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Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'
Dopamino tauta: pusiausvyros paieška piktnaudžiavimo amžiuje by Anna Lembke
7 reviews
brigid_'s review against another edition
fast-paced
1.0
Some decent nuggets you can pull out here and there, but mostly moralizing that sex and weed are destructive. Low on science, high on shame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Pseudo-science123aah456's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Fatphobia
aebrossbooks's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
1.5
I never thought I'd be the type of person to rage-read a book, and yet, here I am.
CW/TW: Mention of fatphobia/anti-fatness and racial we well as socioeconomic privilege
"Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" by Anne Lemke positions itself as a book about balancing pleasure and pain amidst a world forcing pleasure down our throats in a way that would make us numb to the true pain and feeling around us.
What it actually is is a frustrating journey through a mishmash of loose correlation and disjointed anecdotal evidence tinged with the familiar taste of individual responsibility propaganda. It paradoxically insisting both that we all have the power to control ourselves and that social media can be compared to illicit drugs (such as opioids) in the strength of its addictive pull, the latter of which both diminishes the reality of chemical addiction AND obfuscates the causes and possible cures for "addiction" to social media.
Not only this, but the message is also steeped in an amount of anti-fat bias that I found, quite frankly, shocking. There was more than one (i.e. there were many) mentions of how overweight and obese people are "suffering" from something they can "control." On top of that, the author does little to discuss the socioeconomic influences on individuals and their indulgence in dopamine seeking behaviors. There are one or two flippant mentions to, "yes, there could be other factors" but the majority of the book continues on, apparently blissfully oblivious to the different treatment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled individuals, content deliver it's bootstraps-scented message.
And DO NOT get me started on the fear mongering and complete disregard and stigmatization of individuals who actually NEED things like antidepressants and the like. It's clear she is not a fan.
Are there good parts of this book? Absolutely. There are many instances where the author highlights important behaviors and treatments that can do some real good. There are even things I plan on keeping a closer eye on in my own life. All of that feels very much stymied by what I can only assume is the author's bias and an attempt to make the book more marketable by not giving the entirety of this important topic.
CW/TW: Mention of fatphobia/anti-fatness and racial we well as socioeconomic privilege
"Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" by Anne Lemke positions itself as a book about balancing pleasure and pain amidst a world forcing pleasure down our throats in a way that would make us numb to the true pain and feeling around us.
What it actually is is a frustrating journey through a mishmash of loose correlation and disjointed anecdotal evidence tinged with the familiar taste of individual responsibility propaganda. It paradoxically insisting both that we all have the power to control ourselves and that social media can be compared to illicit drugs (such as opioids) in the strength of its addictive pull, the latter of which both diminishes the reality of chemical addiction AND obfuscates the causes and possible cures for "addiction" to social media.
Not only this, but the message is also steeped in an amount of anti-fat bias that I found, quite frankly, shocking. There was more than one (i.e. there were many) mentions of how overweight and obese people are "suffering" from something they can "control." On top of that, the author does little to discuss the socioeconomic influences on individuals and their indulgence in dopamine seeking behaviors. There are one or two flippant mentions to, "yes, there could be other factors" but the majority of the book continues on, apparently blissfully oblivious to the different treatment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled individuals, content deliver it's bootstraps-scented message.
And DO NOT get me started on the fear mongering and complete disregard and stigmatization of individuals who actually NEED things like antidepressants and the like. It's clear she is not a fan.
Are there good parts of this book? Absolutely. There are many instances where the author highlights important behaviors and treatments that can do some real good. There are even things I plan on keeping a closer eye on in my own life. All of that feels very much stymied by what I can only assume is the author's bias and an attempt to make the book more marketable by not giving the entirety of this important topic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Fatphobia
dbumgarner's review against another edition
I found this book offensive in a few ways, including the author’s assumption that people in larger bodies are diagnosable with food addiction, citing the only symptom as “an inability to lose weight” and her puritanical beliefs about abstinence, especially around sexual triggers. I was hoping for some insight on how to navigate more mindfully in a world with so many screens and apps designed to steal my attention, but I don’t agree with her base values and beliefs and her supposition that *all* dopamine is bad or a slippery slope to addiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
e_a_bee's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Decent science, but some of her anecdotes are reductive and not particularly beneficial to the premise. Wouldn’t really recommend more than the chapter outlining her DOPAMINE acronym.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, and Fatphobia
okayshea's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
1.5
it always makes me feel icky and voyeuristic reading therapists tell their patients' stories, though i know obviously the patients gave their consent and i can see the value of sharing these real and vulnerable things people go through to create better understanding and give authentic examples. BUT this author came across judgmental of pretty much everyone she discussed in this book, and seemed to often look down on others struggling with addiction, even as she tried to relate personally by sharing her troubled relationship to romance novels. there were just too many cases where, to me, she felt smug and like she knew all the answers and didn't seem interested in actually learning what her patients saw of what they were going through -- and that's from her own retelling of these interactions. but maybe that's just me and that type of attitude might be necessary sometimes in helping someone with a serious addiction.
like other reviewers said, dopamine nation isn't really about modern technology or social media as much as the book advertises itself to be, and is more just about overcoming addiction and how dopamine works in general. there wasn't much scientific information in here that you couldn't gather from just watching a few self-help type youtube videos about dopamine or "dopamine resets". lembke also uses this book to make a few broad claims with flimsy support, so that turned me off too from finding much trust or value from this text. it just showed up on libby and was short, so i picked it.
like other reviewers said, dopamine nation isn't really about modern technology or social media as much as the book advertises itself to be, and is more just about overcoming addiction and how dopamine works in general. there wasn't much scientific information in here that you couldn't gather from just watching a few self-help type youtube videos about dopamine or "dopamine resets". lembke also uses this book to make a few broad claims with flimsy support, so that turned me off too from finding much trust or value from this text. it just showed up on libby and was short, so i picked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm and Stalking
shewantsthediction's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I wouldn't really recommend this book as I disagree with a lot of the author's takes, but it did introduce/remind me of some new concepts, such as homeostasis, self-binding, and the false self.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
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