

Society & Culture
Egotopia: Narcissism and the New American Landscape
Must we bear witness to one more bumper sticker proclaiming that some insecure guy loves his dog?
“There are moments in history that divide eras, moments that serve to direct our attention, to inform us of a fundamental shift in collective perception, in professed values.”
Although he wrote Egotopia: Narcissism and the New American Landscape 23 years ago, and the book received no acclaim, John Miller, co-founder of Scenic America, was on to something.
“The emergence of the New American Landscape is such a moment,” Miller said, “whose significance, for the most part, is a steep detection of sociologists, historian, and architectural critics alike.”
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The [Greedy] New American Landscape
Keeping in mind, that his writing pre-dated the statue-toppling Leftists, here are my notes and excerpts from Egotopia:
So little of our historical landscape remains, replaced by the “New American Landscape,” that it’s hard to appreciate our present aesthetic deprivation, having few opportunities for comparison.
Must we bear witness to one more bumper sticker proclaiming that some insecure person loves his dog? We have been transformed from a society modeled on the professed virtues of balance, harmony, rights, and responsibilities to one that celebrates self indulgence in the name of self-liberation.
The ugliness of our environment is a function of our transformation from a society to communal values to one that celebrates and encourages individual self indulgence. Greed, ignorance, mindless science and technology, and excessive materialism contribute to both environmental destruction and a public confusion and ambiguity about aesthetics.
Self-absorption Reigns
In a historically brief 50 years, America has turned its back on community, as community has been traditionally defined, and embraced the suburban cultural breeding ground of self-absorption.
For people whose identity increasingly depends on what they consume, advertising messages are no longer irritating, intrusive, and inane but informative, sustaining, and nurturing.
We appear indifferent to the physical and environmental loss of our cultural heritage as, one by one, authentic small towns and charming country side are paved over.
Concurrently, we seemed pleased and satisfied in having created a physical environment in which it is literally possible to be no more than minutes by car away from refrigerated soft-drink.
One Big Shopping Strip
The great suburban transformation has remade travel, from one part of the New American Landscape to another, into merely physical motion. One travels thousands of miles to encounter the same chain stores, the same chain restaurants, and the same chain motels.
The New Man imposes himself on the environment, first by his obvious presence (car, camper van, boat trailer, videocam, screaming kids, barking dogs) and then by conditioning sales- savvy vendors to cater to his tastes. Ultimately, travel in America promises adventure and novelty while delivering standardization and mediocrity.
Of all the players appealing to the debased sensibilities of the new man, none is more capable, calculating, nefarious, and successful than the billboard industry. It has succeeded in corrupting and tainting public aesthetics, public welfare, and public consciousness. Billboards are intrusive, obnoxious, annoying, and, unlike television, they cannot be turned off.
America, the Once Beautiful
During the 1980’s the billboard lobby attempted and often succeeded in incorporating the following civic minded notions into law:
- Modify the highway beautification act from protecting scenic beauty to preserving “Communications through the outdoor medium.”
- Abolish the traditional use of municipal authority to remove billboards.
- Required that all trees blocking the billboard would by law be cut down at taxpayers expense.
The billboard industry maintains that billboards save the traveling public from being bored out of their minds. They stand tall on the very border of parks, across from schools, churches, hospitals, and even within sight of cemeteries. They are a common place on sides of busses, and bus stops.
Some cities permit billboards to be placed on parking meters. The U.S. senate seriously debated selling advertising space on mail trucks and neighborhood mailboxes. Billboards have been erected on ski lifts, on golf kiosks, in little league parks, and on soft drink vending machines.
What is Art?
The billboard industry has contended openly that billboards constitute art and has promoted the notion that we should evaluate individual billboards for their effectiveness, artistry, and eye catching appeal. Marshal McLuhan would have understood the billboard industry’s need to seduce the public into focusing attention on the message and not the medium.
Billboards hawking alcohol and cigarettes nearby schools are potentially far more insidious than the availability of pornographic tapes in an adult video store.
Each day, they’re subjected to the grotesque and vial commercial solicitations, the intrusiveness and insanity of which would have shocked our collective sensibilities only a few short years ago.
Today we do not consume to live. We live to consume.
The Advertising Mob Rules
We have created and institutionalized a mob which sets for us our societal standards, cultural icons, and norms of behavior.
They now determine how America looks and feels. We have been guilty of being too generous with those that would debase our society.
Long have we been devouring our moral capital. Many are satiated on the heady narcissistic nutrients that flow so generously from our cultural bounties. Yet, even they might realize that their gluttony foretells a mighty fall.
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News
Six Dozen One-Sentence Tips on Reducing Stress
Under Biden, the nation’s stress level, collectively and individually, keeps ratcheting higher
As we enter year three of the “Biden Administration,” enduring a clown who was installed, not elected, the nation’s stress level, collectively and individually, keeps ratcheting higher. As such, here are more than six dozen one-sentence tips on reducing stress for your edification:
Half the battle in alleviating stress is simply being aware of how you react to situations.
Let go of low level decisions.
It’s hard to feel stressed when you’re looking good.
You feel less stress if you allow yourself to be who you really are.
Take a break by helping someone else with their problems
To win the war on stress requires you only need small consistent steps.
Make your boss look good–he or she will appreciate it.
One good laugh can change your whole temperament.
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If a choice is of little consequence, let someone else choose.
Given enough time, people will usually apologize for blowing up at you undeservedly.
For most people, most of the time, most of the stress they encounter is self-induced.
