Why do we struggle, as Americans especially, to make honor a part of daily life and culture? Most Americans share basic standards of decency. And yet, we’re becoming inured to scandal and shame, and seemingly hopeless about the possibility of change in a highly politically polarized world.
As a country and as individuals, we’ve seen a slide in incorporating honor into our daily lives and overall culture. Corporations, politicians, activists and organizations often ignore the importance of incorporating honor into their mission, goals and work culture with negative results. What’s worse, the image of the United States of America and its citizens is has been tarnished in the eyes of the world.
Cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken shares his proposed solutions to save the American reputation.
Talking Points:
- Tell us aboutyour 3 C’s of Honor (clarity, consistency and courage) that you outline in your new book THE NEW HONOR CODE: A Simple Plan for Raising Our Standards and Restoring Our Good Names (Simon & Schuster’s Tiller Press).
- How may we restore honor in individuals, businesses and organizations by applying these 3 C’s?
- How has the ascent of celebrity culture supplanted honor in America?
- What has happened to the middle in American politics?
- Is modern cancel culture grounded in honor or NOT?
- Where may we get a copy of your book?
Grant McCracken is a cultural anthropologist. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago. He was the founder of the Institute of Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum, and a cofounder of the Artisanal Economies Project. Grant has taught at Harvard, the University of Cambridge, and MIT. He advises a wide variety of companies and individuals, including Google, Netflix, Nike, the Ford Foundation, the Boston Book Festival, and even Kanye West. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and three cats.
About the book:
What used to be shocking has somehow become the new normal in our politics, workplaces, and universities. Sexual predators stalk interns at work and teenagers abroad. Parents try to buy a place for their kids in college. Pharmaceutical companies refuse to acknowledge the Opioid epidemic they helped create. Banks issue credit cards no one ordered, ruining the credit scores and reputations of thousands. It happens so frequently that we can no longer dismiss these cases as a few bad apples. Clearly, something in the system is rotten.
Most Americans are committed to morality. We share basic standards of decency. And yet, we’re becoming inured to scandal and shame, and hopeless about the possibility of change. What if we decided to fight it instead? Grant McCracken has a solution—the revival of an ancient idea called honor. Once the moral compass of millions of people for hundreds of years, it has since fallen out of currency just when we need it the most. Grant looks at honor and dishonor as these are expressed in popular culture and at institutions as diverse as Harvard, PBS, and Wells Fargo. He offers practical guidelines for both organizations and individuals looking to restore moral order to their lives.
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 or jerry@specialguests.com
