Nothing more than the symptoms of a deeply noxious culture
January 30, 2025 12:47 AM Subscribe
Since I’m trying to describe for you what it feels like to attend a massive outdoor music festival without the aid of hallucinogenic indulgence or the balm of full-proof alcohol, I therefore feel justified in outlining and characterizing some of the more upsetting personal experiences that I’ve endured during this time. Because I’d suggest that when you’re sober, all the festival’s utopian enchantments begin to sort of seem both grotesque and dystopian. From High and Dry by Barrett Swanson [Harper's; ungated]
I only made it to chapter 4 of 8 before closing the tab, but I got lowkey 'creep' vibes from the semi-frequent semi-voyueristic comments about womens' bodies. Perhaps later in the piece he retires to his sanctum and earnestly discusses these problems in depth.
posted by Joeruckus at 3:54 AM on January 30 [8 favorites]
posted by Joeruckus at 3:54 AM on January 30 [8 favorites]
They aren't so grotesque, he just clearly hates these people.
Also there are plenty of pretty big outdoor music festivals that feel rather different, so it's frustrating that he treats Bonaroo as completely representative. Has he ever heard of a folk festival? Or blues, or ska? But what's the point, I'm pretty sure he'd hate all those people too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:32 AM on January 30 [6 favorites]
Also there are plenty of pretty big outdoor music festivals that feel rather different, so it's frustrating that he treats Bonaroo as completely representative. Has he ever heard of a folk festival? Or blues, or ska? But what's the point, I'm pretty sure he'd hate all those people too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:32 AM on January 30 [6 favorites]
What? A Harper's article where the author thinks he's better than everyone else?!
posted by rikschell at 4:48 AM on January 30 [22 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 4:48 AM on January 30 [22 favorites]
I confess to only skimming the article, as I really disliked his voice, but my takeaway is that the author is not the kind of person who enjoys festivals, and, rather than embrace that, he went to a festival to watch woke do kind of stupid things that he finds at least mildly distasteful (and maybe threatening to his sobriety, which is a reasonable concern). So he’s left with two options: pressing his nose to the window of a lifestyle he had to abandon in his 20s or asserting that they are all fairly pathetic. His religious bent isn’t really helping him, either. It’s a pretty long read for the impressions of a man who made himself uncomfortable for days and regretted it.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:56 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:56 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
This is like LARPing but for threadshitting.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:58 AM on January 30 [14 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:58 AM on January 30 [14 favorites]
I'm old so haven't been to these kinds of festivals. I did manage to go to Monsters of Rock in Donnington Park in '92. A full day of metal and English weather. We were sober the whole time because a) we weren't heavy drinkers or drug users in the first place b) we had a really tight budget and nothing left over for party favors.
Still had a great time.
posted by signal at 5:13 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
Still had a great time.
posted by signal at 5:13 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
I gave up about halfway through. Bigmadeupwords interspersed with five dollar words and palpable contempt can be a little fun in, say, a music review. So, yeah, Harper's.
The thoughts on festivals and revivals were interesting - I'd enjoy an analysis of those effects without the sobriety angle giving license to be a pill.
posted by Lenie Clarke at 5:13 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]
The thoughts on festivals and revivals were interesting - I'd enjoy an analysis of those effects without the sobriety angle giving license to be a pill.
posted by Lenie Clarke at 5:13 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]
It takes until the end of this very long piece for the writer to finally go see a live music set - the primary reason for this festival and of which there would have been over a hundred instances of in the course of the few days he was there - and that ends up being described largely as metaphor. (Spoiler: he goes to see, uh, The War on Drugs.)
This is as if David Foster Wallace hung around the terminal, never got on the ship, complained about the parking and wrote A Supposedly Fun Thing I Haven't Actually Done.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 5:31 AM on January 30 [16 favorites]
This is as if David Foster Wallace hung around the terminal, never got on the ship, complained about the parking and wrote A Supposedly Fun Thing I Haven't Actually Done.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 5:31 AM on January 30 [16 favorites]
I mean. The author describes his own addiction as stemming from "cowardice disguised as contempt"; there is no shortage of empathy as well as criticism. Of course "person who doesn't like A goes to A" as a format is easy to knock (of course he doesn't like it) but that isn't the whole article. It's a frame for much more, if you, I dunno, RTFA.
