[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.88,0:00:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember the very first time\NI went to a nice restaurant,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.72,0:00:05.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a really nice restaurant.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.36,0:00:07.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was for a law firm recruitment dinner,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.52,0:00:09.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I remember beforehand\Nthe waitress walked around
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.00,0:00:11.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and asked whether we wanted some wine,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.88,0:00:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I said, "Sure,\NI'll take some white wine."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.80,0:00:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she immediately said,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.56,0:00:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Would you like sauvignon blanc\Nor chardonnay?"
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.68,0:00:21.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I remember thinking,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.64,0:00:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Come on, lady,\Nstop with the fancy French words
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.52,0:00:26.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just give me some white wine."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.40,0:00:29.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I used my powers of deduction
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.04,0:00:31.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and recognized that chardonnay\Nand sauvignon blanc
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.48,0:00:33.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were two separate types of white wine,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.40,0:00:35.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I told her\Nthat I would take the chardonnay,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.84,0:00:38.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because frankly that was\Nthe easiest one to pronounce for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.96,0:00:42.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I had a lot of experiences like that
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.08,0:00:44.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during my first couple of years\Nas a law student at Yale,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.48,0:00:48.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because, despite all outward appearances,\NI'm a cultural outsider.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.24,0:00:50.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't come from the elites.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.84,0:00:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't come from the Northeast\Nor from San Francisco.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.20,0:00:57.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I came from a southern Ohio steel town,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.32,0:01:00.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a town that's really\Nstruggling in a lot of ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.08,0:01:02.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ways that are indicative\Nof the broader struggles
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.56,0:01:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of America's working class.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.72,0:01:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Heroin has moved in,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.08,0:01:08.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,killing a lot of people, people I know.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.68,0:01:12.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Family violence, domestic violence,\Nand divorce have torn apart families.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.40,0:01:17.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's a very unique\Nsense of pessimism that's moved in.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.60,0:01:20.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think about rising mortality rates\Nin these communities
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.24,0:01:22.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and recognize that\Nfor a lot of these folks,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.44,0:01:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the problems that they're seeing
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.04,0:01:27.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are actually causing rising death rates\Nin their own communities,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.76,0:01:30.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so there's a very real sense of struggle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.16,0:01:33.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had a very front-row seat\Nto that struggle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.72,0:01:37.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My family has been part of that struggle\Nfor a very long time.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.08,0:01:43.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I come from a family\Nthat doesn't have a whole lot of money.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.44,0:01:45.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The addiction that plagued my community
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.88,0:01:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also plagued my family,\Nand even, sadly, my own mom.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.76,0:01:53.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There were a lot of problems\Nthat I saw in my own family,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.92,0:01:56.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,problems caused sometimes\Nby a lack of money,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.80,0:02:01.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,problems caused sometimes by a lack\Nof access to resources and social capital
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.16,0:02:03.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that really affected my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.40,0:02:07.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you had looked at my life\Nwhen I was 14 years old
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.20,0:02:10.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and said, "Well, what's going\Nto happen to this kid?"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.28,0:02:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you would have concluded\Nthat I would have struggled
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.16,0:02:15.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with what academics call upward mobility.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.56,0:02:19.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So upward mobility is an abstract term,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.56,0:02:22.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it strikes at something\Nthat's very core
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.32,0:02:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the heart of the American Dream.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.04,0:02:25.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's the sense,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.28,0:02:27.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it measures whether kids like me
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.08,0:02:30.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who grow up in poor communities\Nare going to live a better life,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.12,0:02:35.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether they're going to have a chance\Nto live a materially better existence,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.52,0:02:39.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or whether they're going to stay\Nin the circumstances where they came from.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.08,0:02:41.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And one of the things\Nwe've learned, unfortunately,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.52,0:02:45.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that upward mobility isn't as high\Nas we'd like it to be in this country,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.48,0:02:49.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and interestingly,\Nit's very geographically distributed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.08,0:02:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So take Utah, for instance.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.84,0:02:56.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Utah a poor kid is actually doing OK,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.40,0:03:00.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very likely to live their share\Nand their part in the American Dream.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.56,0:03:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if you think of where I'm from,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.44,0:03:06.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the South, in Appalachia,\Nin southern Ohio,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.40,0:03:10.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's very unlikely\Nthat kids like that will rise.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.64,0:03:12.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The American Dream\Nin those parts of the country
