The power of common myths: Amy Zalman

“We need a new story, but how do we get to that new story?”

A Jewish refugee from Mussolini’s Italy, Amy Zalman’s grandmother convinced the American consolate that she deserved to immigrate by citing a commonly understood story: the American dream. Zalman discusses the value of deeply felt common myths, or “power narratives” — like the American dream — to build instant connections and calls on us to begin shaping new society-wide stories. (Filmed at TEDxGeorgetown.)

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