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Doing Null is a pretty proficient primer to the report of doing nothing (or more accurately "non working," as that is the truthful subject area of the book) from the dawning of America to more than or less the electric current day. The author begins with an enjoyable acc
Seeing as how I oasis't worked in a very, very long time, it seems inevitable that I would find and eventually read this book. A true slacker, I've known near this book for a while, but it took me a little fleck of time to actually become effectually to reading it.Doing Nothing is a pretty good primer to the study of doing nothing (or more accurately "not working," every bit that is the true subject of the volume) from the dawning of America to more or less the current twenty-four hours. The writer begins with an enjoyable account of his own attempts at doing nothing in the concluding 60'due south with a "dorsum-to-earth" commune, and his relationship with his credible vegetating son in the present solar day. I would have liked more personal anecdotes like these throughout the book, but save for the first affiliate, and the final few paragraphs of the book, this is really the only times we become to see the writer'southward personal take on the issue at hand.
The book follows a chronological order, skimming the surface and only rarely delving deeply on any particular subject. The study of doing nada begins with Samuel Johnson and his Idler alter ego, and the contrast betwixt this grandiose celebrated figure and the oftentimes seen as more than productive and "driven" Benjamin Franklin, whose ambitious life should leave everyone hating him. A common theme in the book is the sense than when one is "doing zilch" and "not working" one is actually creating and doing a not bad deal- writing about doing nothing is doing something, subsequently all, and nosotros are lead to suppose we accept lost the cracking works of the doers of zilch considering they were as well busy doing nothing to record the deed. There is as well a theme involving the self-consciousness of the "idler/loafer/slacker" throughout the ages, as a figure that holds himself cocky-referentially upward while dismissing himself at the same time- well, I can sympathize with that.
One thing I disliked about this book, other than it did tend to just "recap" corking achievements in slacking without much assay, is that the author spent a little too much fourth dimension on the more than mainstream portrayals of the idler/loafer/slacker in American history. He spends a fair amount of time talking virtually the beats and Jack Kerouac, for example, but I would have preferred even more unglamorous portrayals of them rather than his digressions into Dobbie Gillis, which seemed likewise long to me and, though perchance a popular prove at the time, almost utterly without any influence or bear on in the present 24-hour interval. I'1000 not even sure shows like that are a good representation of the ethos of the country at the time. Likewise, past focusing on George Bush-league'due south early slacker life and portraying him as the "slacker president," I'm afraid this book may go terribly dated quick.
There are also many digressions away from the topic at hand into other things that apparently merely caught the writer's fancy, long digressions I at first found abrasive but somewhen learned to enjoy. Information technology's a shame the author didn't tackle the truthful slackers of the 90's too thoroughly, equally they were the culmination of all the loafers and idlers that came before them. And the present twenty-four hour period idea of slacking is only barely touched on, with ideas most Reality television and Anna Nicole Smith (still alive when this volume was published). But I suppose it'southward a trait of the true slacker to leave everything unfinished a bit and to wallow away the time in digressions.
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Most oftentimes, doing zippo is defined as the opposite of working, and working is defined as doing something that involves monetary payment. And then when I write things that may never be published by an exterior vendor or that volition be published but without payment, am I doing nothing? When I take care of my daughter am I doing cipher? When I build something or attend a demonstration or read or research or create am I doing aught? Why should activities involving financial renumeration concord a monopoly on the term work?
What I didn't expect to observe in Lutz'south volume was a serious, thoughtful, well-researched history of folks, well, like me. (If he'd written his book a little later he would certainly have had to mention New Escapologist.) People who were at odds with the current take on work. People who wanted to paint pictures instead of get regular jobs. People who wrote extensively about the idle life (and whose activities very manifestly betrayal them equally the opposite of idle). Beats and slackers and philosophers and artists. Seeing myself—the way I live my life and the ideals I write most—equally a tiny dot on a long historical timeline of idlers provided an interesting perspective. Who are we, where are we, and what will history make of out moment?
In the last five years or so, trading in the corporate piece of work globe for early retirement and a more heady life on smaller ways has get a trend large plenty to earn information technology a place in any futurity press of Lutz'south book. Some travel, some stay at dwelling house to meditate and revel in the small pleasures of books and long walks, some endeavour agricultural self-sufficiency (which is about as far from doing nothing as y'all can get). Aside from the homesteaders who are working their asses off making their living in a very literal sense, the balance of the states are living lives about equally far from reality as you tin get. I'thousand non saying that reality involves any sort of desk piece of work, but if you consider our bones need for food and shelter and the work it takes to make those things happen the basis of our reality, the desire to work less and meditate more than only serves to amerce united states of america further from a life that would bind us to our ain lifeblood in a meaningful way. It does not change my listen virtually how I have called to alive within my detail context, but I do imagine that through the eyes of people living in a way that I currently perceive as ideal, we, I, would look utterly ridiculous. Then again so would almost all of our other options to "piece of work."