Narrow your priorities and focus on what’s vital– the clock of your life is ticking.
Never make a promise you can’t keep.
If someone tells you to “take it easy,” heed the advice.
Give yourself quiet time throughout the day.
Sing in your car – it’s the best stress reducer when barreling down the highway.
Allow yourself five minutes to worry, then put the issues in the back of your mind.
Look for the best in others.
Screen your calls; you don’t have time to be available to everybody.
You always have the option of not answering the door.
Find ways to make yourself indispensable on the job.
Combat perfectionism because you are not perfect; nobody is.
It could always be worse; try to find the good points in everything.
Treat your children as full-fledged human beings.
Be true to yourself; don’t jump off a cliff simply because the lemmings are.
Build your life on a solid base, then don’t worry about the foundation.
Strive for objectivity.
Accept input and advice from trusted others.
Be conscious of what you say to yourself.
Compete with yourself, not others.
Challenge yourself to perform better than you have in the past.
Never mind the symptoms – get to the root causes of issues you face.
Avoid participating in the rumor mill.
Your instinct will often guide you – don’t be afraid to listen to it.
Don’t let juggling tasks become procrastination.
Take long, deep breaths whenever you choose to.
To feel more content be less concerned with what others think about you.
Move with a purpose.
Revenge is almost always counterproductive.
Delegate, delegate, delegate.
Open your mail over the wastebasket.
Laughter can lower your blood pressure.
When you’re under stress, sips of water can make you feel better.
For more energy, ignore the clock and go to bed when you’re tired.
You can’t use of all the promotions and bonus offers you encounter – so don’t worry about them.
Jumping into water changes your outlook.
Take responsibility for your mistakes rather than trying to assign blame.
The key to organization that works every time is grouping similar items together.
The hardest task is doing something different from the way you’ve always done it.
Let negative comments fall away like water off a duck’s back.
When you have trouble finding your way, step back and look at the big picture.
Look for the good in others and they’ll see the good in you.
Treat new employees with the same respect you show your CEO.
Let go of the excess and clutter in your life.
Avoid making decisions in anger.
Build enough slack into your schedule to deal with routine upsets.
Over-focusing on yourself leads to eye strain.
Step back and develop perspective – will you recall what’s bothering you, a month from now?
All else being equal, the better shape you’re in, the less stressed you’ll experience.
Learn from your mistakes or prepare to repeat them.
There is nothing so stressful as attempting to be someone you are not.
Be on the lookout for distraction-free sanctuaries, wherever they are.
Challenge yourself to make small improvements daily, and big ones will follow.
The best results often show up a day or two after you thought they would.
Regard each stressful experience as an opportunity to learn.
You cannot change the past but you can always learn from it.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
There’s always more to learn, so enjoy the process.
The natural state of human beings is alertness, health, and mental clarity.
Boil it down – get to the essence of things.
Acknowledge the accomplishments of others; everyone seeks acknowledgment.
Despite it all, maintain your ethical standards.
Give your complete and undivided attention to one task at a time.
Have fun with new ways of doing things – don’t let your habits become ingrained.
Practice the art of doing one thing at a time .
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Business
Smart Move in a Rough Economy: Help Your Boss to Shine
Stay on top of your job, your department’s goals, and your company’s objectives
Making your boss look good can only reflect favorably on you. Both your boss and his or her supervisors will appreciate this.
The best way to make your boss look good is to handle your work efficiently and thoroughly. If your boss is fair, he or she will give you credit for the work, increasing your chances of promotion.
If your boss is not doing his or her share of the work, leaning on you unfairly without giving you the credit, it’s still likely that you’ll be promoted when your boss is promoted. That person knows you’ve been doing more than your share, and he or she won’t be able to take a new position without your help.
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Becoming a Mentor to Others
Maybe you’re only 27 years old, or perhaps you’ve only been with your present firm for a year and a half. Yet, with your previous experience and achievements, you may already be in a position to serve as a mentor to junior members of your organization. This can be accomplished on an informal, ad hoc basis, and you can literally choose the amount of energy you’re willing to commit. Helping junior members always looks good to those above you, especially at performance review time.
Stay on top of your job, your department’s goals, and your company’s objectives. This three-way strategy includes reviewing your job description, deciding precisely what your department’s goals are, and determining your company’s objectives:
Your Job Description
First, knowing your job description and honoring it, or amending it if necessary, protect you from any misunderstandings. It will also give you an idea of the part you play in the total picture of the organization, an important factor in your work satisfaction and chance of promotion.
Your job description ideally contains all the important activities of your position, the knowledge you need to have or acquire to perform those activities, and some sense of your overall role. If your job description does not adequately detail the information you need to know and the responsibilities you have, now is the time to change it.
Company Goals
Second, learn and understand the goals of your part of the company. By whatever method your organization is broken into groups — department, division, project team — your group has objectives.
Goals are important to guide actions as well as to mark milestones. Knowing your group’s goals will help you to set priorities for your own work and make wise decisions concerning how jobs can best be done.
What is the Mission?
Finally, be aware of your organization’s mission. Any organization, from the smallest business to the multibillion-dollar corporation, has a mission. If you don’t already know it, find out. Your organization’s brochure, annual report, promotional literature, or employee handbook will have the mission spelled out.
The mission will unify and give meaning to all the division or department goals. Although conflicts among divisions will occur because of the nature of different responsibilities, a solid base can be produced when all employees realize the overall mission of the organization.
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