Sociopaths are pervasive in contemporary television, from high-brow drama all the way down to cartoons -- and of course the news as well. From the scheming Eric Cartman of South Parkto the seductive imposter Don Draper of Mad Men, cold and ruthless characters captivate us, making us wish that we could be so effective and successful. Yet why should we admire characters who get ahead by being amoral and uncaring? In his follow-up to Awkwardness, Adam Kotsko argues that the popularity of the ruthless sociopath reflects our dissatisfaction with a failed social contract, showing that we believe that the world rewards the evil and uncaring rather than the good. By analyzing characters like the serial killer star of Dexter and the cynical Dr. House, Kotsko shows that the fantasy of the sociopath distracts us from our real problems -- but that we still might benefit from being a little more sociopathic.
Why We Love Sociopaths
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
What is it about our society which makes sociopaths, i.e., the kind of ruthless individuals who make their own rules, so appealing? With his usual acuity, Adam Kotsko gives an analysis of contemporary TV shows (South Park, Mad Men, The Wire, etc.) to make the case that depictions of social disconnection are especially seductive at a time when our own society has become ever more destructive and amoral. Kotsko provokes us in suggesting how we might combine and reshape several features of the television sociopath, so that we might break the hold of the societal norms prevalent in late capitalism. (Lars Iye, Author of the novel Spurious)
About the Author
Adam Kotsko is Assistant Professor of Humanities at Shimer College in Chicago (USA). He is the author of Awkwardness and blogs at An und fur sich.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Adam Kotsko is Assistant Professor of Humanities at Shimer College in Chicago. His academic work focuses on contemporary European philosophy and the history of Christian thought, and he also writes on pop culture for a more general audience.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quick, deft analysis of a persistent theme in current pop culture
March 16, 2013
By djs
Format:Paperback
This is a quick, deft analysis of a persistent theme in current pop culture, and a compelling counter-intutive theological argument *for* sociopathy.
Kotsko's work here can be compared to Slovoj Zizek's, in that he's using the flotsam of mass culture to make serious a serious philosophical argument, and to make a strong critique of the ideology invisibly active in our world. Like Zizek, Kotsko is also interested in the redemptive core to be found in the perversion of perversions. Where Zizek's thought is often scattered and seemingly random, though, Kotsko is a lucid writer. His work could also be compared to Chuck Klosterman's. Fans of Klosterman should definitely read this book. But where Klosterman is a sloppy and haphazard thinker, often distracted by his own cleverness and the *pop* of pop culture, Kotsko has done the tough philosophical study to support his thinking, and demonstrates a depth and reach that has the potential to change the way readers look at the media they consume.
One major critique I have is that Kotsko claims the "sociopathy" he analyzes is the product of a specific historical moment, but does little to defend that claim. He uncritically adopts a very sweeping, very questionable narrative of recent American history. I suspect that one could find the same sociopathy that he sees in Mad Men and Dexter, for example, in the popular pulps of the 1920s, or the noir paperbacks of the '50s. Outlaws were mass media sensations in the second half of the 19th century. Penny dreadfuls were wildly popular throughout the Victorian era. And there are more than a few sociopaths in the classics of American literature, including in the works of Twain and Melville. Kotsko wants to argue that the attraction to sociopathy is specific to a historical moment, and builds his argument that way, but doesn't show how, if at all, present imaginations and appreciations of sociopathy are different than in other eras. This doesn't cause too many problems for his main argument, but it does mean some of his claims can be rather wobbly. That said, this work could be really interesting to read in conversation with more historical works of cultural history, such as Woody Haut's Pulp Culture: Hardboiled Fiction and the Cold War.
Though I sometimes quibbled with Kotsko over historical claims, this work is really engaging and compelling. For anyone interested in thinking critically about pop culture, or discovering the radical political and theological potential in contemporary pop culture, Why We Love Sociopahts is highly recommended.
Kotsko's work here can be compared to Slovoj Zizek's, in that he's using the flotsam of mass culture to make serious a serious philosophical argument, and to make a strong critique of the ideology invisibly active in our world. Like Zizek, Kotsko is also interested in the redemptive core to be found in the perversion of perversions. Where Zizek's thought is often scattered and seemingly random, though, Kotsko is a lucid writer. His work could also be compared to Chuck Klosterman's. Fans of Klosterman should definitely read this book. But where Klosterman is a sloppy and haphazard thinker, often distracted by his own cleverness and the *pop* of pop culture, Kotsko has done the tough philosophical study to support his thinking, and demonstrates a depth and reach that has the potential to change the way readers look at the media they consume.
One major critique I have is that Kotsko claims the "sociopathy" he analyzes is the product of a specific historical moment, but does little to defend that claim. He uncritically adopts a very sweeping, very questionable narrative of recent American history. I suspect that one could find the same sociopathy that he sees in Mad Men and Dexter, for example, in the popular pulps of the 1920s, or the noir paperbacks of the '50s. Outlaws were mass media sensations in the second half of the 19th century. Penny dreadfuls were wildly popular throughout the Victorian era. And there are more than a few sociopaths in the classics of American literature, including in the works of Twain and Melville. Kotsko wants to argue that the attraction to sociopathy is specific to a historical moment, and builds his argument that way, but doesn't show how, if at all, present imaginations and appreciations of sociopathy are different than in other eras. This doesn't cause too many problems for his main argument, but it does mean some of his claims can be rather wobbly. That said, this work could be really interesting to read in conversation with more historical works of cultural history, such as Woody Haut's Pulp Culture: Hardboiled Fiction and the Cold War.
Though I sometimes quibbled with Kotsko over historical claims, this work is really engaging and compelling. For anyone interested in thinking critically about pop culture, or discovering the radical political and theological potential in contemporary pop culture, Why We Love Sociopahts is highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By salaryman
Format:Paperback
First off, let me forewarn that my review is based upon a long excerpt (the first chapter I believe) that I was lucky enough to stumble upon and read. And re-read. I would read the entire book, but at this time it's still a few weeks from being published. What I was lucky enough to read laid out a clear and easy to understand (without being overly simplistic) argument for the reason behind our current love of sociopaths. Using pop-culture references (specifically television) Adam Kotsko explains the psychological reasons why the individual would feel this rather counter-intuitive desire to be the sociopath (in the safety of fantasy) and also the deeper underlining reasons why the society as a whole would be producing this desire.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an enjoyable essay that examines the figure of the sociopath in contemporary TV. Kotsko shows how these characters allow us to fantasize about our social relationships. We enjoy the scheming and deceiving of these characters because we are unsatisfied with the structure of our late capitalist society, which puts undue pressure on the individual to succeed in impossible situations. I'm scheming a plot to give this to my conservative friends and family who like shows such as Mad Men, Dexter, and House.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
a thought-provoking quick read
Kotsko's very sharp here. You needn't have seen the shows he discussed to chew on the food for thought he's provided. Read more
Published 2 months ago by piccoline
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and insightful dissection of our most popular television
At 100 pages this easy and fast read covers a wide range of ideas, questions and criticisms of modern television, a second cousin to Postman's classic Amusing Ourselves to Death. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Scott Berkun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
This is great. I don't have nearly enough cultural and philosophical context to put this in its appropriate place, but I can tell you that I like it, and how I came to it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bob
