Bright Sided

I, like Barbara Ehrenreich, do not understand America's fixation on its own perceived exceptionality. I mean, it's a nice place and all, but having lived abroad for nearly half of my adult life, I don't quite grasp the justification for calling America "The Greatest Nation on Earth." Growing up in a conservative, religious family, I went through most of my adolescence in a state of blissful, solipsistic ignorance about my country, believing that we were the freest, most blessed people on God's green (albeit somewhat smoggy) earth. I never stopped to question if this view was good or healthy or even remotely true. I just accepted it as a fact because that's what my friends said, that's what my church said, and that's what my teachers said.

America, however, is not the only free country in the world--far from it. Sure America leads the world in a number of areas, most notably militarily, and American contributions to art and science have greatly enriched humanity, but as Ehrenreich points out in this book's preface: "some of the measures by which we do lead the world should inspire embarrassment rather than pride: We have the highest percentage of our population incarcerated, and the greatest level of inequality in wealth and income. We are plagued by gun violence and racked by personal debt." Now, personally, I think Ehrenreich's comments are a little heavy-handed. America isn't perfect, but no country is perfect. (Not that that obviates us). That being said, I think the premise of this book, summarized succinctly in its subtitle, "How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America," is a topic much deserving of consideration. 

Ehrenreich begins by chronicling her diagnosis of breast cancer and the subsequent onslaught of cute, "look on the bright side" messages and mementos she received thereafter. It seems like she's making the assertion that cosmetic companies and other corporations are attempting to capitalize on the disease by selling quaint little tchotchkes and teddy bears to "raise awareness" about the issue, pointing out how these companies may be creating dependent consumers by initially donating makeup and other products that make the women feel beautiful (as though they aren't already). This is a valid concern, but it is fraught by the possibility that these companies are being genuine.

I realize at this point that I am being far too longwinded, and at this rate, this review will be a small book, so I'll just say that I think the idea behind this book is wonderful but the execution is deplorable and jump to my main criticisms of the book. For starters, c'mon, Barbara! If you don't like when self-help books use cherry picked data and relate carefully crafted personal anecdotes to sell product and so forth, then don't do that yourself. Every person she disagree with is painted in such a, dare I say negative, light that it undermines a lot of what she is trying to say. I did not appreciate her portrayals of "other" people, most notably right-wing conservatives and religious types who Ms. Ehrenreich disagrees with. Not even because I am those people, but because I am not comfortable with someone creating an "us vs them" kind of argument. I felt like this book subtly attempted to create neotribalist factions antithetical to the groups she describes, the promulgators of this corruptive brand of positive thinking. This was especially apparent in the book's conclusion, where she seemed to commit the Richard Dawkinsesque fallacy of deifying science. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with science--it's wonderful and great and everyone should be more scientifically literate, myself wholeheartedly included--but we have a big problem if your understanding of science turns you away from essential human qualities like empathy and patience. 

In conclusion, let me say this: skepticism is healthy, and I think that's part of what Ehrenreich was driving at. I stand firmly behind the belief that we should do everything we can to understand why we believe the things we believe. We should look at our most basic assumptions and challenge them from time to time. Self-reflection is good, honesty is good, and if you are lying to yourself by saying things are better than they are, or, if you are lying to others about the actual state of things, then you should check that behavior and rectify it. What we need is honesty, critical thinking, and cooperation, and that is not what I got out of this book.