Michael Bywater turns his penetrating eye on the state of Western culture, from politics and the media to show business and science, and concludes we are all Big Babies now. With enormous brio, he argues that the Baby-Boom generation is now running the show, and its own commitment to perpetual infantility is reflected in its unstoppable drive to infantilize the rest of us.
Big Babies: Or: Why Can't We Just Grow Up?
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'I suspect this book might change our world' Euan Ferguson, Observer * 'The funniest man in England' Literary Review * 'Bywater's hilarious social commentary highlights our loss of ability to manage our own lives' New Statesman
Christopher Fowler
"Raises serious social issues while cracking plenty of willy
jokes" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
jokes" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I greatly enjoyed Bywater's Lost Worlds, his collection of little elegaic pieces on things that have vanished from the UK (ranging from 'Adolescents, Envy of', and 'Bakelite' to 'Warm, The British' and 'Throat, Cigarette Smoke That Was Kind To Your'). Accordlingly, I had high hopes for "Big Babies", believing that it would be a cut above the rest of the everything-is-rubbish books that are currently all the rage.
It makes a good start, as Bywater presents the thesis that we've become 'infantilized', unwilling to take responsibility for our actions, unable to make sensible choices, not wanting to question what we're told, etc. He backs this up with some standard complaints about things like over-legislation and safety notices; although this has all been said before, it's useful to hear it again (at one point, just after I'd read his indictment of a hot water tap to which had been affixed a "CAUTION: Hot water" notice, I looked up from the book and saw a tap with a label reading... "CAUTION: Very hot water"). He also references my personal peeve in this area - i.e., notices that say things like "Our staff have a right to work in a stress-free environment, and we shall proscute anyone who assaults them" - doubtless well-intentioned, but could anyone seriously imagine that they'd make a would-be assailant (even if literate) think twice about their actions?
However, although Bywater's a good writer, he doesn't really develop this idea, and I got a bit tired of the continued re-iteration of this theme, beginning to think that there really wasn't enough material here to warrant a full-length book.... Read more ›
It makes a good start, as Bywater presents the thesis that we've become 'infantilized', unwilling to take responsibility for our actions, unable to make sensible choices, not wanting to question what we're told, etc. He backs this up with some standard complaints about things like over-legislation and safety notices; although this has all been said before, it's useful to hear it again (at one point, just after I'd read his indictment of a hot water tap to which had been affixed a "CAUTION: Hot water" notice, I looked up from the book and saw a tap with a label reading... "CAUTION: Very hot water"). He also references my personal peeve in this area - i.e., notices that say things like "Our staff have a right to work in a stress-free environment, and we shall proscute anyone who assaults them" - doubtless well-intentioned, but could anyone seriously imagine that they'd make a would-be assailant (even if literate) think twice about their actions?
However, although Bywater's a good writer, he doesn't really develop this idea, and I got a bit tired of the continued re-iteration of this theme, beginning to think that there really wasn't enough material here to warrant a full-length book.... Read more ›
20 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Phoenicopter
Format:Hardcover
Not to be mistaken for a grumpy old man rant, nor the affable malignity of light weight attacks on our culture, this is a serious but beautifully observed lament for the loss of our autonomy, hilarious in its dire examples of how we are diminished by the plethora of warnings, notices, inducements that litter our daily lives. With Bywater's help we can stay alert to the seductive charmlessness of remaining forever in a child like state of obedience, silliness, and acceptance of presciptive behaviour and can avoid the folly of lifelong immaturity and irresponsibility.
For all those adventurers who have never worn their baseball caps backwards, nor thought of remaining on the escalator once it has reached the next floor and will risk buying Christmas crackers without fear of 'explosive content'.
For all those adventurers who have never worn their baseball caps backwards, nor thought of remaining on the escalator once it has reached the next floor and will risk buying Christmas crackers without fear of 'explosive content'.
21 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was a little put off this book by little irritants (something about it suggested it was going to be smug!) but was quickly engaged and I now reckon it to be the best of the recent slew of state-of-the-nation books.
Bywater's perspective on our malaise is that it can be attributed to the "infantilization" of the population, a trend he relates to the attempts by corporate advertising to be "matey" while (really) robbing us blind. We are big babies because we are happy to suckle these teets, zone out on ipods and walk around oblivious to others in a kind of "oceanic disconnection". Growing up would result from chucking out the air guitar, dressing better and enjoying a more substantial diet - culturally and culinary.
