An unequal country is a vulnerable country | Make Me Smart 249 | George Packer

A widening wealth gap isn’t good for democracy. Yet inequality has been on the rise for decades in the United States. So what does that tell us about the state of the republic? ► SUBSCRIBE to our channel - /user/marketplacevideos “We see no one looking to the United States for leadership,” Atlantic staff writer George Packer said on today’s show. “That’s because we are no longer regarded as an example of a democratic power.” In recent months, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated disparities between the rich and poor, exposing some of American society’s chronic ills. Packer says that for decades, inequality had led to rising mistrust in the system and in our leaders: “It’s a dangerous, volatile state of affairs.” Moreover, it’s a threat to national security. On today’s show, our guest walks us through some historical examples of when stark inequities led to revolution and reform — and boils down everything from the New Deal to collard greens. Plus we’ll talk about information and misinformation, and we’ll hear from listeners about online speech, offline consequences and, of course, quarantine snacks. (Feed me, Seymour!) #MakeMeSmart #MarketplaceAPM ABOUT MAKE ME SMART: Because none of us is as smart as all of us. Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly is a podcast about the economy, technology and culture. Hosts Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood use their expertise to connect the dots on the topics they know best, and get help from listeners and experts about the ones they want to know better. FOLLOW MARKETPLACE: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/marketplaceapm Twitter - https://twitter.com/Marketplace Instagram - https://instagram.com/marketplaceapm

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