All optimism is cruel

(Some optimism is toxic)

Nah, no pressure. Just a short, accessible piece about the only book I’ve ever thrown across the room: Cruel Optimism. (…What’s up with me and throwing objects?)

Cruel Optimism is also the most widely cited book in the humanities, so there’s that. The point of this piece isn’t to convince you to read it — in fact, maybe it’s the opposite? Frankly, I’ve been stuck on this paragraph for a month. Time to move on. I laugh at a meme of a long and winding road that calls to me: “Thankfully I have my headphones and have never gotten over anything in my entire life.”

Berlant (2011) says: “Cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing.” Here are some examples: The American Dream, the perfect lover, hard work that leads to success, a sense of place, the ever elusive then and there. How are you still holding onto ideals that are both unattainable and holding you back?

Suddenly, I don’t want to teach theory to the masses.

Honestly, fuck this. What’s the point?