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Life-Hacks of the Poor and Aimless
Article

Life-Hacks of the Poor and Aimless

On Negotiating the False Idols of Neoliberal Self-Care

The Baffler, 2016

automatisch generiertes Audio
automatisch generiertes Audio

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Faced with modern “wellness” ideologies which imply that all life’s problems can be solved with a better exercise routine or change in mind-set, it’s little wonder that many on the progressive left reject the notion of self-care altogether. But, as author and editor Laurie Penny persuasively argues in this article, rejecting self-care entirely, in favor of “despair” and unhealthy habits, won’t solve social problems either. Society needs a new view on self-care – one which recognizes its value, as well as its potential for coercion. getAbstract recommends Penny’s perspective to political progressives.

Take-Aways

  • Modern “self-care” ideologies encourage people to believe they can fix their unhappiness through personal improvement.
  • Yet, self-care ideologies can harm individuals by making them feel every problem they encounter is their own fault and by discouraging “collective engagement.”
  • Many on the political left reject self-care on both practical and political levels. Instead, they “fetishize a species of abject hopelessness.”

About the Author

Laurie Penny is a contributing editor at the New Statesman. She is the author of five books, most recently, Unspeakable Things.


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