Conversations with Charlie Dyer, Guest: Lily Zheng

We’re taught that compromise is a necessary part of growing up. “Selling out,” on the other hand, is stepping over a line. To be a “sell out” is to be greedy, uncaring, selfish, maybe even traitorous in some way, like the politician who leaves campaign promises unfulfilled after meeting with deep-pocketed lobbyists, or a musician who turns his back on his roots after signing a big record deal. But what if “selling out” isn’t necessarily such a moral failure? And what if we could actually learn to sell out “ethically”? Our guest Lily Zheng offers her “sell-out story” and argues for a more expansive context for the ethical challenges we’re all faced with in our daily lives.