As someone with some experience near addiction, and with no shortage of my own cynicism but also self-doubt, and as someone also despairing and bundled up in the epidemic of how now feels, I thought this was a great piece. I don't think it could have articulated half of what it did if its voice was nicer and he described things around him "nicely". The point is kind of how each of us tries to live with that.
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 5:34 AM on January 30 [9 favorites]
As someone with some experience near addiction, and with no shortage of my own cynicism but also self-doubt, and as someone also despairing and bundled up in the epidemic of how now feels, I thought this was a great piece. I don't think it could have articulated half of what it did if its voice was nicer and he described things around him "nicely". The point is kind of how each of us tries to live with that.
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 5:34 AM on January 30 [9 favorites]
The author describes his own addiction as stemming from "cowardice disguised as contempt";
"Out of cowardice disguised as contempt, I’d thought I had escaped the disappointments of the world when in reality I had become a part of the world’s disappointments. And it’s this fear, of becoming what I hate, of rehearsing the same behavior that plagued me throughout my twenties, [...]"
You get the sense reading this that he understands the alcoholism as a symptom, on some level, but cannot bring himself to give up the disease. So this whole article reads like a man explaining the struggles of navigating his relationship with his methadone while indulging his real vice throughout.
posted by mhoye at 5:48 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
"Out of cowardice disguised as contempt, I’d thought I had escaped the disappointments of the world when in reality I had become a part of the world’s disappointments. And it’s this fear, of becoming what I hate, of rehearsing the same behavior that plagued me throughout my twenties, [...]"
You get the sense reading this that he understands the alcoholism as a symptom, on some level, but cannot bring himself to give up the disease. So this whole article reads like a man explaining the struggles of navigating his relationship with his methadone while indulging his real vice throughout.
posted by mhoye at 5:48 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
Instead of offering reasonably appointed housing options uniform to all attendees, the festival offers tiered camping “experiences,” which function as a spitting image of the current U.S. housing crisis.
Music festivals come in all shapes and sizes. He picks a huge, over capitalized shit show. Dude, it’s not the festival or the people, it’s the capitalist pigs as always that ruin everything.
posted by waving at 5:52 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
Music festivals come in all shapes and sizes. He picks a huge, over capitalized shit show. Dude, it’s not the festival or the people, it’s the capitalist pigs as always that ruin everything.
posted by waving at 5:52 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
Well, I did read the whole thing.
In a weird way this reminded me of the big conflict between two of the characters in Everything Everywhere All At Once. You have the daughter Joy, or rather her alter ego "Jobu Tupaki" - the one who's gone full nihilist because "nothing makes sense and the world is chaos and nothing we do matters.". And then you have Waymond, who also sees the nonsense and the chaos, but his attitude is "okay, if nothing we do matters anyway, then why NOT be kind and look for the little moments of joy? Because if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."
I feel like the author is kind of like Joy - he's gotten sober, but he still hasn't gotten past the pessimism of "life hurts, and now that I don't have the thing that was insulating me from that, I also hurt all the time." He talks about how after he sobered up, he holed up at home binge-watching TV for recreation. And Dylan and the other Soberoos are like Waymond - "okay, yes, life hurts, but there are moments where it doesn't, and you just have to go look for those moments in OTHER places besides drugs or alcohol - and grooving to music is actually a good way to do it, even when you're sober."
It does suck that so many of the "fun things for people to do" involve drugs or alcohol. A lot of people bang on about the loss of "Third Spaces" or the "Loneliness Epidemic" - and finding a place to hang out in any community that isn't a bar, or going to hang out with friends and have wine or beer not get offered, is rare indeed. But "going to a bar" and "binge-watching TV alone" are still not the only options for fun and human connection, you just need to go hunt for it a little. The Soberoos have figured this out, and it sounds like the author hasn't quite figured that out yet. I do hope he does.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:57 AM on January 30 [33 favorites]
In a weird way this reminded me of the big conflict between two of the characters in Everything Everywhere All At Once. You have the daughter Joy, or rather her alter ego "Jobu Tupaki" - the one who's gone full nihilist because "nothing makes sense and the world is chaos and nothing we do matters.". And then you have Waymond, who also sees the nonsense and the chaos, but his attitude is "okay, if nothing we do matters anyway, then why NOT be kind and look for the little moments of joy? Because if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."
