it would be the eighth wealthiest country in the world. - this is kevin connell. after falling into almost $100,000 of student debt of his own, he wrote two books exposing the corruption of the student debt system, all by the time he was just 21. in one word, how would you describe the student debt system? - predatory. - why? - because of the conditioning students face their entire lives, saying you must go to college in order to be successful. people are willing to pay whatever it takes to go to college. - and prominent economists agree. as an economist, the prominent economist that you are. - shoot me up good. [overlapping chatter] - get it! the prominent economist that you are, how big of a problem would you say this is? - oh, it s an immoral problem. we impose this upon our young people. it s a narrative where we tell them, go to school, better yourself. college is the key to your mobility. but as a young person, 17, 18 years old, are they making an authentic choice? - well, i feel
country in the world. - this is kevin connell. after falling into almost $100,000 of student debt of his own, he wrote two books exposing the corruption of the student debt system, all by the time he was just 21. in one word, how would you describe the student debt system? - predatory. - why? - because of the conditioning students face their entire lives, saying you must go to college in order to be successful. people are willing to pay whatever it takes to go to college. - and prominent economists agree. as an economist, the prominent economist that you are. - shoot me up good. [overlapping chatter] - get it! the prominent economist that you are, how big of a problem would you say this is? - oh, it s an immoral problem. we impose this upon our young people. it s a narrative where we tell them, go to school, better yourself. college is the key to your mobility. but as a young person, 17, 18 years old, are they making an authentic choice? - well, i feel like i ve done everything right.
[upbeat guitar music] [cheers and applause] [guitar music] - hi, girls. can you say hi? - hi. - can you say hi? - hi, princess. - hey. - i wanna say welcome home and give him a big hug. - hey. [overlapping chatter] - that s my daughter. [laughter] - hey. - everybody look like■ you know what i m saying? [chatter] - [singing] been traveling these wide roads for so long. my heart s been far from you, 10,000 miles gone. - once we strip away this artifice of thinking that the drug war is about actually helping people, we can see more clearly how unjust it is. - if you were to not just look at what is
[upbeat guitar music] [cheers and applause] [guitar music] - hi, girls. can you say hi? - hi. - can you say hi? - hi, princess. - hey. - i wanna say welcome home and give him a big hug. - hey. [overlapping chatter] - that s my daughter. [laughter] - hey. - everybody look like■ you know what i m saying? [chatter] - [singing] been traveling these wide roads for so long. my heart s been far from you, 10,000 miles gone. - once we strip away this artifice of thinking that the drug war is about actually helping people, we can see more clearly how unjust it is. - if you were to not just look at what is
- hi, girls. can you say hi? - hi. - can you say hi? - hi, princess. - hey. - i wanna say welcome home and give him a big hug. - hey. [overlapping chatter] - that s my daughter. [laughter] - hey. - everybody look like■ you know what i m saying? [chatter] - [singing] been traveling these wide roads for so long. my heart s been far from you, 10,000 miles gone. - once we strip away this artifice of thinking that the drug war is about actually helping people, we can see more clearly how unjust it is. - if you were to not just look at what is the exact charge someone s incarcerated on, but how did they sort of enter this revolving door, you ll find that it had something to do with weed. it is a gateway. it is a gateway to mass incarceration,