loafingcactus > Recent Status Updates

I'm sure I'll hate him again before the end of the book, but right now he's growing on me and absolutely everything I see in discussions of current events I'm just like "yeah, that's straight from The Revolt of the Masses."

Basically the 1900 version of “men will do anything except go to therapy!” (It is not written to women.) Particularly interesting to think it was written only 10 years after the invention of psychoanalysis and the author is like if you want to stop yelling at your wife you need to spend 7 hours a week thinking about who you are, no excuses! No, not that excuse either! Do it!!

The plot starts in chapter 14?! This was a serial, so people waited THREE MONTHS for something to happen?! I could never read this book but the other day it was the first thing that came up as a free Amazon Classic when I needed to drive somewhere and I was taking too many notes on 5 Crashes to drive with it. And then that terrible book today & a long drive.

Chapter 1 - “The necessary and the ephemeral,” arguing that all of political decision-making and freedom has been replaced by responding to what is seen as necessary and to be obsession with the now. I would say that few in US politics believe they have free will, or want it, and certain people know they do and here we are!

As good as everyone says, though chapter 3 is a massive spoiler of The Name of the Rose, a book I own and have not read, boo.

I had deep thoughts about the importance of transgression when I started reading this and was feeling the American political oppression particularly heavily. Now just getting along…

Just reading a little bit at a time. Not really trying to “study” but more recognition.

“all joy wants eternity— wants deep, wants deep eternity”

If you understood Nietzsche by reading him directly bully for you, but I need him explained to me as if I were an illiterate child and this book is absolutely amazing and I wish I had discovered it far earlier in life.

Co-reading in English and Spanish. The English translator chose to take out many paragraph breaks so second-language reader middle finger to him.

Withholding opinion on Ortega. I was just thinking he might not be an azzhole when he launched into that people no longer appreciate refinement because it has become too common to have a toilet…

Did anyone who is praising this book actually read it? The book is a hoax. I wonder what level of AI went into it, or if he really just slapped down meaningless words on the page himself without knowing what they mean. Amazing.

Still eating my vegetables... very slowly. I do think this is a good book, and an important book and in these days probably every person should read it. Also it's not a difficult read, the author pitched it to general audience, it just hasn't been at the top of my stack this year.

Me reading along: Oh this is so pretty, so much pretty, la la la, looks at reviews about "preachy" and "moralistic" oh whatever could be those peoples probl.... RECORD SCRATCH. Okay so this author sounds like she is in a cult. A Kellogg holdover, maybe would be Scientologist today. She has time to redeem herself but its not looking good.

I've been feeling like absolutely no one understands what it is like to have read Proust unless they have done it, and then I went and looked at the Goodreads reviews and many of them are so dull and everyday... what book did these people read. Meanwhile I'm here fighting for my life, hoping Proust will let me go after one book!

The first about 20% of the book I thought it was just going to be a silly little book but once Ferber takes aim she does not miss.

I have so many bad things to say about this narration. The book too, but there's no defense for the narration.

Getting bored, we shall see if I power through...

I haven't had a chance to read the popular essay about this book yet, but there is a complaint that the book has a white savior spin. If the first pages are any indication, I see I see indeed.

I like this development of the sick aunt as a different view of sickness from the sick protagonist, and of course there is the sick author. I wish there were a good, current, disability studies analysis of this book (from a sick/disabled person, I don't care to hear from an abled on it and they wouldn't get it right).

I think it would be okay for most people to read part 1 of chapter 1 and call it a day. It gets the experience of touching Proust down. In the Lydia Davis translation if reading English.

Things change very much from there forward, I guess no one could carry on at that level for very long. Not that it's bad, but part 1 of chapter 1 is... untouchable. A universe of perfection away from anything else written.

Putin has become a character of American religion, such that it takes some effort to have a rational thought about him, and if you make the effort you will be rewarded with an inquisition!

I think of the king who said, "Won't someone rid me of this troublesome priest?" and then when the priest was killed the king crawled to the cathedral in penance.

But say Putin did not hold the gun & "you are excusing the devil!"

It is very interesting how disability is completely silent as workers and employment is discussed, especially as disabling workers has been frankly used over the last five years as a means of short-term goosing the economy. Having been collecting resources on MMT and disability that I will be bringing into my review.

I am so in the headspace of this book, where all is desolation and the cattle are starving and dying in the drought, that yesterday I drove past a field of healthy cattle and was momentarily confused.