An insider's groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to "change the world" preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve.
Former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can--except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. We see how they rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; how they lavishly reward "thought leaders" who redefine "change" in winner-friendly ways; and how they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm. We hear the limousine confessions of a celebrated foundation boss; witness an American president hem and haw about his plutocratic benefactors; and attend a cruise-ship conference where entrepreneurs celebrate their own self-interested magnanimity.
Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? He also points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world. A call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
KIRKUS REVIEW
Give a hungry man a fish, and you get to pat yourself on the
back—and take a tax deduction.
It’s a matter of some irony, John Steinbeck once observed of the
robber barons of the Gilded Age, that they spent the first two-thirds of their
lives looting the public only to spend the last third giving the money away.
Now, writes political analyst and journalist Giridharadas (The True
American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, 2014, etc.), the global financial
elite has reinterpreted Andrew Carnegie’s view that it’s good for society for
capitalists to give something back to a new formula: It’s good for business to
do so when the time is right, but not otherwise. Moreover, business has
co-opted philanthropy, such that any “world-changing” efforts come with a
proviso: “if you really want to change the world, you must rely on the
techniques, resources, and personnel of capitalism.” Philanthropic initiatives
to effect social change are no longer the province of public life but instead
are private and voluntary, in keeping with free market individualism.
Naturally, there’s a layer of consultants and in-house vice presidents to
manage all this largess, which hinges on the premise that things aren’t so bad
and just need to be nudged along. The author memorably calls this process
“Pinkering,” after the ameliorist-minded psychologist Steven Pinker. “It beamed
out so many thoughts about why the world was getting better in recent years,”
Giridharadas writes of one initiative, “that its antennae failed to detect all
the incoming transmissions about all the people whose lives were not improving,
who didn’t care to be Pinkered because they knew what they were seeing.” So
what’s so bad about private giving? Answers the author, when a society elects
to help, it expresses democratic values with an eye to equality, while private
giving is inherently unequal, a power relation between “the giver and the
taker, the helper and the helped, the donor and the recipient.”
A provocative critique of the kind of modern, feel-good giving
that addresses symptoms and not causes.
ANAND GIRIDHARADAS is the author of The True American and India Calling. He was a foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times from 2005 to 2016, and has also written for The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The New Yorker. He is an Aspen Institute fellow, an on-air political analyst for MSNBC, and a former McKinsey analyst. He teaches journalism at New York University and has spoken on the main stage of TED. His writing has been honored by the Society of Publishers in Asia, the Poynter Fellowship at Yale, and the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Award. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Mrs Baksh came to St. Stanislaus from Queen's College on February 3, 2014 as Deputy Principal specializing in the teaching of Geography.and is particularly interested in Curriculum Development.
St. Stanislaus College students achieve overall 96% passes at CSEC, CAPE
By Staff Writer
St.
Stanislaus College students attained 96.23% overall passes in this
year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and
96.03% at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
According
to a press release issued by the school, the students’ results at the
2018 CSEC and CAPE continue to maintain the traditional high standards
of the 152-year-old institution.
The
release said Sherlock Langevine was the top CSEC performer with 14
Grade 1 (14 G1s) passes, closely followed by Amarnauth Narain (12 G1s, 3
G2s), Tassia Bacchus (11 G1s, 1 G2), Nathan Hackett (10 G1s), Nectar
Prince (10 G1s, 2 G2s), Eleesha Sanasie (10 G1s, 1 G3), Ryan Khan (9
G1s, 4 G2s, 1 G3), Nia Williams (9 G1s, 4 G2s), Lennox Hopkinson (9 G1s,
1 G2), Skekeria Taitt (9 G1s, 1G2) and Julia Williams (9 G1s, 1G2).
The
top CAPE performers were Rashma Surjnarine (8 G1s, 3 G2s), Reya Persaud
(6 G1s, 3 G2s, 2 G3s), Aleah Marks (4 G1s, 5 G2s), Leshonda Kellman (4
G1s, 3 G2s, 2 G3s), Shaniah Reece (4 G1s, 3 G2s, 2 G3s), Tamara Cummings
(4 G1s, 6 G3s), Chelsea James (3 G1s, 6 G2s). The release noted that
the students achieved perfection with 100 percent passes in the
following CSEC subjects: Caribbean History, Economics, Electronic
Document Preparation and Management, English A, English B, Food and
Nutrition, Geography, Industrial Technology Electrical, Information
Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Office Administration,
Physical Education and Sport, Portuguese, Principles of Business,
Agricultural Science, Social Studies and Technical Drawing.