I feel like the author is kind of like Joy - he's gotten sober, but he still hasn't gotten past the pessimism of "life hurts, and now that I don't have the thing that was insulating me from that, I also hurt all the time." He talks about how after he sobered up, he holed up at home binge-watching TV for recreation. And Dylan and the other Soberoos are like Waymond - "okay, yes, life hurts, but there are moments where it doesn't, and you just have to go look for those moments in OTHER places besides drugs or alcohol - and grooving to music is actually a good way to do it, even when you're sober."
It does suck that so many of the "fun things for people to do" involve drugs or alcohol. A lot of people bang on about the loss of "Third Spaces" or the "Loneliness Epidemic" - and finding a place to hang out in any community that isn't a bar, or going to hang out with friends and have wine or beer not get offered, is rare indeed. But "going to a bar" and "binge-watching TV alone" are still not the only options for fun and human connection, you just need to go hunt for it a little. The Soberoos have figured this out, and it sounds like the author hasn't quite figured that out yet. I do hope he does.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:57 AM on January 30 [33 favorites]
Sounds like a bummer, man.
posted by whatevernot at 5:57 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
posted by whatevernot at 5:57 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
As someone who's been what I just recently learned is called "California Sober" for 15 years, this guy came off as a huge dick. I've been to these kinds of festivals, though not Bonnaroo specifically, many times. Usually smaller "regional burn" type of things. It's not my personal fan favorite, but Ms. Hobnail really enjoys it so I go and have a good time. Like regular house parties, I tend to fade out once everyone is hammered, but these burns are almost always self-contained, so I just find a place to enjoy stargazing in the country away from city light pollution.
I guess the difference is that this guy is a former addict, whereas I never was, and in my experience former addicts are like people who have quit smoking or drinking or eating meat or whatever, and there's some quirk of human psychology that makes many of them feel the need to hate on people who've not quit.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 6:01 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
I guess the difference is that this guy is a former addict, whereas I never was, and in my experience former addicts are like people who have quit smoking or drinking or eating meat or whatever, and there's some quirk of human psychology that makes many of them feel the need to hate on people who've not quit.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 6:01 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
I think, as a sober person, I enjoy live music more now because I can actually remember the performances, instead of planning out how many beers I can neck during the show.
posted by Kitteh at 6:32 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 6:32 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
Well thank you, thread, for steering me away from TFA. I have better things to do with the remaining minutes of my life than read snark about how Bonnaroo sucks if you're not fucked up on something.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:53 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:53 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
I go to shows sober all the time, mainly when I have taken the trouble to arrive early and procure a spot at the front of the stage. If I drink a few beers, I'll have to give up my spot to take a piss halfway through the set and the beer isn't worth it. Like as a music obsessive I'm not sure what people who don't especially care about the bands are going to festivals for but... the music should be more than enough, even without the booze or drugs?
posted by lefty lucky cat at 7:09 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 7:09 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
I’m going to attempt to rtfa, but it doesn’t sound like my experience. I have been to Bonnaroo the last two years with two children under 7 and my wife (100% sober 19 years). I also don’t drink (6 years). We camp in a section with families and next to a camping area (soberoo) for sober attendees. Not once have we experienced any negativity or drug/alcohol fueled madness. We’ve both comment on how great the crowds are on the regular. Much better (less drunk, more happy) crowds than most local shows I’ve gone to since 2022. We spend our days going to sets and enjoying all the other great stuff around the festival.
We will head back this year to camp with a family we met the first evening we were ever there. It has become one of my favorite places and brings joy to thousands every year.
Ok, off to try and read the article.
posted by dark matter at 7:09 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
We will head back this year to camp with a family we met the first evening we were ever there. It has become one of my favorite places and brings joy to thousands every year.
