been used to excuse gross inequities and to shape and sustain the US economic system that delivers them. Jeff Fuhrer argues that systemic racism continues to produce vastly disparate outcomes and that our brand of capitalism favors doing little to reduce disparities. Rather than merely laying blame at the feet of both conservatives and liberals for aiding and abetting an unjust system, Fuhrer charts a way forward. He supplements evidence from data with insights from community voices and outlines a system that provides more equal opportunity to accumulate both human and financial capital. His key areas of focus include universal access to high-quality early childhood education; more effective use of our community college system as a pathway to stable employment; restructuring key aspects of the low-wage workplace; providing affordable housing and transit links; supporting people of color by serving as mentors, coaches, and allies; and implementing Baby Bonds and Reparations programs. Fuhrer emphasizes embracing humility, research-based approaches, and community involvement as ways to improve economic opportunity.
About the author
Jeff Fuhrer is a Foundation Fellow at the Eastern Bank Foundation. He was previously executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where he was also responsible for the bank's diversity and inclusion functions.
Christopher Douyard took the backroads to audiobook narration, though he is no stranger to performing. Christopher has nourished a passion for books and storytelling since his youth, when he would devour Tolkien and the Encyclopedia Britannica with equal abandon. He records from his studio in central Connecticut.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
