Boing Boing: Coupland's JPod: the Anti-Microserfs: "JPod is a novel about how the novelty-seeking, irony-soaked, instant-nostalgia, gross-out culture of the Internet can corrode your soul, so that when you crack wise, there's nothing underneath it but more wisecracks. The book made me uncomfortable and sometimes even angry, but I never wanted to put it down, and it made me think hard about my own life and values."
I didn't write this, nor read the book, but I will be reading it soon, and I've already thought about my own life and values. I'm tired of liking ugly or bad or stupid stuff because it is ironic.
I'm gonna try to like things because they are good, pure, nice, and beautiful.
DOWN WITH IRONY.
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4 comments:
How completely noble of you. Does that mean you can no longer frequent Crap's and my hate-filled, substance-lacking blogs?
I too, have self-enrichment planned. I want to improve my general outlook and mood, so in place of my usual unfulfilling summertime holiday plans, I'm going to seclude myself in a commune for 10 days so that I can seek inner peace through meditation.
...no I'm not crazy.
Shit, i suppose telling everyone that i'm giving up irony, is pretentious, isn't it?
Damn it, I'm trying.
Oh, and I love you guys' blogs. Good stuff. I still mostly hate the world, and I like seeing its worst pointed out. I just wanna be a bit happier.
I just don't want to ironically like the 80s because they were horrible. I'm gonna hate the 80s because they were horrible. Love AND hate without irony. Or ironing - why don't they make more wrinkle free shirts for the ladies? I wasn't programmed to iron just because I have boobs.
Interesting thoughts. I think you're on to something smart. I'm a beliver in the power of positive self talk, though I'm not the best practitioner of the art.
As far as liking or disliking things, it is ironic that people sometimes like things because they are bad. But, sometimes, ironically, things that are bad are actually quite good. I think maybe my resolution will be to like or dislike things on my own terms without reference to what others think. Usually, one of my rules is that if many people like something then the auguries are pretty negative for that thing. In general, popularity is a sign that something stinks. But then, maybe my guidelines make me miss out on some fun shit. I dunno. I do recommend the slingshot. It isn't very popular which means the line is short.
What I hate, and what I probably meant by my too-broad label of "ironic," is when things come back into style that were horrible the first time around. I refuse to like mullets, legwarmers, ponytails on the side, rolled up jeans, most every sitcom ever made. I will not like bad things just because they are bad. There has to be something greater in them. (e.g. Ishtar and Plan 9 from Outer Space)
What I should do is just not care what others like. Or whether they hate what I like. I guess I just want to purify what I deem enjoyable, and eliminate what others think in my estimations. Thanks Crap and Thug for the perspective. Not that I give a shit.
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