Courtney Love
may want
to be the girl
with the most cake,
but when it comes to
cocktail-style self-loathing
(see Self-Loathing
for Beginners, p. 22)
Amy Winehouse is
the one on a roll
(bad puns go
down well with Brits).
She handled her
recent arrest
(for impersonating
a crack ho)
with crocodile sobs,
then went
scampering about
for the cameras,
celebrating her
flagrant and adorable self-loathing,
as these astounding
photos from the Daily Mail attest.
Thanks to Gawker for
shipping us across the pond
for this treat.
Postscript: Fall 2011. Amy didn’t always convey the romance of degradation when she was in the tabs or botching a concert, but her music was something else. “I’m No Good,” is a great and beautiful anthem to the exquisite intensity of self-detestation in love. For making blues the new black and being “too hard to ignore,” we love her and miss her. —LP.
Filed under: 2. Using it, 3. It is what it is. | Comment (0)
Article tags: acting out, celebrities, died too soon, died young, extreme behavior, stars, total self-loathing
Arianna Huffington: The Self-Loathing “Liberal” Media
Newsweek hires Karl Rove. The New York Times hires Bill Kristol. CNN hires Tony Snow. What is it with these media outlets? Have they been so cowed by the Right’s relentless branding of them as “liberal” that they feel compelled to show that they are not by sleeping with the enemy? . . . By embracing these unabashed propagandists, the mainstream media have revealed a self-loathing streak a mile wide.
She ends, speaking on behalf of the radical right, with this paraphrase of Lenin:
“Self-loathing liberals will hand us the microphone with which we will bludgeon them.”
I hope they buy my book.
Filed under: 3. It is what it is. | Comment (0)
Article tags: Arianna Huffington, Bill Kristol, CNN, Huffington Post, Karl Rove, media, radical right, Rove, self-loathing, Tony Snow
April 15th 2008 (It’s about a third down the page)Phillips, Lynn. Self-Loathing for Beginners. Santa Monica. Apr. 2008.
c.216p. ISBN 978-1-59580-029-9. pap. $12.95. HUMOR
Phillips, who has written for publications ranging from the National Lampoon to Newsweek International, here presents-to quote the book’s promotional material-”the essential primer on how best to despise yourself!” This assessment isn’t far off: Phillips has written a gleefully sardonic guide to self-condemnation and disapproval that offers up wisdom in bite-size morsels. Short chapters are broken up with quizzes, “questions from the floor,” tips, and inspiration boxes.
Although the material isn’t groundbreaking-Phillips mentions self-loathing through abuse of food, bad love relationships, or demeaning family dynamics-the deftness with which she ties it all together makes this a delightful read. The sections on meta-self-loathing and spiritual self-loathing add an unexpected bit of flavor as well. Phillips is a self-described media tramp, and, as such, many of her examples will best resonate with those who follow celebrity news. This smart, accessible title-good for sit-down comic reading and with outstanding sound-bite potential-will entertain audiences from precocious high schoolers to retirees. A good choice for all public collections; academic libraries may also wish to consider.
-Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.
Filed under: 3. It is what it is. | Comment (0)
Article tags: abuse of food, bad love, demeaning family, humor, relationships, sardonic, self-contempt, self-loathing, wit
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