American Dream, 32-Hour Work Week, Gossip as a Social Skill

The American Dream (16:45) Mechele Dickerson, Professor of Law at the University of Texas at Austin, whose recent article, Is The American Dream Dead?, explores the downward spiral of the three basic tenants of the American Dream, owning a home, having stable employment, and retiring debt-free and financially secure. How has the recent economic turmoil and the trends in housing and employment affected our ability to achieve the thing that once made our nation great? And will we ever get back on top? Mechele Dickerson shares her thoughts on why and where the economy is influencing The American Dream. A 32-Hour Workweek (1:05:57) Nikki Carter is a New Orleans–based writer and editor. She runs a personal blog and has written for a number of websites, including the award-winning GoNOLA.com. She has an MBA and undergraduate degree in Marketing and will begin an accelerated BSN program this fall. Nikki has extensive experience in healthcare, specifically within the areas of education and training and quality. Nikki Carter asked her Boss for a 32 hour work week and got it. She explains how she did it and how it benefited her.  Happier at Work (1:22:06) 70% of the US workforce is reported to be disengaged in their daily work. What is driving you day to day to go to work and earn a living? Dr Townsend shares some tips on how to find out. History of Dueling  (1:29:46) This 2016 campaign is getting pretty heated. With all the name calling and sabotaging going on in the elections, you might be wondering if politics were always this brutal. Well, today’s politicians didn’t just make this stuff up- ruthless tactics have been handed down in politics since our forefathers. Before, we had one of our producers, Liana Tan, explain to us a little bit how the political process works, but today we are going to have her take us back in history to explain a time  when the debates were possibly even more brutal than today.  Gossip is a Social Skill (1:52:56) Dr. Frank McAndrew, evolutionary social psychologist from Knox College, explain why he thinks gossiping is not a character flaw.  You probably can’t forget the sound of whispers and giggles that filled the halls in high school and after thinking it would go away after high school, you were probably disappointed to hear the exact same kind of whisperings and giggles filling the cubicles at work. Gossip seems like almost an innate part of human nature- and no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to escape it- whether it’s whispers amongst coworkers or pictures filling the tabloids. We all know gossip can be damaging- it can burn bridges, hurt feelings, and kill reputations. But, is it possible that gossiping can actually be good for us too?