Not My Narrative

If corporations are people, they’re awfully selfish human beings. The design of the business world has long been based on The Milton Friedman Doctrine, which says “the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” Some are pushing an alternative philosophy that insists corporations serve their communities. They don’t trust the “invisible hand” of capitalism, as once described by Adam Smith, to ever help Americans who themselves feel invisible.

What originally started as a joke about how impossible it would be to solve your own poverty has somehow become standard operating procedure in the way we design welfare. What’s gone wrong? And who is working instead from the truth?

It’s important to remember where you come from. But the “master narrative” about where America comes from, as it is taught in our schools, has left out seemingly endless information. There are people trying to ensure we know where we really came from. How does that change us?

This October, Next City is launching Not My Narrative, a new podcast and essay series about the stories we tell ourselves that are mistaken for facts and the people proving them wrong.