Ok, off to try and read the article.
posted by dark matter at 7:09 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
People often think they like bars, festivals, shows, dancing, etc when it's really a combination of liking or being compulsive about drinking and substances plus that's where all your friends are plus that's what you've learned that young people do. This can also lead them to overlook things anyone would dislike - creepy bars, hangovers, dancing to music you don't really enjoy, etc. Then when they get older or stop drinking or change friend groups, "oh, this is so awful!!". It's not awful per se, you just don't like it.
For instance, I'm OLD. I love going dancing, provided that the music is interesting and the venue isn't a pick-up/"dancing means grinding up on people slowly" spot. I don't like bars or drinking and am boringly sober, but I love dancing. This has meant, alas, I don't get to go very often at all, because most of my friends liked drinking and being young but didn't like dancing.
But the point is, I think that if you love festivals, you'll probably manage to have a decent time sober, and good for those people. I bet there's other people in attendance who are like me - we have no trouble staying sober and don't seek out sobriety resources, but we don't partake because we don't really get much out of it.
Also, really, for people who can do a little substance here or there and not have it mess up their lives, why not? Many of my friends who go to, like, cool queer things use a little of this or that from time to time but we're all at least in our late thirties and it's more of a biannual extravagance for them.
posted by Frowner at 7:45 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
For instance, I'm OLD. I love going dancing, provided that the music is interesting and the venue isn't a pick-up/"dancing means grinding up on people slowly" spot. I don't like bars or drinking and am boringly sober, but I love dancing. This has meant, alas, I don't get to go very often at all, because most of my friends liked drinking and being young but didn't like dancing.
But the point is, I think that if you love festivals, you'll probably manage to have a decent time sober, and good for those people. I bet there's other people in attendance who are like me - we have no trouble staying sober and don't seek out sobriety resources, but we don't partake because we don't really get much out of it.
Also, really, for people who can do a little substance here or there and not have it mess up their lives, why not? Many of my friends who go to, like, cool queer things use a little of this or that from time to time but we're all at least in our late thirties and it's more of a biannual extravagance for them.
posted by Frowner at 7:45 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
next to a camping area (soberoo) for sober attendees
He was camping in soberoo probably one of the times you were there, so it would actually be pretty interesting to hear another perspective.
posted by advil at 8:02 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
He was camping in soberoo probably one of the times you were there, so it would actually be pretty interesting to hear another perspective.
posted by advil at 8:02 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
Ahem.
Barrett Swanson turns 40 this year.
posted by AlSweigart at 8:16 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
Barrett Swanson turns 40 this year.
posted by AlSweigart at 8:16 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
just a nice little concentrated version of what the us is now - the partiers, the ex-partiers and the poor people who have to clean up the mess, although there's much more to the real world than this
posted by pyramid termite at 8:31 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 8:31 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]
Read it.
Swanson picked the right place to camp!
My read of the article is that he is projecting his shit and then being critical of the strangers he sees at the festival. Of course roo is not a utopia, if you are a grown up that’s not something that needs to be argued about. But as I said above, in my experience, the crowds are mostly kind and under control. If you aren’t spending your days watching everyone around with a critical eye (like a fucking cop), the attendees are a good bunch of humans having a good time. Mostly harmless.
To go to a music festival and not attend the music shows is a strange way to do it. For me, Thursday-Sunday it is music from like 2pm-dusk and 10:30-3:00am (changes depending on artists and energy level). During the day we catch partial sets and make sure the kids are having a good time. At night I dance alone in the crowd and lose myself to the music, while smoking a little weed. I may even slam an energy drink along the way. Then back to camp and up at 7:00am with the kiddos.
These long days and nights of immersion in music help me reset and bring a sense of calm and clarity that I don’t find elsewhere.
I guess I might not have time to watch it all as carefully as the author. But I have not noticed there being a huge drinking culture there, because it is hot and humid af. You can’t make it long if you plan on getting smashed. That’s one of the best parts about the fest for me.
