Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America
Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America
"This is the end of the world equally nosotros've known information technology," Kurt Andersen writes in Reset. "But information technology isn't the finish of the world." In this smart and refreshingly hopeful book, Andersen–a brilliant annotator and synthesizer of historical and cultural trends, every bit well as a bestselling novelist and host of public radio's Studio 360–shows united states of america why the current economic crisis is actually a moment of bully opportunity to become ourselves and our nation back on rail. Historically, America has always shifted between wild, exuberant speculation and steady, sober difficult work, as well as back and along betwixt economic booms and busts, and between right and left politically. This is one of the rare moments when all these cycles shift dramatically and simultaneously–a moment when complacency ends, ossified structures loosen up, and enormous positive modify is possible. The shock to the arrangement can enable each of us to rethink sure habits and focus more on the things that make us authentically happy. The present flux can enable us as a society to consolidate the enormous gains of the last several decades in areas such every bit engineering science, crime prevention, women's and ceremonious rights, and the democratization of the planet. We tin reap the fruits of a revival of realism and pragmatism at domicile and away. As nosotros enter a new era of post-political party-line common sense, we can showtime to reinvent hopelessly cleaved systems–in health care, instruction, climate change, and more–and rediscover some of the old-fashioned American values of which we've lost sight. In Reset, Andersen explains how we've washed it earlier and why we are about to practise information technology again–and ameliorate than always.
- Politics Nonfiction Economics
74 pages, Hardcover First published January ane, 2009
Kurt Andersen is the writer of the novels Turn of the Century, Heyday, and True Believers, and and, with Alec Baldwin of You Tin can't Spell America Without Me. His non-fiction books include Fantasyland, Reset and The Real Thing. He is too host of the Peabody Award-winning weekly public radio program Studio 360,. Previously, Kurt was a co-founder and editor-in-chief of the satirical magazine Spy, editor-in-principal of New York magazine, a columnist for New York, staff author at The New Yorker, and design and architecture critic for Fourth dimension.
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American Renewal Written during the depths of the recession in 2009 and just after the inauguration of President Obama, Kurt Andersen's short book, "Reset-- How this Crisis Tin can Restore Our Values and Renew America", sounded a note of optimism. Anderson, a novelist, radio host, and erstwhile editor, tried to prove the sources of the difficulty in which the United states found itself and how information technology could rebound from them and emerge wiser and stronger. I recently (2010) had the opportunity to hear Andersen speak and so to read his volume. In a brief 70 pages, the volume covers a good bargain in a sweeping way. Andersen finds that the difficulties in which the United States found itself was due to what he terms a "casino economy" in which Americans adopted a model of gambling and piece of cake money and satisfaction in their economical and personal lives. He attributes this attitude to the Reagan years with 1986 as a pivotal point, but he also looks back to the belatedly 1960s with their emphasis on individuality and doing one's ain thing. Then, Andersen takes a historical view. He finds that much of American history tin be characterized in terms of the fable of the ant and the grasshopper. Periods of difficult work and self-sacrifice by Americans accept alternated with periods of hedonism and good times. The Recession signals emphatically the end of a latter such menstruum, Andersen argues, and presents an opportunity for Americans to reflect and take stock on where they have been and where they want to go. In other words, the industrious pismire volition again come up to the fore but with differences from analogous ant-like periods in the past. We accept the opportunity to learn from our experiences and mistakes. Andersen offers a cursory "7 stride program for America" which centers upon recognizing that Americans have been living disproportionately big for the prior quarter century, identifying the deficiencies of grapheme that has led to this condition, and working to change them. He calls for a revival of the spirit of pragmatism in solving issues every bit opposed to a spirit of ideological commitment. He finds that in his campaign and in the early on days of his presidency that President Obama exemplified a pragmatic spirit. As well a spirit of moderation and cocky-reflection, and the realization that Americans should pursue goals in addition to maximizing wealth and instant gratification,Andersen sees opportunities for growth and creativity in the electric current economy. He celebrates the "amateur spirit" in which new economic realities allow people to motion forward and succeed without preoccupations. In ane of the finest passages of the book, Andersen writes: "I like paradoxes which is why, fifty-fifty though I'thousand not particularly religious, Zen Buddhism has ever appealed to me. Have the paradoxical state that Buddhists seek to accomplish, what they phone call sho-shin or 'beginners mind.' The twentieth-century Japanese Zen main Shunryu Suzuki, who spent the last dozen years of his life in America, wrote that 'in the beginner'south mind at that place are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.' Which sounds to me very much like the core of Daniel Boorstin's amateur spirit. "The principal obstacle to progress is not ignorance,' Boorstin wrote, 'but the illusion of noesis.' (p.69) Writing in early 2009, Andersen did not conceptualize much of the divisiveness that the U.s.a. has experienced since then and he may have been overly-optimistic about the end of the current Recession. I don't remember these developments undercut the basic value of Andersen'southward advice. The volume is short and sketchy and unconvincing in some of its particulars merely worth reading even so. Andersen has read widely, but his book does not identify many of the works which may accept influenced his thinking. In its historical approach, I was reminded of Daniel Walker Howe's study of Pre-Civil War America, "What Hath God Wrought". In its emphasis on pragmatism, I was reminded of Louis Menand'due south study, "The Metaphysical Club". Robin Friedman
