Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Page 18 of 117

FAQ #11: What Do You Think About [Pop Culture Controversy]?

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.

November Reading List (2023)

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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Life Coaches?

When I got the latest issue of Current Affairs in the mail in August, the article on life coaching by Ronald Purser stood out to me.

I’ve never hired a life coach. Nor, thankfully, have I ever desired to become one. But I’ve flirted a few times with the idea of working with a therapist – or even a coach – around career issues. Why not hire an impartial professional to talk through these issues with you? It seems like a good idea.

That’s all to say that a person who starts a blog about, among other things, alienation and corporate ennui might have a few issues in those areas with discussing with a professional. Who’d have known?

In his article, Purser makes all the criticisms of the life coaching industry we’d expect. The issues Purser raises are the same ones that keep people like me from seriously considering getting into life coaching, as either practitioner or client.

What are those issues? There are no meaningful standards or regulations in the industry. Various grifters use life coaching and related marketing campaigns to make quick money. Even Silicon Valley has gotten in on the game by investing that sweet, sweet VC money.

So should we celebrate our victory after exposing the life coaching industry for its shortcomings? Not exactly.

More than anything, I think we should feel a sense of disappointment or missed opportunity. The issues people bring to life coaches are real, even if the coaching isn’t. And people should have access to what they need. In short, life coaching fills a real niche, however badly.

There are many things we deserve in a socialist society. A ‘life coach’ worth having is one of those things.

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