There is an excellent part on the prevalence of holding things in abeyence through bracketting - through concepts such as "liberal democracy" or "random people". When you write like this, Bywater says, you are recognising the ambiguity of the terms you are applying. This ammounts to, in effect, adding "so-called" to the front of every concept you utilise. One effect of this "living life as in brackets" is to live in a perpetual abstraction. I found this to be reminiscent of passages from Marcuse' One-Dimensional Man where he goes on about concepts (like "beauty") which exceed what you can say about them. This is probably not revolutionary stuff and I suspect Derrida is (was?) on to something simular but I found it to be well presented in here.
An interesting artivle in the Humanist magazine saw Bywater expand on his thesis a bit. He considered the twin fundamentalisms of Dawkins and the Islamists as being equally crude babyish desires to have "clear dogmatic meaning or none at all!" - a perspective to be trumped by "ambiguity, nuance and subtlty".... Read more ›
Bywater's perspective on our malaise is that it can be attributed to the "infantilization" of the population, a trend he relates to the attempts by corporate advertising to be "matey" while (really) robbing us blind. We are big babies because we are happy to suckle these teets, zone out on ipods and walk around oblivious to others in a kind of "oceanic disconnection". Growing up would result from chucking out the air guitar, dressing better and enjoying a more substantial diet - culturally and culinary.
There is an excellent part on the prevalence of holding things in abeyence through bracketting - through concepts such as "liberal democracy" or "random people". When you write like this, Bywater says, you are recognising the ambiguity of the terms you are applying. This ammounts to, in effect, adding "so-called" to the front of every concept you utilise. One effect of this "living life as in brackets" is to live in a perpetual abstraction. I found this to be reminiscent of passages from Marcuse' One-Dimensional Man where he goes on about concepts (like "beauty") which exceed what you can say about them. This is probably not revolutionary stuff and I suspect Derrida is (was?) on to something simular but I found it to be well presented in here.
An interesting artivle in the Humanist magazine saw Bywater expand on his thesis a bit. He considered the twin fundamentalisms of Dawkins and the Islamists as being equally crude babyish desires to have "clear dogmatic meaning or none at all!" - a perspective to be trumped by "ambiguity, nuance and subtlty".... Read more ›
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Jack Downey
Format:Hardcover
Michael Bywater hit the nail on the head by opening this book with the statement: "Something has gone wrong". I've felt the same way for years now, but could never articulate exactly what it is, unlike Mr. Bywater. It seems that all our woes can be traced back to the Baby Boomer generation refusing to grow up and both behaving and treating others like big babies.
I found this a much better read than his 2004 offering, "Lost Worlds". Instead of being a collection of snippets, the entire book develops the Big Baby thesis in Michael Bywater's unique style. It's thought-provoking and entertaining - what more do you want!
Be a (wo)man and buy the thing!
I found this a much better read than his 2004 offering, "Lost Worlds". Instead of being a collection of snippets, the entire book develops the Big Baby thesis in Michael Bywater's unique style. It's thought-provoking and entertaining - what more do you want!
Be a (wo)man and buy the thing!
By B. DONNELLY
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well thought out with some choice words, this carefully planned wake-up call to the world wears the disguise of a spontaneous improvised monologue, but soon sweeps you away in a stream of ideas of - wait a minute, why am I reviewing this? You're all grown-ups and can decide for yourselves what to read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
The inspiration for Dirk Gently does it
Michael Bywater - the inspiration behind the Dirk Gently character in Douglas's Adams's detective novels - is a very funny man. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Luke Edwards
3.0 out of 5 stars
Must read but not perfect
Interesting writing style, a must read if you had enough of being treated like an idiot by the nanny state. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2009 by Dingo666
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book - just buy it
This man knows what he is talking about.
His writing is articulate, enthralling and funny. Read more
His writing is articulate, enthralling and funny. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2009 by A. WARD
2.0 out of 5 stars
Editorial stretched to book length
Had Big Babies been an editorial piece in a newspaper it would have been a thought provoking and funny piece. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2009 by J. Duducu
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sense in a nonsensical world
A healthy dose of uncommon sense wrapped up and delivered in a hilarious diatribe. Read it, I urge you. In fact, do more than read it, absorb it. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2007 by R Judd
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