A review by b0toxdenkirk
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink
1.0
just the most mind-numbingly obvious corporate propaganda that you can think of. Like omg, did you know CEOs are starting to prioritize eMpAtHy and dicking around playing LEGOs during work time?! Never mind that this narrative excludes those people, especially in the Global South, who have not been liberated from the chains of excruciating, intense labor (there's even an entire section on jobs being outsourced to Asia--no consideration of the working conditions for this nebulous Asian monolith, however), but this book initially came out in 2005, and none of Pink's predictions were very prescient. In 2023, the pressure to major and develop a career in STEM is more pressing than ever, and even entertainment and arts is being increasingly commodified and algorithmfied. Us commoners get to reap the benefits of shrinkflation and stagnant wages while those who got a BS in comp sci at Ivy schools are the ones who get to play foosball at work.
Never mind that this book is packaged as non-fiction, but is really aggressively self-help focused, which I DESPISE. The advice is always so banal, so obvious, that I don't see how anyone can truly benefit from it. The author also has an annoying tic where instead of explicating something, he just lists names instead. Add this to the circuitous repetition of the scant info, and this book is really grating.
Never mind that this book is packaged as non-fiction, but is really aggressively self-help focused, which I DESPISE. The advice is always so banal, so obvious, that I don't see how anyone can truly benefit from it. The author also has an annoying tic where instead of explicating something, he just lists names instead. Add this to the circuitous repetition of the scant info, and this book is really grating.