Takers or Makers? How Americans Decide Who ‘Deserves’ a Safety Net
Co-published with The Guardian. It’s about to get worse for those needing help as the Trump administration tightens access to all sorts of benefits.
Go Fund Yourself: Crowdfunding is Now an Essential Part of America’s Safety Net
Co-published with The Guardian. Local activists rely on crowdfunding sites to pay for basics – including school lunches.
What Americans Can Learn from British Class Guilt
Co-published with The Guardian. America is supposed to have greater social mobility. In the UK, everyone ostensibly has a rung but they are also trapped in that position. But these once-clear binaries are muddled
Why We’re Psychologically Hardwired to Blame the Victim
Co-published with The Guardian. We want the world to be fair: the good will be rewarded, the evil punished. As a result, we blame the victims of misfortune.
What’s Behind Rich People Pretending to be Self-Made?
Co-published with The Guardian. Americans reflexively link hard work with reward, but what happens as the two become ever more disconnected?
Sexual Harassment Doesn’t Just Happen to Actors or Journalists. Talk to a Waitress
Co-published with The Guardian. There are far too many think pieces about high-level actresses and far too few about the staff at your local diner.
What’s the Common Denominator Among Sexual Harassers? Too Often, It’s Money
Co-published with The Guardian. The greater the imbalance of income and power, the more opportunity there is to take advantage. As a result, many women feel trapped by their abusers.
Today’s Political Uncertainty is Affecting Your Health
Co-published with The Guardian. Americans are exposed to one of the most damaging sources of stress: uncertainty. The assault on our fundamental sense of security can make us sick.
Meet the New Class Traitors Who are Coming Out as Rich
Co-published with the Guardian. For many, talking about money, especially their own, is a social taboo. But now wealthy progressives are opening up about a system that is skewed in their favor
If We Don’t Focus On Why People Overeat, We Will Never Solve Obesity
Co-published with the Guardian. Emotional, physical or sexual abuse can lie at root of weight problems in later life and, unless targeted, taxes on food types will be cruel to those who self-medicate
Our New TV Antiheroes Don’t Want to Fall Out of the Middle Class
Co-published with The Guardian. Shows like Ozark, Billions and Empire are a new kind of aspirational television, about a 1% that lives with impunity.
How Can We Teach Our Kids About Class?
Co-published with The Guardian. Wealth and class are difficult topics to discuss – but as children grapple with inequality, it’s our job to address it.