The Sum of Us Author Offers Timely Words of Inspiration and Hope
Speaking at the Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor’s Lecture Series, Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone, asked a simple question: “Why can’t we have nice things?”
McGhee believes the culprit is a zero-sum view of society that frames every advantage for people of color as a disadvantage for whites. She asked if this zero-sum framework is the unspoken key to a growing economic backslide and the emergence of extreme ideologies that eat away at the heart of the public good.
Explaining that “nice things” are not just self-driving cars or laundry that does itself, McGhee said her list of nice things includes basic aspects of a high-functioning society, like well-funded schools, reliable infrastructure, wages that keep workers out of poverty, and a comprehensive public health system that does not bankrupt sick people.
“Why is it that other equally developed but less wealthy nations seem to have these nice things?” McGhee asked.
Addressing ongoing social tensions, McGhee added that given a choice between doomscrolling on her phone at midnight or contributing an hour or two each week of civic activity like volunteering or advocacy; she said she would rather be in the company of like-minded people than give in to social media scare tactics.
McGhee believes that today’s societal challenges can be overcome. “We have done this in the past, and we will again,” she said. “We can move beyond division if we embrace cooperation.”