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.92,0:03:14.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is in a very real sense just a dream.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.96,0:03:17.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So why is that happening?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.12,0:03:20.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one reason is obviously\Neconomic or structural.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.96,0:03:22.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you think of these areas.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.52,0:03:25.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're beset by these\Nterrible economic trends,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.16,0:03:27.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,built around industries\Nlike coal and steel
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.80,0:03:29.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that make it harder\Nfor folks to get ahead.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.32,0:03:31.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's certainly one problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.92,0:03:35.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's also the problem of brain drain,\Nwhere the really talented people,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.44,0:03:37.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they can't find\Nhigh-skilled work at home,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.84,0:03:39.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,end up moving elsewhere,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.12,0:03:42.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so they don't build a business\Nor non-profit where they're from,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.16,0:03:45.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they end up going elsewhere\Nand taking their talents with them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.16,0:03:47.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are failing schools\Nin a lot of these communities,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.84,0:03:49.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,failing to give kids\Nthe educational leg up
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.92,0:03:53.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that really makes it possible for kids\Nto have opportunities later in life.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.48,0:03:55.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These things are all important.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.04,0:03:57.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't mean to discount\Nthese structural barriers.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.48,0:03:59.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when I look back at my life\Nand my community,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.84,0:04:02.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something else was going on,\Nsomething else mattered.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.84,0:04:07.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's difficult to quantify,\Nbut it was no less real.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.12,0:04:11.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So for starters, there was\Na very real sense of hopelessness
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.80,0:04:13.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the community that I grew up in.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.60,0:04:16.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a sense that kids had\Nthat their choices didn't matter.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.76,0:04:19.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No matter what happened,\Nno matter how hard they worked,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.44,0:04:21.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter how hard\Nthey tried to get ahead,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.56,0:04:23.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nothing good would happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.16,0:04:27.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that's a tough feeling\Nto grow up around.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.24,0:04:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a tough mindset to penetrate,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.44,0:04:34.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it leads sometimes\Nto very conspiratorial places.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.24,0:04:39.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's just take one\Npolitical issue that's pretty hot,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.20,0:04:40.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,affirmative action.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.72,0:04:44.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So depending on your politics,\Nyou might think that affirmative action
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.04,0:04:47.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is either a wise or an unwise way\Nto promote diversity in the workplace
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.44,0:04:48.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the classroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.76,0:04:50.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if you grow up in an area like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.80,0:04:54.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you see affirmative action\Nas a tool to hold people like you back.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.56,0:04:57.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's especially true if you're\Na member of the white working class.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.84,0:05:01.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see it as something\Nthat isn't just about good or bad policy.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.28,0:05:03.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see it as something\Nthat's actively conspiring,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.00,0:05:06.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where people with political\Nand financial power
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.28,0:05:07.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are working against you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.92,0:05:12.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there are a lot of ways that you see\Nthat conspiracy against you --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.52,0:05:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perceived, real, but it's there,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.44,0:05:18.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it warps expectations.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.04,0:05:22.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you think about what do you do\Nwhen you grow up in that world,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.28,0:05:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can respond in a couple of ways.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.04,0:05:26.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One, you can say,\N"I'm not going to work hard,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.24,0:05:29.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because no matter how hard I work,\Nit's not going to matter."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.16,0:05:30.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another thing you might do is say,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.84,0:05:34.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Well, I'm not going to go\Nafter the traditional markers of success,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.08,0:05:36.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a university education\Nor a prestigious job,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.44,0:05:39.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the people who care\Nabout those things are unlike me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.36,0:05:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're never going to let me in."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.00,0:05:43.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I got admitted to Yale,\Na family member asked me
