Présentation de l'éditeur
- What do George W. Bush, the Ivory Tower, Steven Spielberg, and Terri Gross have in common?
- Does a political scandal make for good news copy?
- Does network programming allow us to unwind from a day's work?
- Does the art at the local museum make for pleasant cocktail conversation?
An unflinching and wry look at the dumbing down of the American imagination.
In this groundbreaking and incisive exploration, acclaimed social critic Curtis White describes an all-encompassing and little-noticed force taking over our culture and our lives. White calls this force the Middle Mind -- the current failure of the American imagination in the media, politics, education, art, technology, and religion.
The Middle Mind is pragmatic, plainspoken, populist, contemptuous of the right's narrowness, and incredulous before the left's convolutions. It wants to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and has bought an SUV with the intent of visiting it. It even understands in some indistinct way how that very SUV spells the Arctic's doom.
The Middle Mind is not about left or right, highbrow or lowbrow, academia or pop culture; in fact, it pervades society without discrimination. The danger is not in a specific point of view, but rather in how the Middle Mind thrives in the common ground of unquestioned mediocrity. All we seem to ask about the culture we experience is whether it's entertaining.
White argues that we have forgotten how to read, to watch, to think for ourselves. Because it is neutral, widespread, and easily digestible, the Middle Mind has lulled the American imagination to sleep. As we sit comfortably amused and distracted, just outside the door there is an immediate crisis of a nation blindly following the path of least resistance. Irreverent, provocative, and far-reaching, White presents a clear vision of this dangerous mindset that threatens America's intellectual and cultural freedoms, concluding with an imperative to reawaken and unleash the once powerful American imagination.
Revue de presse
“A splendidly cranky academic.” (Molly Ivins)
“The Middle Mind is a strong, knowledgeable, entertaining (and imaginative!) argument” (John Barth)
“Cogent, acute, beautiful, merciless, and true.” (David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest)
“Curt White gives name to an ugly soul-killer already in our midst.” (Greg Palast, NYTimes bestselling author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy)
“A sharp, erudite and witty text that... could help set our country on a path to a saner future.” (John de Graaf, co-author of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic)
“The trouble with “Middle Mind” is that it neutralizes genuinely useful insights that don’t look like anything instantly recognizable.” (Andrei Codrescu, author of The Disappearance of the Outside)
“The most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment. “ (Elle)
“A serious effort to understand a serious problem and should find a prominent place in every American library.” (Library Journal)
“Hot diatribe.” (Rolling Stone)
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