The
release said the English Department secured the following results:
English A: Grade 1 (83.67%), and Grade 2 (16.33%); and English B: Grade
1(34.88%), Grade 2 (56.98%), and Grade 3(8.14%). The Mathematics
Department, meanwhile, accomplished the following results: Grade 1
(65.17%), Grade 2 (30.34%), and Grade 3 (4.49%).
“The College’s
overall results at the CSEC/CAPE examinations continue to show steady
progress, a reflection of the joint pursuit by the dedicated staff and
the receptive learners of the school’s motto of ‘Aeterna Non Caduca’ –
Not for this life only but for Eternity,” the release added.
Light
It Up! CaribbeanTales Ignites with the Special Preview Screening of HERO
7
Special Presentation Nights| Sept. 5th – Sept. 20th | 30+
Films
Toronto,
August 8th, 2018 – The 13th year of the CaribbeanTales Film Festival opens on WednesdaySeptember 5, 2018 with a special preview screening of Hero:
Inspired By The Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross at
the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street at
8:00pm with a red carpet of stars and influencers rolling out at 7:00pm.
Hero
is directed and produced by Frances-Anne
Solomon – founder and CEO of CaribbeanTalesFilm Festival. Women directors, producers and HerStories are featured
prominently in this year’s line-up of the Opening Night Gala and the 7 Special
Presentation Nights:
Sept. 5th-
Opening Night: Trailblazers
Sept. 12th
- Shine Ya Light
Sept. 13th
- Building Bridges (Women of Colour Creators)
Sept. 14th
- Draw Fire: Bajan Invasion
Sept. 15th
- Rise Up: Queer and Here
Sept. 15th-
Shades of Justice
Sept. 19th
- Redemption Tales
Sept. 20th
- Torchsong: Haiti.
“Our
festival theme this year is ‘Light It Up.’ It’s a call to action. A call to
arms. A call to change. A call that’s been ringing out for a long time,” says
Diana Webley, Associate Festival Director. “We are asking our filmmakers to shine
their lights on all the changes in the world, to showcase their vision of
change and to spread their message…to lead the way.”
Opening night film Hero introduces the world
to breakout star Trinidadian actor/artist/musician Nickolai Salcedo (Moving
Parts, Salty Dog) and includes an international supporting cast of
Jamaican-born PeterWilliams (Stargate SG-1, A Winter Tale), St. Lucian/British Joseph Marcell (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and Ghanaian Nollywood superstar John Dumelo (A Northern Affair).
Hero
tells the story of Ulric Cross, a Trinidadian trailblazer who made his mark in
history flying fighter planes in World War II to become possibly the most decorated
West Indian Airman. During a time when racism placed roadblocks in the way of
people of African descent, Cross broke down barriers to become a BBC
broadcaster, a lawyer, a judge and a diplomat. He played a central role in the
independence struggles of both Africa and the Caribbean. Hero tells a story that
intertwines archival footage and dramatization. “Ultimately, the story is about us, says Director/Producer
Frances-Anne Solomon, “About who we are as Caribbean people, and as citizens of
the world.”
Other notable films to watch for:
Dancehall’s
Asian Ambassadors
– director: Kaneal Gayle/Sept. 19th
-a
documentary that follows four Japanese women who move to Jamaica after falling
in love with Dancehall music and build their lives and careers on the island
and in its music culture.
Saturday
Night Church
– director: Damon Cardasis/Sept. 15th
-teenager
Ulysses struggles with his gender identity and finds an escape by creating a
world of fantasy filled with dance and music that leads him to a vibrant
transgender community
It
Stays With You: Use of Force by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti – directors:
Cahal McLaughlin & Siobhan Wills/Sept.
20th
CaribbeanTales Film Festival (CTFF) celebrates
the talents of established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean heritage who
practise their art across the Caribbean Diaspora and worldwide. CTFF presents a
multi-ethnic mix of exciting and dynamic films that showcase diverse and shared
stories and cultures.
CTFF is produced by Caribbean Tales Inc., a
registered Canadian charity. The company’s mandate is to foster and encourage
intercultural understanding and racial equality, through the creation,
marketing and distribution of film, programs, events and projects that reflect
the diversity and creativity of Caribbean heritage and culture.