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.50,0:05:46.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if I had pretended to be a liberal\Nto get by the admissions committee.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.84,0:05:48.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Seriously.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.64,0:05:52.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's obviously not the case\Nthat there was a liberal box to check
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.68,0:05:54.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the application,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.20,0:05:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it speaks to a very real\Ninsecurity in these places
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.88,0:06:00.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you have to pretend\Nto be somebody you're not
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.28,0:06:02.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get past these various social barriers.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.08,0:06:04.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a very significant problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.64,0:06:08.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even if you don't give in\Nto that hopelessness,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.08,0:06:09.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even if you think, let's say,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.92,0:06:13.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that your choices matter\Nand you want to make the good choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.56,0:06:16.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you want to do better\Nfor yourself and for your family,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.48,0:06:19.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's sometimes hard\Nto even know what those choices are
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.68,0:06:21.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you grow up\Nin a community like I did.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.80,0:06:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't know, for example,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.44,0:06:25.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you had to go\Nto law school to be a lawyer.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.36,0:06:30.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't know that elite universities,\Nas research consistently tells us,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.32,0:06:32.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are cheaper for low-income kids
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.12,0:06:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because these universities\Nhave bigger endowments,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.72,0:06:36.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can offer more generous financial aid.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.92,0:06:38.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember I learned this
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.20,0:06:41.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I got the financial aid letter\Nfrom Yale for myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.04,0:06:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tens of thousands of dollars\Nin need-based aid,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.76,0:06:45.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is a term I had never heard before.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.92,0:06:48.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I turned to my aunt\Nwhen I got that letter and said,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.60,0:06:51.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You know, I think this just means\Nthat for the first time in my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.92,0:06:53.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being poor has paid really well."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.36,0:06:58.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I didn't have access\Nto that information
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.20,0:07:01.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the social networks around me\Ndidn't have access to that information.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.88,0:07:05.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I learned from my community\Nhow to shoot a gun, how to shoot it well.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.56,0:07:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I learned how to make\Na damn good biscuit recipe.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.04,0:07:11.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The trick, by the way,\Nis frozen butter, not warm butter.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.08,0:07:13.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I didn't learn how to get ahead.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:16.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't learn how to make\Nthe good decisions
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.60,0:07:18.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about education and opportunity
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.48,0:07:21.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you need to make
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.20,0:07:24.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to actually have a chance\Nin this 21st century knowledge economy.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.40,0:07:28.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Economists call the value\Nthat we gain from our informal networks,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.56,0:07:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from our friends and colleagues\Nand family "social capital."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.20,0:07:36.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The social capital that I had\Nwasn't built for 21st century America,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.04,0:07:37.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it showed.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.36,0:07:41.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's something else\Nthat's really important that's going on
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.32,0:07:43.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that our community\Ndoesn't like to talk about,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.52,0:07:45.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's very real.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.12,0:07:47.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Working-class kids are much more likely
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.04,0:07:49.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to face what's called\Nadverse childhood experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.80,0:07:53.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is just a fancy word\Nfor childhood trauma:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.28,0:07:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,getting hit or yelled at,\Nput down by a parent repeatedly,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.88,0:08:00.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,watching someone hit or beat your parent,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.32,0:08:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,watching someone do drugs\Nor abuse alcohol.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.72,0:08:06.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are all instances\Nof childhood trauma,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.28,0:08:08.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they're pretty\Ncommonplace in my family.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.96,0:08:12.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Importantly, they're not just\Ncommonplace in my family right now.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.40,0:08:14.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're also multigenerational.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.44,0:08:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So my grandparents,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.64,0:08:19.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the very first time that they had kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.44,0:08:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they expected that they\Nwere going to raise them in a way
