Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Bright-Sided

[CHIMO]

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of NYT's bestseller Nickel and Dimed and Bob talk about her new book, Bright-Sided, How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America. Barbara has written 16 other books, including Bait and Switch. She contributes to Harper's and The Nation, and has been a columnist with New York Times and Time magazine.

http://will.illinois.edu/mediamatters/
http://willmedia.will.uiuc.edu/ramgen/archives/mediamatters091122.rm

[patrice]

1. It definitely HAS!

Very provocative title that.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. I like it. I've always thought the way positive thinking is pushed in the U.S. only results in

brainwashing and forcing the majority to become the victims of the mega-wealthy, powerful minority. It's the best way to get the majority to accept being cheated and not complain. In fact, to get them to be happy about it.

[patrice]

3. It kills critical thinking and then people wonder why we are falling behind the rest of the world

on a number of measures. Nobody thinks anything can be done any better than it is and to suggest so is unpatriotic.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. It's a form of brainwashing

It's a form of brainwashing, this coercion of Americans to be and talk happy despite bad things happening to them. It's just wrong. Bad is bad, good is good. When did we confuse things so frikkin' much?

[tonysam]

5. Thanks for the links

Ehrenreich's interview is really good. I am getting the book.