“We’re Not Just Telling Stories, We’re Changing Lives”: Dhar Mann’s Progressive Neoliberalism

Abstract

This article focuses on the work of Dhar Mann, a “megainfluencer” based in Los Angeles who makes videos that encourage viewers to treat others fairly and with compassion. However, the narratives he produces are rooted in fantasy, ignore/obscure the role of capitalism in the cultural construction of everyday power relations in the United States, and, in turn, uphold “progressive-neoliberal” ethics glossed with kindness and a depoliticization of everyday life as solutions to individual and social problems.