About this episode

Historian Dylan Gottlieb discusses the impact of yuppies on American cities and social structures in the 1980s.

In the 1980s, yuppies were celebrated in the media and reviled by many others. Working in finance or as management consultants or lawyers, they quickly put their stamp on cities around the country, displacing working class people in places like New York, and remaking the Democratic Party. Historian Dylan Gottleib examines whether they were drivers of financialization and growing social inequality — or crucial cogs in the machine. Dylan Gottlieb, Yuppies: The Bankers, Lawyers, Joggers, and Gourmands Who Conquered New York Harvard University Press, 2026 Photo: Charles Hutchins The post Triumph of the Yuppie appeared first on KPFA.

People in this episode

Guest: Dylan Gottlieb

Topics covered

• yuppies
• financialization
• social inequality
• 1980s culture
• Democratic Party

Keywords

• yuppies
• financialization
• social inequality
• 1980s
• Democratic Party
• Dylan Gottlieb

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard University Press

Places: New York

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