The heat is also one reason that many people are in the least amount of clothing possible during the day. Beyond the heat people enjoy expressing themselves and being in a place that is accepting of the human body in all its forms. My wife and I wear our everyday clothes, but we both love the freedom and joy shown in others choice of attire. It gives us many opportunities to de-stigmatize the human body in the eyes of our children. We hope that will serve them well as they grow up, so they won’t have to struggle with body image issues like my wife did when she was younger. It made me wonder, does this dude complain about swimsuits at the beach?
In the end it seemed like he was getting somewhere with all those words. I hope he finds peace and maintains his sobriety. It sounds like music festivals aren’t for him.
-one very valid criticism: it is a very white crowd and there are a lot of Black and brown people doing the work, especially the worst jobs. This sucks, is a major problem and I do notice it. Not sure what to do about it, but now that it’s front of mind I will think on that.
On preview: I’m nearly a decade older than Swanson, which is a bit of a surprise from his writing.
posted by dark matter at 9:15 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
Swanson picked the right place to camp!
My read of the article is that he is projecting his shit and then being critical of the strangers he sees at the festival. Of course roo is not a utopia, if you are a grown up that’s not something that needs to be argued about. But as I said above, in my experience, the crowds are mostly kind and under control. If you aren’t spending your days watching everyone around with a critical eye (like a fucking cop), the attendees are a good bunch of humans having a good time. Mostly harmless.
To go to a music festival and not attend the music shows is a strange way to do it. For me, Thursday-Sunday it is music from like 2pm-dusk and 10:30-3:00am (changes depending on artists and energy level). During the day we catch partial sets and make sure the kids are having a good time. At night I dance alone in the crowd and lose myself to the music, while smoking a little weed. I may even slam an energy drink along the way. Then back to camp and up at 7:00am with the kiddos.
These long days and nights of immersion in music help me reset and bring a sense of calm and clarity that I don’t find elsewhere.
I guess I might not have time to watch it all as carefully as the author. But I have not noticed there being a huge drinking culture there, because it is hot and humid af. You can’t make it long if you plan on getting smashed. That’s one of the best parts about the fest for me.
The heat is also one reason that many people are in the least amount of clothing possible during the day. Beyond the heat people enjoy expressing themselves and being in a place that is accepting of the human body in all its forms. My wife and I wear our everyday clothes, but we both love the freedom and joy shown in others choice of attire. It gives us many opportunities to de-stigmatize the human body in the eyes of our children. We hope that will serve them well as they grow up, so they won’t have to struggle with body image issues like my wife did when she was younger. It made me wonder, does this dude complain about swimsuits at the beach?
In the end it seemed like he was getting somewhere with all those words. I hope he finds peace and maintains his sobriety. It sounds like music festivals aren’t for him.
-one very valid criticism: it is a very white crowd and there are a lot of Black and brown people doing the work, especially the worst jobs. This sucks, is a major problem and I do notice it. Not sure what to do about it, but now that it’s front of mind I will think on that.
On preview: I’m nearly a decade older than Swanson, which is a bit of a surprise from his writing.
posted by dark matter at 9:15 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
-one very valid criticism: it is a very white crowd and there are a lot of Black and brown people doing the work, especially the worst jobs. This sucks, is a major problem and I do notice it. Not sure what to do about it, but now that it’s front of mind I will think on that.
I wonder if the organizers doing away with the VIP-level status might be a good place to start. The whole idea behind a lot of these festivals - Burning Man in particular - was to create a sort of collective and communal experience, with EVERYONE pitching in to do the grunt work as well as have the fun. And that kind of thing can work if EVERYONE does their part instead of the rich people buying their way out of having to do it. Who cares if you're the CEO of a startup - you need to take your turn emptying the port-a-sans or whatever like everyone else here.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:23 AM on January 30 [6 favorites]
I wonder if the organizers doing away with the VIP-level status might be a good place to start. The whole idea behind a lot of these festivals - Burning Man in particular - was to create a sort of collective and communal experience, with EVERYONE pitching in to do the grunt work as well as have the fun. And that kind of thing can work if EVERYONE does their part instead of the rich people buying their way out of having to do it. Who cares if you're the CEO of a startup - you need to take your turn emptying the port-a-sans or whatever like everyone else here.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:23 AM on January 30 [6 favorites]
But "going to a bar" and "binge-watching TV alone" are still not the only options for fun and human connection, you just need to go hunt for it a little. The Soberoos have figured this out, and it sounds like the author hasn't quite figured that out yet.
