Myths about the Powerless

This collection examines the realities of social inequality, providing critical analyses of contemporary issues at the center of national debate—homelessness, the underclass, poverty, welfare, unemployment, health and mental health care, and gender and intercultural relations. A scholar and life-long activist, William Ryan's notions of "blaming the victim" and "fair shares vs. fair play" provide potent jumping-off points for the contributors' insights into the struggle for equality and social justice in the 1990s. Their call to unmask the underlying assumptions that sustain inequality offers a compelling challenge to the neoconservative strategy that dominates public debate and legislative agendas.