Slow Culture and the American Dream: A Slow and Curvy Philosophy for the Twenty-First Century

(Hardback)

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Is the USA hospitable to the slow movement The land of fast food, get-rich-quick schemes, and 24/7 news feeds In Slow Culture and the American Dream: A Slow and Curvy Philosophy for the Twenty-First Century, Mary Caputi argues that the slow movement has much to teach the United States at this moment in time. Although the philosophy of slow is in many ways at odds with the prevalent American Dream, the current setting demands that we heed its teachings. It is especially urgent that the climate crisis that makes us to rethink our fast-paced, ever-accelerating lifestyle so that we can lighten our carbon footprint and decelerate if not reverse the damage done to the planet. Equally important, however, is the movements mandate that we slow down and savor life, focusing on quality, beauty, and calm rather than quantity and speed. Slow Food, Cittaslow (slow cities), slow fashion, slow travel, and slow parenting are examples of a philosophy that seeks to shift our focus away from progress as currently understood and revalue quality-of-life issues. Drawing deeply on her involvement with Slow Food and Cittaslow, the author advocates mainstreaming the philosophy of slow and thus reprioritizing the American Dream in ways that sustain the planet and teach Americans to develop a more refined aesthetic principle.

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Speed kills. Facing our modern worlds addictions to capitalist efficiencies, speedy technologies, and fast food, Caputi here offers an alternative. Arguing for a slow and curvy politics, she draws on the slow food movement to diagnose and remedy our common predicament. How do we attend to one another, to our bodies, and to the health of the world around us By taking time time to taste, time to savor, time to learn. Engaging such diverse sources as Shakespeare, the antiwork movement, urban design, and Native American traditions, Caputis philosophy encourages a slower, greener, and more embedded life.

Author Bio

Mary Caputi is professor of political theory at California State University, Long Beach.