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.16,0:08:23.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was uniquely good.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.80,0:08:25.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were middle class,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.08,0:08:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were able to earn\Na good wage in a steel mill.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.48,0:08:28.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what ended up happening
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.84,0:08:31.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that they exposed their kids\Nto a lot of the childhood trauma
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.88,0:08:34.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that had gone back many generations.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.60,0:08:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My mom was 12 when she saw\Nmy grandma set my grandfather on fire.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.12,0:08:42.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His crime was that he came home drunk
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.96,0:08:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after she told him,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.20,0:08:46.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"If you come home drunk,\NI'm gonna kill you."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.24,0:08:48.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she tried to do it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.44,0:08:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think about the way\Nthat that affects a child's mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.52,0:08:56.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we think of these things\Nas especially rare,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.48,0:09:00.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a study by the Wisconsin\NChildren's Trust Fund found
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.48,0:09:06.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that 40 percent of low-income kids face\Nmultiple instances of childhood trauma,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.80,0:09:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,compared to only 29 percent\Nfor upper-income kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.12,0:09:12.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And think about what that really means.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.80,0:09:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're a low-income kid,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.56,0:09:19.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost half of you face multiple\Ninstances of childhood trauma.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.04,0:09:20.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not an isolated problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.88,0:09:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a very significant issue.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.80,0:09:26.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We know what happens\Nto the kids who experience that life.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.92,0:09:31.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're more likely to do drugs,\Nmore likely to go to jail,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.24,0:09:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more likely to drop out of high school,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.56,0:09:34.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most importantly,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.00,0:09:37.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're more likely\Nto do to their children
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.24,0:09:39.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what their parents did to them.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.64,0:09:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This trauma, this chaos in the home,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.76,0:09:46.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is our culture's\Nvery worst gift to our children,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.24,0:09:48.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a gift that keeps on giving.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.28,0:09:52.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you combine all that,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.12,0:09:54.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the hopelessness, the despair,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.84,0:09:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the cynicism about the future,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.20,0:09:58.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the childhood trauma,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.44,0:10:01.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the low social capital,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.36,0:10:03.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you begin to understand why me,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.68,0:10:05.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the age of 14,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.28,0:10:07.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was ready to become\Njust another statistic,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.64,0:10:09.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,another kid who failed to beat the odds.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.64,0:10:13.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But something unexpected happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.36,0:10:15.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did beat the odds.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.12,0:10:17.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Things turned up for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.28,0:10:21.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I graduated from high school,\Nfrom college, I went to law school,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.04,0:10:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I have a pretty good job now.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.32,0:10:24.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what happened?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.32,0:10:27.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, one thing that happened\Nis that my grandparents,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.88,0:10:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same grandparents\Nof setting someone on fire fame,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.44,0:10:32.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they really shaped up\Nby the time I came around.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.32,0:10:36.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They provided me a stable home,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.40,0:10:37.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a stable family.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.72,0:10:38.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They made sure
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.96,0:10:42.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that when my parents weren't able\Nto do the things that kids need,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.12,0:10:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they stepped in and filled that role.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.88,0:10:47.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My grandma especially\Ndid two things that really matter.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.56,0:10:51.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One, she provided that peaceful home\Nthat allowed me to focus on homework
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.08,0:10:53.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the things that kids\Nshould be focused on.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.72,0:10:56.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But she was also\Nthis incredibly perceptive woman,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.12,0:10:58.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,despite not even having\Na middle school education.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.52,0:11:01.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She recognized the message\Nthat my community had for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.20,0:11:03.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that my choices didn't matter,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.28,0:11:05.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the deck was stacked against me.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.12,0:11:06.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She once told me,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.36,0:11:10.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"JD, never be like those losers who think\Nthe deck is stacked against them.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.36,0:11:12.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can do anything you want to."