Lutz comes to the determination that doing nothing is part of a remainder. The more work-obsessed a culture becomes, the stronger the slacker figures within that culture. At the cease of the day, according to Lutz'south research, the work ethic doesn't really exist. "The history of slackers is the history not just of our distaste for work and our fantasies of escaping it (as well as the history of our vilification of those who do escape it) just likewise a history of complexly distorted perceptions. One homo's welfare queen is another man'southward struggling female parent. One homo's slacker son may be preparing his arrival as an artist..." People have a tendency, even when they are splitting the piece of work fifty/50, to presume that they are doing more their fair share, and the other less. I accept felt and witnessed the phenomenon myself in communal kitchens. Maybe slackers don't actually exist either, are simply a phantom of our own perception that we are doing more than everybody else.
This was originally published on www.clickclackgorilla.com.
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I've been unemployed and actively searching for a job for nearly five months now. I've gone through a longer stretch of unemployment due to health concerns. Since the idea of piece of work and unemployment has been on my mind a lot lately, I was immediately interested in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed
I was working too hard doing housework when I learned somebody had stolen my laundry load. Furious, I made my boyfriend take me out of our apartment and into a bookstore. That'south where I plant Doing Nothing.I've been unemployed and actively searching for a job for nearly v months at present. I've gone through a longer stretch of unemployment due to health concerns. Since the idea of piece of work and unemployment has been on my mind a lot lately, I was immediately interested in this volume. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Lutz covers a ton of history, exploring the contradicting attitudes people have had about work through succeeding generations. I speedily related to a lot of his insights. I love leisure & appreciate all the complimentary time I take being unemployed. All the same, I spend a ton of fourth dimension doing actual, unappreciated work: domestic chores. I'm a pretty diligent housekeeper who finds then much satisfaction in having a clean, well-organized flat. I'm not really the loafer I call back I am.
Some of my favorite insights by Lutz: How society often gauge so-called "slackers," nonetheless at the same fourth dimension dream of early on retirement spent lounging in a paradise island; Ben Franklin is known for pushing work ethic on Americans, yet he himself retired in his 30s and spent the balance of his life having belatedly breakfasts, "air baths," mingling with the ladies, and coming home belatedly; Samuel Johnson, who praised the "idler," labeling himself 1, nevertheless was prolific in his writing career; George Westward. was the laziest POTUS; the propaganda that led to the dismantling of the welfare arrangement, and how this led to people receiving less money while working and increasing the level of poverty amid youths. Lots more than, like Kerouc'south laziness, how slackers are attracted to the arts, literature, and academic professions, etc.
This book is a great read that volition make you remember a lot near your own values, dreams, and piece of work ethic. Pretty much: you lot don't work as hard every bit y'all think, and neither are you as lazy equally you lot merits.
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To sum -- the maverick types who "drop out" of guild frequently practice so to eschew the work-to-buy-more-things and work-gives-you-meaning model are a reflection of a rebellious underlying electric current in backer club/culture that is co-opted to be held up for derision and equally bad examples to be avoided. I didn't hav
I picked up this book in February because it seemed to promise some analysis of alternatives to the standard capitalist work structure and expectations in the Western socioeconomic arrangement.To sum -- the maverick types who "drop out" of society oftentimes exercise and so to eschew the work-to-buy-more than-things and work-gives-you-meaning model are a reflection of a rebellious underlying current in capitalist society/culture that is co-opted to be held up for derision and every bit bad examples to be avoided. I didn't have to read this book to get that information.
To exist honest -- I wasn't at all suprised to read at the end that the author had problems sitting downwards and focusing on this book and getting it washed. I found reading information technology to be quite challenging. It'south not the quality of the writing -- but I call up the author was overly ambitious and the result is an extremely dense catalog of mini-biographies and lapsing later into a fleck of an annotated bibliography of pop culture (books, films etc). The structure is rather free flowing and feels more "stream of consciousness" -- some sub-headings and footnotes would take been prissy.
What's truly missing is solid analysis and interpretation. There are smatterings and flirtations with assay here and at that place -- and equally a trained sociologist -- I sympathize with the magnetic allure of presenting all the evidence and letting the facts speak for themselves.
While many of the stories were interesting -- I would accept preferred to also run into some more than information pulled in near whether slackers, loafers, loungers through history (and he goes back hundreds of years) have much affect. For example - tell me more than nigh the "4 hour piece of work calendar week" and efforts to fully apply everyone (just at fewer hours)? The book is virtually 10 years onetime by now -- and I'd be curious to encounter an update and analysis of the cultural artifacts from the economical plummet of the housing crisis or other economic crises (ie, Greece!).
