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

The Power of Negative Thinking

Barbara Ehrenreich
Monday, September 29, 2008

Click here for the article on The New York Times.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author, most recently, of “This Land Is Their Land: Reports From a Divided Nation.”

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company