Living in a world that can't be fixed : reimagining counterculture today

“This is a book about counterculture, & that’s a problem . . . “ So begins Curtis White’s thrilling call for the revitalization of counterculture today. The problem, White argues, is twofold: 1st, most of us think of counterculture as a phenomenon stuck in the 60s, &, 2nd, what passes as counterculture today . . . simply isn’t. Nevertheless, a reimagined counterculture is our best hope to save the planet, bypass social antagonisms, & create the world we actually want to live in. Now. An inspiring case for practicing civil disobedience as a way of life, & a clear vision for a better world—full of play, caring, & human connection. In an era of peak global suffering & uncertainty, there has never been a more opportune time to re-think & re-build our entire social order. And it has never been more clear that our politicians & authorities will not be up to the task . . . only we can create the world we actually want to live in. And we can do it now. In Living in a World that Can’t Be Fixed, Curtis White argues that the only way to save the planet, bypass social antagonisms, & build communities that actually work for us is through a strong & vital counterculture. He shows us the legacy & effectiveness of countercultural movements that existed long before the storied 1960s & imagines the similar sweeping changes we could make today—including where we live, how we work, what we eat, & the media we consume. White —”the most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment” (Will Blythe, Elle)—reveals how the products of our current so-called resistance, from Ken Burns to Black Panther, rarely offer a meaningful challenge to power, & how our loyalty to the “American Lifestyle” is self-defeating & keeps us from making any real social change. The world has been turned upside down, but thankfully we now have a guide for righting it on our terms. Curtis White is a novelist & social critic An inspiring case for practicing civil disobedience as a way of life, and a clear vision for a better world—full of play, caring, and human connection. In an era of peak global suffering and uncertainty, there has never been a more opportune time to re-think and re-build our entire social order. And it has never been more clear that our politicians and authorities will not be up to the task . . . only we can create the world we actually want to live in. And we can do it now. In Living in a World that Can’t Be Fixed , Curtis White argues that the only way to save the planet, bypass social antagonisms, and build communities that actually work for us is through a strong and vital counterculture. He shows us the legacy and effectiveness of countercultural movements that existed long before the storied 1960s and imagines the similar sweeping changes we could make today—including where we live, how we work, what we eat, and the media we consume. White—”the most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment” (Will Blythe, Elle )—reveals how the products of our current so-called resistance, from Ken Burns to Black Panther , rarely offer a meaningful challenge to power, and how our loyalty to the “American Lifestyle” is self-defeating and keeps us from making any real social change. The world has been turned upside down, but thankfully we now have a guide for righting it on our terms. ""This is a book about counterculture, and that's a problem..." So begins Curtis White's thrilling call for the revitalization of counterculture today. The problem, White argues, is twofold: first, most of us think of counterculture as a phenomenon stuck in the 1960s, and, second, what passes as counterculture today . . . simply isn't. Nevertheless, a reimagined counterculture is our best hope to save the planet, bypass social antagonisms, and create the world we actually want to live in. Now. White--"the most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment" (Will Blythe, Elle)--shows how the products of our so-called resistance, from Ken Burns to Black Panther, rarely offer a meaningful challenge to power, and how our loyalty to the "American Lifestyle" is self-defeating and keeps us from making any real social change. The result is an inspiring case for practicing civil disobedience as a way of life, and a clear vision for a better world--full of play, caring, and human connection."--Jacket flap This is a book about counterculture, and thats a problem . . . So begins Curtis Whites thrilling call for the revitalization of counterculture today. The problem, White argues, is twofold: first, most of us think of counterculture as a phenomenon stuck in the 1960s, and, second, what passes as counterculture today . . . simply isnt. Nevertheless, a reimagined counterculture is our best hope to save the planet, bypass social antagonisms, and create the world we actually want to live in. Now. Whitethe most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment (Will Blythe, Elle )shows how the products of our so-called resistance, from Ken Burns to Black Panther , rarely offer a meaningful challenge to power, and how our loyalty to the American Lifestyle is self-defeating and keeps us from making any real social change. The result is an inspiring case for practicing civil disobedience as a way of life, and a clear vision for a better worldfull of play, caring, and human connection. In a world in which we can't trust our politicians and electoral processes to save us, this book argues for the crucial importance of new countercultures at the local, national, and global levels With the rise of the anti-Trump resistance, we've seen a flourishing of art, media, and lifestyles branded as countercultural. But are they really challenging power' Are they helping build the world we want to live in, or merely reinforcing the status quo' In the way White's acclaimed The Middle Mind challenged what passed for intellectualism or imagination in America, this book challenges what passes as counterculture ... 't a moment when we're in desperate need of the real thing