logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2019
14m 45s

America's forgotten working class | J.D....

TED
About this episode

J.D. Vance grew up in a small, poor city in the Rust Belt of southern Ohio, where he had a front-row seat to many of the social ills plaguing America: a heroin epidemic, failing schools, families torn apart by divorce and sometimes violence. In a searching talk that will echo throughout the country's working-class towns, the author details what the loss of the American Dream feels like and raises an important question that everyone from community leaders to policy makers needs to ask: How can we help kids from America's forgotten places break free from hopelessness and live better lives?

Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
The "hot shot rule" to help you become a better leader | Kat Cole (re-release)
Confidence doesn’t come before action — it comes from taking action, says business leader Kat Cole, who worked her way up from waitress to CEO of a global health company. She presents a simple yet powerful practice called the “hot shot rule” to help you step into a leadership min ... Show More
9m 49s
Yesterday
You got what you wanted. Now what? | Debbie Millman
Over two decades of interviewing countless creative people, Debbie Millman (host of the iconic "Design Matters" podcast) had a realization: the pride and joy of accomplishing something often evaporates almost instantly. She explains how to stop chasing external validation for you ... Show More
10m 7s
Apr 27
How to google your symptoms without freaking out | John Whyte
Why does searching your symptoms online always leave you more frightened than before? As former chief medical officer of WebMD, physician John Whyte spent years believing more information meant better health — until he saw how too much of it was making people spiral. In a world o ... Show More
15m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2020
32: J. D. Vance - American Dreams and Nightmares
It is said that there is not one American dream but many, and few have lived more than JD Vance. Growing up in Appalachia on the border between poverty and the lower working class, JD knew economic fear first hand as well as the cultural devastation of the region's post-coal era. ... Show More
2h 18m
Dec 2021
American Socialist (2020)
American workers are reaching a breaking point. We're seeing a wave of resignations and labor strikes, and a supply chain that's cracking under the pressure. At the turn of the 20th century, one man faced a similar world and dreamt of something more – Eugene V. Debs.He was a bold ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2023
Nurturing Resilience: Supporting Foster Youth in the Public Education System
Education Headline RoundupWe cover the following stories in our education headlines this week:The US Department of Education is penalizing the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (“Mohela”) for failing to send timely bills to 2.5 million student loan holders.Teachers in Port ... Show More
55m 5s
Nov 2023
Make America Happy Again
We're distrustful, unequal and isolated. That's according to the figures showing a decline in happy community feeling since the 1960s. But can we do anything to regain the healthier communal lives enjoyed by many of our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents? We talk to a ho ... Show More
31m 29s
Sep 2021
475. Why Does the Richest Country in the World Have So Many Poor Kids?
<p>Among O.E.C.D. nations, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty. How can that be? To find out, Stephen Dubner speaks with a Republican senator, a Democratic mayor, and a large cast of econo-nerds. Along the way, we hear some surprisingly good news: Washington is ... Show More
48m 51s
Feb 2023
127: Mr. Wilson Goes to Washington (Progressive Policies & Foreign Affairs in South America)
“It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs.” This is the story of the lesser-known aspects of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency–the events outside of World War I. The Progressive Era is still in full force as Woodrow Wilson enters the W ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2016
Alec Ross: Middle School Teacher Turned Global Innovator
tail spinning
1h 2m
Mar 2020
Class Talk
Kerry Hudson, author of Lowborn, has learned to code switch with the literary elite, but how can people stuck in poverty or middle class bubbles make meaningful connections? Kerry starts her exploration in her native Scotland with a project providing 'pre-loved' school uniforms t ... Show More
28m 34s