The Attention Economy

In the attention economy, to be temperate in your tone and modest in your conclusions is to get nowhere. If, for example, you write a quiet, helpful, interesting book about parenting, you are unlikely to get a lick of attention; but if, like Amy Chua, you put yourself forward as a "Tiger Mother" and borderline child abuser, the world will beat a path to your door! The process of getting attention is even more depressing to observe than the outrageous things that are said and done as part of the process; the heavy hand of marketing is everywhere. And although I am as prone as the next moralist to want to scold people for their idiocies, the fact is that is just another form of feeding the beast. Silence is difficult to maintain in the face of the never-ending onslaught of "Look at me!" provocations, but any and all comebacks are enabling to the provocateurs and their handlers.

This is why I sometimes just want to go back to bed in the morning.