Since the invention of capitalism, people have gone to astonishing, often morally indefensible lengths to defend their profits, and they always use the same rhetoric: pro-social arguments to defend anti-social outcomes. The same lies again and again, over decades, keep wealth and power in the hands of the wealthy and powerful. A threadbare social safety net exposed by the pandemic? Not a problem. Dramatic healthcare inequities? The free market can fix it. The widespread availability of guns leading to tens of thousands of avoidable deaths per year? It's not our fault-it's your fault. Increasing taxes on the uber-wealthy? It'll kill jobs. Raise the federal minimum wage? You'll only make things worse. Universal pre-kindergarten? Socialism!
Recognize the pattern? Nick Hanauer, Donald Cohen, and Joan Walsh explain it in It's Never Our Fault (And Other Shameless Excuses) so that ordinary Americans can identify this wrong-headed thinking and push back. Structured around some of the most egregious statements made by the rich and powerful over the centuries, the book identifies six bundles of lies that repeatedly thwart change on issues that ordinary people care about including climate change, social inequality, voting rights, civil rights, and more. With amazing illustrations and stylish interior design, It's Never Our Fault (And Other Shameless Excuses) gives readers the knowledge to never get conned, bamboozled, or harmed again.
