The Ethical Sellout (Maintaining Your Integrity in the Age of Compromise)

In the age of purity politics and public shaming, people are fearful of betraying their values and selling out. Authors Lily Zheng and Inge Hansen make the bold claim that everyone sells out--and that the challenge lies in doing it ethically.

"Selling out" isn't an action that many think of in neutral terms. It brings to mind the politician who concedes to lobbyists and corporations, the musician that signs a major record deal, or even the once radical activist-turned-celebrity. It's no wonder why many feel defensive when accused of selling out. But in a world where compromise is an essential aspect of life, we all sell out in one way or another.

Drawing from their own stories and from a diversity of people who recount their own struggles with dilemmas around selling out, Lily Zheng and Inge Hansen confront two provocative questions: What compels so many of us to sell out? and How can we sell out ethically? In the first part of The Ethical Sellout, they pull together key lessons on the many forces driving sellout crises, looking at cases from a span of contexts including high tech, elite universities, the US military, and beyond. The second part provides an adaptive framework and tool kit that makes navigating identity, belief systems, and networks an intentional practice--one that guides readers not to become ethical sellouts but how to sell out more ethically.

With compassion, honesty, accountability, nuance, growth, and exploration, Zheng and Hansen propose new ways of authentically thinking about marginalization, privilege, and self-interest. This book is for all who have ever felt forced to choose between their needs and their values and for those who strive every day to maintain their integrity in the face of constant pressure to compromise.