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Tom Lutz's approach was neither manipulative no leading, but rather a well researched and straight forward presentation of both the shifting and static social perceptions of the value of work.
Although somewhat of a laborious read for the offset part of the book I found that author Tom Lutz had put together an excellent review of various societal expextations regarding work, and individual responses to the same.Tom Lutz'south approach was neither manipulative no leading, but rather a well researched and straight forrad presentation of both the shifting and static social perceptions of the value of work.
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This book goes beyond that to probe our attitudes toward not working, and by extension, working. Is in that location a national work ethic? Is "slacking" a
Seemed like Doing Aught: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America was a expert choice for my hundredth book posting on Goodreads. The question is: does having read the last 100 books and posting them categorize me as a loafer or workaholic? Is my avid reading addiction a sign that I don't know how to relax or I don't have a serious job?This volume goes beyond that to probe our attitudes toward not working, and by extension, working. Is at that place a national piece of work ethic? Is "slacking" a good or bad thing? More challenging, how do we define such terms? Tin piece of work exist play or does it depend? If it depends, then on what?
The book takes deep in a wide range views from authors, TV, movies, and music over approximately the past 200 years (predominantly US, British, with a few others thrown in).
Gives one pause to consider one's ain arroyo to work. The writer has a very engaging fashion and is very well read, himself.
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It just seemed like the word "history" in the title held alot more than weight, and sucked
It seemed ironic that the flaw in a book about slackers and loafers was that it was also 'complex'..that the writer worked too hard and put in too much research. Now...I didn't finish it, I quit most halfway, so maybe information technology got ameliorate. But I could merely read and so much virtually old timey 'loafers' from the 1700s, all the things they invented, the books they wrote, the non-loafy things they did, and I finally merely gave upward.It just seemed like the word "history" in the title held alot more weight, and sucked up alot more pages, than the 8 words that followed it. Half the fourth dimension I couldn't even figure out what the 'history lesson' had to do with loafing anyway.
There were short sections that were swell and were more what I expected...and then, finally, equally it took another long detour into the early 1800s and I jumped off for adept. Ah well. Maybe that merely proves I'm too much of a slacker to cease it.
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So my own sense of aimlessness earlier this summer convinced me to selection up Tom Lutz's book — and I could totally relate to Tom's clarification of feeling simultaneously lazy and productive! The personal parts of this book about Tom's own life engaged me the near, though this is primarily a historical survey through the times of attitudes about "My sense of my own laziness may simply exist the perverse guilt engendered by a work ethic that digs its dominatrix heel into my back and rarely lets me upwardly."
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So my ain sense of aimlessness earlier this summer convinced me to pick upwards Tom Lutz'south book — and I could totally chronicle to Tom's description of feeling simultaneously lazy and productive! The personal parts of this book about Tom'south ain life engaged me the nigh, though this is primarily a historical survey through the times of attitudes about work, productivity, laziness, and the meaning of a life well lived — ...more than
I like the cute intro about how the author is frustrated with his son's way of "doing naught" in a sort of mail service-high schoolhouse gap twelvemonth: The son'due south declared plan is to go a depression-fundamental job while he focuses on playing the bass
This defenseless my eye at the library. I skimmed the kickoff chapter and would like to stop it some day (I demand to finish a few other books outset!) Seems to be a history of "slackers" in US popular civilization and how information technology interacts in curious ways with the history of the Puritan work ethic.I similar the cute intro most how the author is frustrated with his son'due south way of "doing nothing" in a sort of post-loftier school gap year: The son'south declared programme is to go a low-central task while he focuses on playing the bass & starting a band... but in practice he sits on the burrow with his laptop all day watching Internet videos. This grates confronting the author's memories of his own youth spent "doing cipher" in a far more than active manner: traveling the country, taking odd jobs, learning a zillion different trades and skills, and doing tons of drugs along the way.
