Economist Robert Reich knows how to tell a story. His blog postings, op-eds and tv commentaries never fail to be straightforward and to the point. His most recent column in Huffington Post extends his winning streak. But this time, he has substituted images for paragraphs to tell the story of how America has lost its way and squandered one of our most valued values: caring for people in need and looking at the common good rather than individual gain.
The only thing that’s not succinct is the title: “Aftershock: How America’s Shift Away from Helping Our Own Ruined the Economy and the Middle Class.” After that lengthy title [which pretty much explains the whole thing], Reich presents 18 slides, each of which is accompanied by a brief explanation. It all adds up to powerful, easy-to-understand telling of the decline and fall of American values. [It’s also, essentially, a way of promoting Reich’s new book of the same name.] This show is an economic primer that would be a great addition to any high-school or college seminar or lecture series. It’s a sad tale, but the ending has yet to be written, so we can still hope for America to rediscover itself. See the slide show here.