Matthew Desmond

Matthew Desmond, a sociology professor and author renowned for his books on poverty, discusses the systemic roots of poverty in America. He highlights how societal awareness of privilege can drive change and critiques the ineffectiveness of current government aid programs. Desmond emphasizes the need for collective responsibility and innovative strategies to combat poverty, while also sharing hopeful narratives of grassroots movements that have made a difference. He challenges listeners to reconsider their roles in perpetuating or alleviating poverty.

The United States is one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, so why is it that our poverty rates surpass those of so many other countries? In this episode, sociologist Matthew Desmond shares a hard truth with Adam: we are constantly reinforcing wealth inequality in invisible ways. The good news is that we're capable of divesting from the ways we may inadvertently contribute to the system. Pick up Matthew's book at factuallypod.com/booksSUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconoverSEE ADAM ON TOUR: https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates/SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Factually! on:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0fK8WJw4ffMc2NWydBlDyJAbout Headgum: Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum» FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/» FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matthew Desmond, best-selling author and professor, challenges narratives about poverty in America, emphasizing that it's a choice. The hosts explore pointless Christian arguments and stress the need for unity. They discuss theological debates like biblical inerrancy and evolution. Desmond highlights deliberate factors perpetuating poverty, and the importance of advocating for equal opportunities.

"Poverty will be abolished in America only when a mass movement demands it," writes Princeton sociologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond in his new book, "Poverty, by America." Building on his own lived experiences of growing up poor and continued contact with impoverished communities that "forces [him] to be intellectually honest," he claims that poverty persists in America not because we are incapable of preventing it but because society - and especially the wealthy - benefits from it at the expense of the poor.Bethany and Luigi draw from their recent conversation with former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, who argued against the premise altogether and said that poverty in America is not as terrible a "scourge" as many like Desmond claim it to be. With Desmond, our hosts discuss his views on the complex and deeply entrenched root causes of poverty, its relationship with the American capitalist system, and how we could build on individual choices - towards which we have otherwise been so stubbornly resistant - to end poverty.Show Notes:In case you missed it, here's Bethany and Luigi's conversation with Sen. Phil Gramm: "Is American Inequality a Myth?"Read related reading on ProMarket: "Monopolies: Silent Spreaders of Poverty and Economic Inequality" and a conversation with Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton on "The Under-Discussed Driver of Inequality in America."

Debates on poverty in America persist due to conflicting perspectives: is it a terrible scourge or a measurement error? Former Senator argues poverty is overstated, while sociologist claims no progress. Podcast delves into nuanced debate on poverty, income inequality, and government assistance policies.