I myself wish that, when I was hunting for a "existent job" during the summer later on college and so the one after getting a principal's, I'd spent less time on the laptop/couch and more time taking odd jobs to learn new skills or at least just take dissimilar experiences. As Gax says, "approach task opportunities as if someone had asked you lot, 'Will yous accept this sum of money to learn _____?'"
p.11: "Tending the automatic French fryer has nothing to practise with what we mean by work when nosotros talk about the value of work ... McJobs are much more than likely to fuel than to defuse class rage, much more probable to teach people the futility than the value of work."
p.thirty: Idleness vs inactivity: if you work as a fisherman for a living, sitting withal while you fish is inactive, but it isn't the kind of refreshing idleness you get from, say, going for a walk (when yous are physically active just however idle).
p.39: "Everyone I know is in the same gunkhole. We are all lazy imposters, and we are all workaholic slaves." It's too easy to feel I spent as well much time on leisure (reading silly books, playing computer games, surfing Facebook---that final one especially doesn't exit me feeling refreshed or relaxed!) when I could be working... nonetheless I also experience I spend likewise much fourth dimension obsessed with work (doing homework, planning out projects, sitting in meetings). Where's the rest? How tin can I enhance my kids to accept a adept piece of work ethic but in a healthy way, not to feel like a guilty slacker whenever they take a break?
p.45: The writer and his buddies started a farm/commune in his youth: they felt skillful about exiting the rat race, merely it was notwithstanding a ton of hard work. "Like Thoreau, in fact, my quasi-communards and I were proud of both things---proud of all the work we did, how practiced in the traditional crafts and labors, and, at the aforementioned time, proud of our early on, irregular retirement from the world of bourgeois employment. I had a sneaking suspicion that the unresolved contradictions wouldn't bear looking at too closely if I wanted to retain my sense of moral superiority, and then, again similar Thoreau, I was careful about what I decided to examine closely." :)
p.46: "10 o'clock at night on the phone with someone, it isn't uncommon to hear, 'What are you going to do now?' 'Endeavour to get a picayune work in.' ... Nosotros may or may not then go back to work. It isn't dishonesty; it's similar a loyalty oath, a pledge of allegiance."
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A thoughtful volume that doesn't make you think too much.
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I of the things that surprised me was that for a book most doing aught, it had a lot to say well-nigh the nature of piece of work. Lutz's basic, compelling premise is that self-defined slackers are ofttimes workaholics, and cocky-defined workaholics take periods of slackerdom. Both definitions crave the other, within society and often within individuals. Lutz struggles with
I read this while thoroughly enjoying my vacation in Italy. This fact may have added an additional rosy hue to the aura of this book.One of the things that surprised me was that for a book nearly doing nothing, it had a lot to say nigh the nature of work. Lutz's basic, compelling premise is that self-defined slackers are oft workaholics, and self-defined workaholics have periods of slackerdom. Both definitions require the other, within society and ofttimes inside individuals. Lutz struggles with the definition of work in a fashion that resonates with me lately. More than anything, this book made me desire to be a fiction writer. Anyone pay by the discussion, these days?
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Consummate review at http://chereemoore.b
Doing Nothing by Tom Lutz is substantially the history of the slacker. From Benjamin Franklin and Thoreau to communes, beatniks, the punk movement and George W. Bush – I constitute this history to be quite interesting. While I expected to meet references to Office Infinite and Ferris Bueller's Twenty-four hour period Off, I was surprised by the corporeality of references to authors, music and movies that I had not considered before. It turns out that our civilization is heavily defined by slackers.Complete review at http://chereemoore.blogspot.com/2010/...
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I fully subscribe to the idea of otium and later on reading of those that do too, am happy to exist in such good company.
This was a very scholarly book, more than references to other books and movies that I have seen in any onother 320 pages of text that reads much like a novel.
Slackers are the artistic people - don't be a corporate worker bee, drop out and get creative.
This was a very scholarly book, more than references to other books and movies that I have seen in any onother 320 pages of text that reads much like a novel.
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A book of philosophical and literary critical reflections, AIMLESSNESS, was published in January 2022 past Columbia University Press.
My offset novel, BORN SLI
I have just published the 3rd book of my travel writing, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS ()October 2021). A volume of photographic portraits of people I've met on the road is coming out in Feb 2022, PORTRAITS: MOMENTS OF INTIMACY ON THE Road.A book of philosophical and literary critical reflections, AIMLESSNESS, was published in January 2022 by Columbia University Printing.
My first novel, Born SLIPPY: A NOVEL was published in January, 2022 (Repeater/PRH).
I've just sent a sequel, STILL SLIPPY, to my agent.
I am the author of 2 earlier books of travel narrative — And The Monkey Learned Nothing and Drinking Mare's Milk on the Roof of the World — the cultural histories Doing Nothing and Crying; literary histories Cosmopolitan Vistas and American Nervousness, 1903; pieces for New York Times, LA Times, ZYZZYVA, Exquisite Corpse, New Republic, Salon, Black Clock, Iowa Review, and other places.
I'm a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the UC Riverside, the founding editor in master of the Los Angeles Review of Books, founder of The LARB Radio Hour, The LARB Quarterly Journal, The LARB/USC Publishing Workshop, and LARB Books. I am a part-time musician, an amateur photographer, and a full-time dilettante. I live in Los Angeles.
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