Over exaggerated and generalized.

As a modern day disconnected family, “you decide, as a tonic to go on a camping trip—a pit-latrine-and-flame-cooked-wieners experience uncorrupted by phones, faxes or Baywatch. In the absence of electronic distractions, you will get to know each other again”. Kalle Lasn uses this example of how a failing family tries to reconnect. To me this seems like a reasonable way that my own family would reconnect if we had to, but for the family used in the explanation, the outcome was not as good as they had hoped.  Lasn followed stating, “After only a few hours in the wilderness, though, it becomes clear that you don’t know how to do this. You might as well have been shot into deep space, so psychologically ill-equipped are you for the enforced camaraderie of the outside world.” If I am going to be completely honest while writing these blogs I am obligated to say that this book truly pisses me off. It is a complete generalization and over exaggeration of the modern day family. My family is incredibly close and has not been torn an inch apart because of the new “addictions” to technology. We have dinner multiple times a week and during those times, there is never silence. We talk just like we did prior to the daily use of computers and cell phones. At college, I talk to my mom and dad every other day if not every single day. I would not be able to if it wasn’t for facebook or my phone. Every negatively bias person says that technology is disconnecting people from nature or the “real world”. I personally think that cell phones, internet, and computers are a positive cultural change. I feel more connected to my family and friends than I have ever been.

I’m not good with names but I remember someone stating in class that the idea of plentitude was completely embraced by all Americans. First off I’d like to start by saying that America isn’t the only country with technology and fast food. “Americans do this, Americans do that”. No offense but none of the foreign exchange students that I have met have ever had to “adapt” to the way Americans live. The world is changing, not just America. Yeah, I agree that we want more than what is needed, but we are not the only ones.

This entire book is dedicated to critiquing how much Americans are screwing everything up. Everything I have read in this book has been opinions. I did not read one actual percentage of how many American families are failing, or how many kids would rather watch a movie than read an actual book. The chapters that we read in this book are completely generalized and I found it borderline insulting that every single opinion Kalle Lasn gave on the American lifestyle was negative.