THANK YOU. I noped out of the article at the point at which he's professing his disgust at people having the audacity to sweat in his presence. I'd love to read a piece about people helping others to maintain sobriety at a big festival from just about anyone else.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:49 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]
THANK YOU. I noped out of the article at the point at which he's professing his disgust at people having the audacity to sweat in his presence. I'd love to read a piece about people helping others to maintain sobriety at a big festival from just about anyone else.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:49 AM on January 30 [2 favorites]
Ahem.
Barrett Swanson turns 40 this year.
And? Glass houses.
I was always sober at Coachella, but that's because I get sick easily in the heat, not Sobriety. Anyway, I think this is one of the better articles that I've read about Trump's America without ever mentioning Trump.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:45 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
Barrett Swanson turns 40 this year.
And? Glass houses.
I was always sober at Coachella, but that's because I get sick easily in the heat, not Sobriety. Anyway, I think this is one of the better articles that I've read about Trump's America without ever mentioning Trump.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:45 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
Learning that the author is from Wisconsin provides a bit of key context. Because the situation up there around the booze and drugs is just relentless. Places I've lived in rural Canada were like this - a constant drive to consume booze. It's not a social activity - people are drunk at work. They drink alone. It's the water they swim in.
posted by zenon at 11:16 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
posted by zenon at 11:16 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]
I dunno, seems like the narrator is struggling imperfectly with some issues... and people are being really judgemental about him here.
posted by ovvl at 11:21 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
posted by ovvl at 11:21 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]
Tend to agree with ovvl. A lot of this thread reads far more negatively and with far more of a sense of superiority than the article, which is about a whole heap of things from guilt and compulsion, sadness and isolation, community and distance, social performance, capitalism and the business of selling transcendence, atomisation, hokum and faith, implicit racial and economic inequality, potential and loss, separation and finding a place to inhabit, with addiction - his and others' - as a frame for himself and the worlds around him.
But, you know. "He's snarky! He writes bad, the show-off with his long words! I had a great time at a festival/show! Aren't former addicts the worst people! Harper's is snobby not like me! He hasn't solved everything so how dare he! He described it wrong!" Sigh. I wouldn't expect everyone to like this, but a not insignificant amount of the manner of the dislike is just as divisive as the article, but with far less apparently meaningful content.
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 11:57 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
But, you know. "He's snarky! He writes bad, the show-off with his long words! I had a great time at a festival/show! Aren't former addicts the worst people! Harper's is snobby not like me! He hasn't solved everything so how dare he! He described it wrong!" Sigh. I wouldn't expect everyone to like this, but a not insignificant amount of the manner of the dislike is just as divisive as the article, but with far less apparently meaningful content.
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 11:57 AM on January 30 [7 favorites]
I hope my comment didn’t come off like that, onebuttonmonkey. The article was worth reading, imo. I see the themes that you brought up and they are worth discussing. Thank you for listing them out, it helped me think more deeply about the essay (and my own/others experiences at bonnaroo).
For me those themes got a little lost, because he is judging everyone and everything around him so harshly.
posted by dark matter at 9:18 PM on January 30 [2 favorites]
For me those themes got a little lost, because he is judging everyone and everything around him so harshly.
posted by dark matter at 9:18 PM on January 30 [2 favorites]
Interesting. I think this essay (i.e., TFA) was funded by this particular grant from the Templeton Foundation. (“This article is part of a series supported by the John Templeton Foundation.”)
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:14 AM on January 31
Written by the world’s finest writers and thinkers, whom we would give the space and time to conduct their most ambitious work, these essays will be at once intellectually challenging and emotionally engaging. They will be of a quality to capture even the most attention-addled contemporary readers and encourage them to step back from the relentless churn of daily media for extended periods of deep contemplation.I read the article. The character of Dylan and the insight about “other-directed commitment” were particularly poignant. You know, and the parts about whatever it takes to stay alive in times like these.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:14 AM on January 31
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