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The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway · November 5, 2025 · 50m

The Collapse of American Virtue — with Fareed Zakaria

Fareed Zakaria
Apple Podcasts

Zakaria argues America's obsession with money has replaced civic virtue — and that the US can't beat China by trying to become more like it. The global left is in retreat because it abandoned economic messaging for identity politics. Young men are adrift because the social contract (work hard → prosper) broke, and no one is offering a credible replacement. One of the most substantive episodes in the catalog.

Highlights

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America's money obsession has replaced civic virtue
Zakaria: the US can't beat China by becoming more like it. When money becomes the primary measure of worth, civic virtue collapses and democracy loses its legitimating force.
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The global left lost because it abandoned economics
Zakaria: progressive parties worldwide are in retreat because they stopped talking about jobs, wages, and opportunity — and started talking about identity. Working-class voters noticed.
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References

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Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World — Fareed Zakaria (2020) — Framework for navigating global disruption

Misc

✧Zakaria: America can't out-China China — competing on authoritarianism is a losing strategy
✧The global left lost because it stopped talking about economics
✧Young men's crisis framed as a broken social contract, not an identity problem