the elite charade of changing the world
288 pages
English language
Published Aug. 28, 2018 by Alfred A. Knopf.
Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can—except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. They rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; they lavishly reward “thought leaders” who redefine “change” in ways that preserve the status quo; and they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm.
Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? His groundbreaking investigation has already forced a great, sorely needed reckoning among the world’s wealthiest and those they hover above, and it points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian …
Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can—except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. They rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; they lavishly reward “thought leaders” who redefine “change” in ways that preserve the status quo; and they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm.
Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? His groundbreaking investigation has already forced a great, sorely needed reckoning among the world’s wealthiest and those they hover above, and it points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world—a call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
Don't need to read this more than once. It's tells many different stories that all confirm the depth of the structures that cauterize society and prevent it from meaningfully changing. Good stuff, opened my eyes to the work we need to put in to make lasting change.
The book deals with the highly complex problem of how to bring about sound, sustainable, and scalable social changes. Being a neophyte in this subject, I cannot judge clearly the various arguments presented in this book. But this book did make me think more carefully about many things I took for granted and for that reason, I think it is a valuable read. Recommended!
Giridharadas looks at money and the economy in zero sum terms, assuming that if some are winning, others must be losing. After reading Pinker's "Enlightenment Now," this author's arguments seem thin and unnecessarily alarmist, unsubstantiated with data. Did not finish.
