Smile or die
by Barbara Ehrenreich · first published 2009
3mentions
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3HN commenters
2012–2023first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
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Everything has to be exciting or awesome (as in something that evokes awe). Back in 2010, Barbara Ehrenreich critiqued this culture of unrealistic optimism and unrelenting exuberance in Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World¹. I would’ve thought that post-Lehman Brothers America would have been more receptive of her critique but unfortunately not. ¹ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6975389-smile-or-die
on “Wikipedia switches to CC BY-SA 4.0 license” ↗…asshat, or other things like that. This comes from a culture now dominated by PR/marketing/sales, getting crazier by the growing viral marketing and astroturfing craze. I strongly recommend you to watch Smile or Die, a talk by Barbara Ehrenreich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo The parallel with that is a delusion SOLD to the community. In the case of "hacker" school I criticize it as I did with the…
on “Negative comments” ↗…to show kindness with all forms of suffering. Being cruel to be kind as a philanthropic philosophy has never worked (for me). Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo (RSA Animate on "Smile or Die" a talk by Barbara Ehrenreich)
on “Apple - Think Twice” ↗