Kurt Andersen'southward essay emphasizing that nosotros tin can and should turn our electric current political and economic lemons into lemonade is an interesting monologue. Andersen makes the argument that, historically, in times of trouble American society has re-evaluated its needs vs its wants and walked away stronger every bit a result. That's all fine and dandy, but I can't assistance feeling a petty less optimistic than the author regarding our willingness and power to practice what'southward right for the country vs what nosotros retrieve is right for ourselves. Mr Andersen acknowledges the uniqueness of today's climate vs the terminal major shift (led past Ronald Reagan) - today'southward shift (Mr Andersen suggests it's currently underway) is more than abrupt than the attitude evolution of 30 years ago [review originally written Baronial 2009]; in Reagan's twenty-four hours partisan differences were put (to a larger degree) bated to pull out of economic slump and post-Vietnam malaise; today'south political crazies (my word, not his) on Fox, MSNBC, etc., etc., tend to fuel polarization. I wait at what pollutes the airwaves 24x7, and I seriously wonder if there's anyone left in the public eye who cares what's right for the state. I'1000 all for making a buck in the entertainment industry (Fox, MSNBC, etc., etc.), but I think today'southward discourse is truly making us all poorer and dumber; I don't foresee Mr Andersen'south musings changing the tone of "dialog" (mayhap pairings of hurled insults is a better description) one iota.
Written at the on set of the groovy recession and simply after Obama's election, this little book is dated today. If zip else, the author's speculation about what may or should happen in the future is interesting reading.
This book started strong, making a case for using the fiscal crisis to modify the mode we think about our lives, just dissolved into weak arguments. I still like his premise, though. My favorite quote:
It used to be that when our economy thrived and productivity grew, pay for working people rose appropriately. But for well-nigh of the terminal decade, that fundamental piece of the American social contract simply stopped operating. People put upward with information technology for the same reason that the cracking mass of losers in casinos put up with odds that favor the house. The spectacle of a few ecstatic large winners encourages the losers to believe that, hey, them might get lucky and win. In effect we turned the U.s. into a winner-take-all casino economy, substituting the gambling hall for the factory flooring as our governing economic metaphor, an assembly of anxious individual strangers whose fortunes depend overwhelmingly on random luck rather than on productive piece of work in commonage enterprises. Hazard taking is fabulous, key to the American ethos - simply not when information technology'southward involuntary and farthermost. Too many Americans were as well of a sudden herded into our new national economic casino, and without fence turned into the suckers whose losses became the elite'due south winnings.
I saw this book, and I believe the writer, on the Colbert Report and I decided I needed to read information technology. The content was really pretty good. The only problem I had with it is that the volume felt like it could take been similar 1/10th of it's size. It seemed similar the aforementioned content over and over in different contexts and sometimes like a big run on sentence. That said, reading all the previous capacity was worth reading the concluding chapter. In that location was an excellent chapter on "amateurism" that struck home with me. Very relevant to my current profession equally a software programmer. Worth reading the beginning and terminal capacity for certain. Mayhap the second too.
This is an interesting read near how the meltdown our civilisation has been through provides an opportunity to recalibrate so that we move forward in a more productive, humane way in our work and lives. Information technology is wide in telescopic touching on economic, political, and societal trends merely practical in nature. The author provides examples nosotros can all chronicle to while putting our current situation into a historical context. It is a refreshing way to counter the relentlessly negative news regarding our dark world situation.
Published in 2009, in the wake of the financial meltdown, Reset is a thoughtful book about materialistic "needs vs wants." Six years on, having read the book as we're staring at another global financial disruption with Greece's default, the story continues to resonate as "we" go on to struggle with our impulse purchases. Oh yep, I read final week that interest-only home loans are making a comeback. Go ready for another reset.
I am non a big fan of the big presumptive social trends "we." But Andersen pulls information technology off. how and why he does this is going to require more than thought on my part. Partly it's my sympathy with him: we're both natural moderates. We're both from the midwest. Partly I will forgive a great wordsmith and sharp recollect a great deal.
This is an essay, not a volume. Took me an hour to read. I realize it was timely and necessary for Andersen to get it out fast, only it came across every bit only a cheap way to sell books with a good claw but not much substance. Every bit a huge fan of Andersen's 2 (lengthy) novels, too every bit his respect for literature and history in the context of modern living, I was highly disappointed.
Here'southward a brusque review for a curt (74 pages) book. I am not exactly sure why Anderson decided to publish this in book class. Information technology would have worked better as an online serial or, as it first appeared, equally a Time mag essay. Regardless, it was extremely repetitive and obvious. How exercise we restore America? Focus on needs and not wants? Seriously, now why didn't I think of that?
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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6620345-reset
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