Customer Reviews

Reality Isn't What It Used to Be: Theatrical Politics, Ready-to-Wear Religion, Global Myths, Primitive Chic, and Other Wonders of the Postmodern World

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This book explains post-modernism in a way that is stripped of jargon and academic excess. It is an enjoyable book to read, and quite informative. The author makes a good case that the world has been altered by the existence of post-modernism, even for those who do not accept it as their worldview. I found that argument to be compelling, and the book as a whole to be a useful insight into the entire post-modernist enterprise.

I am an anthropologist who teaches courses on popular culture as well as culture theory and postmodernism. This is one of the smartest and most entertaining books on the subject of modern and postmodern life. If I had found it in time, I would have used it as a required book in my course.
A lot of postmodern writing is full of puffery, but Anderson not only grounds it but makes it very engaging and immediate. He makes many insightful observations and phrases things in quotable ways. Anyone who is new to, or even fairly familiar with, postmodern and popular culture would benefit from this book. The range of topics and the smoothness of style are among the best out there.

This book was published almost twenty years ago and I only wish I had found it sooner. Written in an easy-to-read and understandable style, it covers the influence of post-modern thinking on politics, pop culture, religion, art and philosophy, among other areas. Powerfully, Anderson makes the argument that everyone has their own version of reality, carefully providing examples from everyday life. For example, he contrasts the objectivist (there are a few perfect rules that everyone must obey) and the constructivist (aware that many rules are part of a socially constructed reality), the exoteric religions (Christianity and Islam - God said so, it must be true) and esoteric religions (Zen Buddhism - a personal journey without judgement).

Why is this important? Because of most of the tension in the world comes from the differences of opinion between six main groups he has outlined: Christianity, Islam, capitalism, communism/socialism, environmentalism and new age. All of these groups passionately believe in the truth of their message and would like the entire world to conform to their thinking. In the end, the book makes you wonder where all this will lead to -- complete freedom is a beautiful thing that makes many people uncomfortable.

Get this book, take it to a quiet beach and you won't see the world the same way again.

This is the real thing. Of course, in Anderson's hopeless, anchorless world of socially constructed reality, he wouldn't want to be thought of as "true" anything, because in his view nothing is really "true." But that Anderson could stand as evidence of the very thing he thinks doesn't exist is why this PoMo thing is so much fun. If you're a PoMo believer, then get your gospel here. If you hope that something more real waits in our future, then grab a window anyway, because here is the genuine article attitude we will confront.

Anderson's reevaluation of the past few decades puts a clarifying and relieving spin on everything from global memes to the Ayatollah Khomeini. He sees the postmodern era as superficially confusing but surprisingly comprehensible on a deeper level. By reconsidering the growing pains of our complex and creative species in light of the theory that we humans construct our own realities, he shows the reader pattern and order and even hope amidst the fascinating chaos of our times.

This is an excellent survey of post-modernism. Anderson manages to explain a lot of esoteric ideas in an entertaining but thorough fashion. While he clearly considers himself a post-modernist, he is a critical and fair-minded one who isn't overly condescending to those who don't share his views.

An excellent exploration of the meaning, possibilities, and problems of postmodernism, free from jargon and caricature. My only complaint: Isn't it time for a new edition? The book was published in 1995, meaning it was probably actually written in the early 90s or even late 80s. Most of its examples from "current events" and pop culture are of 1980s vintage or even earlier. Many of these examples would themselves require explanation for people younger than, say, dirt.

I assume that the author was pretty old even then, so he might be dead or retired now. But the topic is still relevant, and this is an excellent introduction to it. We need an update. For example, what has been the impact of 9/11 and related events on postmodern culture and thought? Or the coming ecological meltdown that was mere conjecture in 1995, but is an imminent certainty now?

Many books and/or their reviews glibly claim to "change your life". This one doesn't explicitly make any such promises, but change my life it has. More specifically, it has changed the way I look at life and the world. Postmodernism has brought about radical and sweeping changes, whether we realise it or not. This is a book that blows the lid on reality in terms of the paradigms that most of us have grown up with, and within which humanity has come to understand religion, politics, history and culture. Indeed, it is a timely and sobering deconstruction of many of the illusions (or Socially Constructed Realities) that people across time and cultures have come to regard as sacred and infallible. Its purpose is not to deconstruct for the promotion of its own paradigm or belief system (though I suppose an element of that is inseparable from any such undertaking). One of the most enduring images from the book is the description of a postmodern art piece which shows a hand drawing a hand that is drawing a hand. What a striking metaphor for the postmodern world, and indeed for epochs that have gone before us. Where indeed is the line between objective, absolute 'reality' and that which is subjectively constructed? Does it and can it exist for human beings at all? Whatever else may be said, this is a book that challenged me and stimulated me to think about all aspects of modern life in new and profound ways. If you are anything like me and read books which do that very thing, then believe me - this one is for you.

I first stumbled upon this book by accident, read a few pages, and was amazed, amused, aghast and (forgive me) agog! Written in 1993, the author's observations and predictions (although he wasnt trying to be prophetic) were accurate and correct -- especially the section about whatit would "take" to get Americans to support a war - and how long (or short) the govt. could keep the people from getting fed up. He said it would take something like Pearl Harbor -- of that magnitude in order for teh govt to whip up enough support for a vindictive invasion/assault etc. He was right about that! That's just one small section -- the entire book is fascinating, easy to read, and explains the fracas over Globalization better than any other book I've read.
Buy it.

As the appendages to the book's title (Theatrical Politics, Ready-to-Wear Religion, Global Myths, Primitive Chic, etc.) suggest, the postmodernist conception of socially constructed reality (SCR) has taken quite a hold on popular thinking. Author Anderson seems largely to be sympathetic to this outlook, but with wry wit he also suggests a grain of salt.

Many areas of human inquiry (or mere imagination) do indeed consist of mental circle-jerk gymnastics. Religion, pseudoscience, and crackpot notions of economics such as Marxism come readily to mind. But the presence of such politically correct fantasies (built only on wishes and the gullibility of receptive speech communities) does not detract from valid natural science, history, or social science--which are not based on mere popular verbalisms, but rather on replicated and tested observations.

That last sentence, I must admit, was a bit complicated, but I think it conveys the (or a) correct state of affairs. Some notions of reality consist only of socially approved fantasies; but other bona fide scientific or historical accounts actually do check out.

The take-home lesson from this is that everyone needs to examine whether any assertion consists merely of a bunch of people saying the same thing, or whether there is any evidence to back it up.

Despite all its merits, I don't think this book makes the matter clear. Nonetheless, it is a great overview, and an enjoyable read.

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