Not My Narrative: Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps vs. It Takes a Village

Next CityOct 21, 2026

The thing about the 'bootstraps' narrative is how insidious it is in our own lives.

The story that people can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps — essentially working their way out of poverty — not only blames people who fall short; it also says asking for help is weakness. Except the truth is that that's our superpower: humanity's ability to save one another.

For me, that takeaway was the most striking in this installment of Next City's podcast and essay series, Not My Narrative. Our guests encourage us to reckon with our relationship to a helping hand.

Check out the latest podcast episode on Apple or Spotify, and read the accompanying essays below. And stay tuned for two more installments in the coming weeks!

Lucas Grindley

Executive director of Next City and host of the Not My Narrative podcast

The Political Theater of “Pull Yourself Up By the Bootstraps”

The slogan originated as a satire of impossible self-improvement and has now become conservative gospel. The story of housing in Atlanta proves it’s never been true.

Read the full story.

Listen: Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps vs. It Takes a Village

Read the series

What Believing In Bootstraps Cost Me

Essay: America told me I was pulling myself up by the bootstraps. It didn't tell me I was pulling myself apart.

It Takes More Than a Slogan to Build a Village

Essay: For over a decade, I've been giving low-income Black mothers in Jackson, Mississippi cash with no strings attached. The most radical part isn't the money – it’s the trust and consistency.

Places Like This: Fargo

Sponsored op-ed: Fargo’s Indigenous Association isn’t building housing or running a storefront, which is why some people don’t count it as community development. Dominique Miller spent a week there and argues the opposite: organizations like this should be funded first.

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