Welcome to the final reading list of the year!
For this final version of 2023, I’ve got a fun mix of fiction, Marxist theory, and psychology. I hope you enjoy. And, as always, let me know what you’re reading these days.
Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
Welcome to the final reading list of the year!
For this final version of 2023, I’ve got a fun mix of fiction, Marxist theory, and psychology. I hope you enjoy. And, as always, let me know what you’re reading these days.
Every now and then, someone asks me for my hot take on someone else’s social media or pop culture hot take. Or they ask me what I think about something a famous actor or influencer said.
I’d say something snarky here. But to be honest, I probably haven’t heard about whatever controversy the person asks me about. In the rare event I have heard about it, I probably don’t care.
It’s not that these things are totally unimportant. People can do damage with problematic remarks. Rather, it’s that the media figures, podcasters, bloggers (!), et al. who people get worked up about usually have far less influence than people think they do. They have an impact on the world, but not as big as people think they do.
How should we respond to them? In most cases, it’s best to quit paying attention to them. Social media figures and influencers live on the attention people give them. Try giving them less.
So, it’s not that I think pop culture is unimportant. I don’t think that. But I do think pop culture figures are less important than most believe. And their importance depends essentially on the attention we provide them.
A quick glance at the results of last November’s city council election in Iowa City doesn’t show much. It reveals only blowout elections and unopposed candidates. A closer look, however, reveals a big win for the city’s major business org (the Downtown District) and a loss for working-class candidates.
Let’s take a closer look.
I read an article in The Guardian recently about this thing called Race2Dinner.
It’s not a new article, nor, indeed, is it a new program. But I think Race2Dinner captures something critical about the neuroses of certain professional class liberals and progressives.
Let’s talk a bit about that.
As we head toward the end of the year, we have something of a transitional reading list. There’s still a little baseball on it. But, at the same time, I’m also reading a few things that are a bit cozier.
Read on to find out what. And, as always, let me know what you’re reading these days!
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