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America’s Forgotten Working Class | J.D. Vance | TED

TED

1.0M Views . 2016-10-17

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? TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

The speaker describes their background growing up in a struggling southern Ohio steel town, highlighting the challenges faced by working-class communities, including economic hardship, drug addiction, family violence, and a sense of pessimism. They mention personal experiences with these issues and their own family's struggles.

Upward mobility
Working class
American Dream

  • The speaker, a lawyer from a struggling Southern Ohio steel town, felt like an outsider at Yale Law School due to his cultural background and lack of wealth.
  • He shares personal experiences of witnessing addiction, family violence, and economic hardship within his community and family, highlighting the lack of upward mobility for many in these areas.

Insights from the YouTube Video Critic:

1. The "Cultural Outsider" Perspective: This video's opening anecdote about the law firm dinner offers a powerful introduction to the speaker's core message: being a "cultural outsider" shapes one's perspective. It highlights the disconnect between an individual's background and the expectations of elite environments, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of social mobility.

2. "The American Dream is a Dream": The speaker paints a stark picture of the realities facing many working-class communities. He describes a sense of hopelessness, rising mortality rates, and a struggle with addiction that permeates his hometown. The video suggests that the American Dream is increasingly elusive for those in these areas

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