Dialogue: 0,0:11:12.72,0:11:15.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet she recognized\Nthat life wasn't fair.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.96,0:11:17.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's hard to strike that balance,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.60,0:11:19.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to tell a kid that life isn't fair,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.64,0:11:24.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also recognize and enforce in them\Nthe reality that their choices matter.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.92,0:11:27.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But mamaw was able\Nto strike that balance.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.04,0:11:32.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The other thing that really helped\Nwas the United States Marine Corps.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.36,0:11:35.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we think of the Marine Corps\Nas a military outfit, and of course it is,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.88,0:11:38.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for me, the US Marine Corps\Nwas a four-year crash course
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.76,0:11:39.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in character education.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.00,0:11:42.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It taught me how to make a bed,\Nhow to do laundry,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.40,0:11:44.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how to wake up early,\Nhow to manage my finances.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.68,0:11:46.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are things\Nmy community didn't teach me.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.88,0:11:49.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember when I went\Nto go buy a car for the very first time,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.86,0:11:54.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was offered a dealer's\Nlow, low interest rate of 21.9 percent,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.20,0:11:56.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was ready\Nto sign on the dotted line.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.68,0:11:59.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I didn't take that deal,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.56,0:12:01.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I went and took it to my officer
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.60,0:12:03.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who told me, "Stop being an idiot,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.76,0:12:06.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,go to the local credit union,\Nand get a better deal."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.28,0:12:07.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so that's what I did.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.76,0:12:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But without the Marine Corps,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.20,0:12:11.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would have never had access\Nto that knowledge.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.48,0:12:13.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would have had\Na financial calamity, frankly.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.72,0:12:17.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The last thing I want to say\Nis that I had a lot of good fortune
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.88,0:12:19.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the mentors and people
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.48,0:12:21.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who have played\Nan important role in my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.64,0:12:24.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,From the Marines,\Nfrom Ohio State, from Yale,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.72,0:12:25.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from other places,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.00,0:12:27.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people have really stepped in
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.68,0:12:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ensured that they filled\Nthat social capital gap
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.52,0:12:32.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it was pretty obvious,\Napparently, that I had.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.48,0:12:35.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That comes from good fortune,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.84,0:12:39.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a lot of children\Naren't going to have that good fortune,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.16,0:12:42.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think that raises\Nreally important questions for all of us
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.88,0:12:44.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about how we're going to change that.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.60,0:12:49.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to ask questions about\Nhow we're going to give low-income kids
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.60,0:12:53.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who come from a broken home\Naccess to a loving home.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:53.16,0:12:54.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to ask questions
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.44,0:12:56.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about how we're going\Nto teach low-income parents
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.80,0:12:58.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how to better interact\Nwith their children,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.96,0:13:00.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with their partners.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.48,0:13:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to ask questions\Nabout how we give social capital,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.96,0:13:08.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mentorship to low-income kids\Nwho don't have it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.36,0:13:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to think about\Nhow we teach working class children
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.44,0:13:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about not just hard skills,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.96,0:13:16.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like reading, mathematics,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.08,0:13:17.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also soft skills,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.44,0:13:20.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like conflict resolution\Nand financial management.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.44,0:13:24.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I don't have all of the answers.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.68,0:13:27.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know all of the solutions\Nto this problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.36,0:13:29.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I do know this:
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.60,0:13:32.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in southern Ohio right now,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.36,0:13:36.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a kid who is\Nanxiously awaiting their dad,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.16,0:13:38.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wondering whether,\Nwhen he comes through the door,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.56,0:13:40.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he'll walk calmly or stumble drunkly.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.00,0:13:43.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a kid
Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.56,0:13:46.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whose mom sticks a needle in her arm
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.92,0:13:48.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and passes out,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.44,0:13:51.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he doesn't know\Nwhy she doesn't cook him dinner,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.36,0:13:53.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he goes to bed hungry that night.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.40,0:13:58.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a kid who has\Nno hope for the future
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.36,0:14:01.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but desperately\Nwants to live a better life.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.64,0:14:03.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They just want somebody\Nto show it to them.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.68,0:14:06.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't have all the answers,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.56,0:14:11.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I know that unless our society\Nstarts asking better questions
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.52,0:14:13.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about why I was so lucky
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.64,0:14:16.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and about how to get that luck\Nto more of our communities
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.72,0:14:18.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and our country's children,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.40,0:14:21.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're going to continue\Nto have a very significant problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.68,0:14:22.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.92,0:14:25.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)