Episode 3

Episode 3: Battles Won & A War Lost

Published on: 16th March, 2025

In this episode, we delve into the tumultuous 20th century—the moment labor briefly triumphed, only to see its victories dismantled as corporate power roared back. From trust-busting and progressive reforms to the rise of unions and the birth of the middle class, we trace how shifting ideologies, automation, and soaring inequality set the stage for today’s precarious economy. And as we stand on the brink of an AI-driven era, we ask: did the 20th century’s unheeded lessons doom us all to repeat history?

SOURCES:

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Cocks, C. C., Holloran, P., & Lessoff, A. (2009). Historical dictionary of the progressive era. Choice Reviews Online.


Gould, L. (1974). America in the progressive era, 1890–1914.


Postel, C. (2014). If they repeal the progressive era, should we care? The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.


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Perkins, L. (1997). Nannie Helen Burroughs: A progressive example for modern times. Affilia.


Bevis, T. B., & Lucas, C. J. (2007). The early 1900s: Foreign student enrollments and emerging support.


McGerr, M. (2003). A fierce discontent: The rise and fall of the progressive movement in America, 1870–1920.


Borstelmann, T. (2011). The 1970s: A new global history from civil rights to economic inequality.


Freeman, R. (1988). Contraction and expansion: The divergence of private sector and public sector unionism in the United States. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2(2), 63–88.


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Sharpe, M. (2016). The decline of unions, the rise of inequality. Challenge, 59(2), 153–154.


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Autor, D., Katz, L., & Kearney, M. S. (2008). Trends in U.S. wage inequality: Revising the revisionists. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 90, 300–323.


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Autor, D., Katz, L., & Kearney, M. S. (2006). The polarization of the U.S. labor market. NBER Working Paper Series.


Additional Web Sources

Economic Policy Institute. (2023). CEO pay in 2023. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2023/


Economic Policy Institute. (n.d.). Charting wage stagnation. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/


Economic Policy Institute. (n.d.). Productivity–pay gap. [Website]. https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/


Ricks, T. E. (1984, July 6). Auto workers accept automation in exchange for job security. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/06/auto-workers-accept-automation-in-exchange-for-job-security/66a9adda-66ec-4a25-aa5c-7663962daddb/


Youngstown Sheet and Tube. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngstown_Sheet_and_Tube

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About the Podcast

Roll The Boulder
The world is unraveling—or maybe it's just being rewritten. Roll The Boulder is a sharp, unfiltered dive into the chaos of modern life-- from AI-driven job displacement to the anxiety coursing through so many people to the slow death of community. With wit, irreverence, and a refusal to accept easy answers, we break down the forces shaping our future and ask: Can we push back? Can we rebuild? Part history, part social commentary, all rebellion—this podcast isn’t here to comfort you. It’s here to wake you up.

About your host

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Mike V

I’ve co-hosted the comedy podcast "AHC Podcast" for 5 years and work as a Project Manager in the healthcare field. I’ve been following AI advancements for the past decade. However, the last two years have really heightened my concern. Seeing the rapid growth of AI initiatives in my professional life—and coupling that experience with my personal research—compelled me to create Roll The Boulder.

Because, I believe we’re on the cusp of one of the most significant economic and sociological shifts in human history, and my goal is to illuminate these changes through thoughtful conversations, drawing on both my industry insights and independent studies.