The Power of Negative Thinking

Author and advocate for the working class Barbara Ehrenreich sees in the current United States financial crisis not only the well-reported roots of corporate greed and "its crafty sibling, speculation," but also an overall shift in American society that has made "delusional optimism" part of mainstream thinking. Permeating throughout all facets of American culture, exuberant optimism depends on unflinching belief and "visualization" of meeting goals, rather than a realistic perspective that takes into account possibilities for failure or contingency plans. This line of thinking is in stark contrast to America at its founding, when Calvinist pessimism dictated that virtue could only be found in due diligence, with success hardly guaranteed. American cultural hegemony remains strong globally even as doubts emerge over the nation's politics and strategies. Stubborn reliance on optimism, a refusal to engage in realistic and practical thinking, could continue to have global repercussions. – YaleGlobal