An incredible critique of our modern society that is still sharp even 15 years after its initial publication - I’ve read and annotated my copy many times, and always come back to it around New Years.
The link is to a full pdf of the book, which is under 100 pages
"The tiniest event can tear a hole in the grey curtain of reaction which has marked the horizons of possibility under capitalist realism. From a situation in which nothing can happen, suddenly anything is possible again" (Fisher, 81).
I honestly hadn’t heard about this book until I saw a shit ton of memes about it a few years ago. Capitalist Realism is a very worthwhile read and I can definitely see why it's so popular now. Fisher does a great job articulating the cultural experience of neoliberalism. This book set me on the right path in life. I also got much smarter and more attractive after reading it.
I’m on the wrong side of 33 and i can tell you with utmost certainty that your 20s is the most chaotic time of your life and it’s amazing that anyone actually gets anything done during them. If you’re a type a planning type personality however I would recommend:
- if you’re the sort of person who cares about diet and fitness, establish those routines in your 20s
- live where you wanna live. Don’t live somewhere you hate because you think you’ll have more fun later cos you won’t
- get a job that makes reliable money that you can tolerate and go back to if your dreams fall through. It doesn’t have to be a dream job it just has to pay the rent and not make you sad
- don't smoke cigarettes
- use sunscreen
- be as cringe as you want. People expect it from you anyway. They won’t have as much patience in your 30s.
Walking into a formal celebration and taking in everyone looking and smelling good. The smell always stays with me the most—cologne, soap, hair product, cigarettes, leather, shoe polish. Everyone so clean and proud and a little bit shy. So special.