or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
5 used & new from £3.00

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Look at Me: Celebrating the Self in Modern Britain
 
See larger image
 

Look at Me: Celebrating the Self in Modern Britain (Hardcover)

by Peter Whittle (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £10.00
Price: £9.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.00 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
3 new from £3.00 2 used from £5.00

Frequently Bought Together

Look at Me: Celebrating the Self in Modern Britain + The Disrespect Agenda: Or How the Wrong Kind of Niceness Is Making Us Weak and Unhappy + The Retreat of Reason: Political Correctness and the Corruption of Public Debate in Modern Britain (Second Edition)
Price For All Three: £24.62

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Not With a Bang But a Whimper: The Politics & Culture of Decline

Not With a Bang But a Whimper: The Politics & Culture of Decline

by Theodore Dalrymple
4.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £9.47
The Disrespect Agenda: Or How the Wrong Kind of Niceness Is Making Us Weak and Unhappy

The Disrespect Agenda: Or How the Wrong Kind of Niceness Is Making Us Weak and Unhappy

by Lincoln Allison
£9.00
The Curse of History

The Curse of History

by Jeremy Black
£9.00
The Retreat of Reason: Political Correctness and the Corruption of Public Debate in Modern Britain (Second Edition)

The Retreat of Reason: Political Correctness and the Corruption of Public Debate in Modern Britain (Second Edition)

by Anthony Browne
4.2 out of 5 stars (21)  £6.62
The Rotten State of Britain: Who Is Causing the Crisis and How to Solve It

The Rotten State of Britain: Who Is Causing the Crisis and How to Solve It

by Eamonn Butler
4.2 out of 5 stars (31)  £8.36
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 93 pages
  • Publisher: Social Affairs Unit (7 May 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1904863310
  • ISBN-13: 978-1904863311
  • Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.4 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 338,814 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review

?????


Product Description

It is perfectly natural and healthy for an individual to want to be appreciated by family, friends, community or peers. This desire can spur us on to personal achievement. It acts as the glue that binds society together. But the need to be special is altogether different. In this book, Peter Whittle highlights the demoralisation and division that come with the modern need to claim uniqueness, regardless of talent or deed. By shouting the loudest, by being the most visible, or simply by thumping people the hardest, the attention seekers destroy the privacy of others and contribute to the fragmentation of public life. Meanwhile real achievement and genuine talent are devalued. With no genuine claim to uniqueness, some wannabes simply emote. They self dramatise. They show off. They demand our attention. Others glorify themselves by rejecting other people around them. Paradoxically, despite all the talk in the media of 'community', there has been a repudiation of our collective identity - whether expressed in nationhood, neighbourliness or even personal roots. Such concepts are seen by the single, soaring self as constricting and confining. And in the breakdown of civic behaviour, in the growth of self-centred, often yobbish posturing, 'respect' has come to acquire an altogether new, rather sinister meaning. In "Look at Me", Peter Whittle explores Britain's runaway obsession with the need to be extraordinary, special or visible. He looks at the many ways in which this obsession manifests itself, across different age groups and economic classes. He goes on to consider how we have come to be in this situation. And finally, he looks at what the future holds.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars short and to the point, 22 Sep 2008
By Mr. C. G. Leggatt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Brilliant - an absolute joy to read. Peter Whittle shoots at all the social sacred cows of New Labour and associated trends. His book is short and intelligent but, as you read it, I recommend having the short and fluffy Sloane Ranger books to hand for some surprising related interest. Whittle's cast of characters are everywhere; in the new (and flawed) Sloane-update: COOLER, FASTER AND MORE EXPENSIVE you'll find "Chav" Sloane, surely a close cousin to Whittle's culture-free Harriet (except Sunday brunch at Tate Modern, of course!), while "Eco" and "Bongo" Sloane could, in their earnest attention to themselves, be vegan dinner-party chums to Whittle's "right on" Marc and Sue. But then dip into the original 1982 SLOANE RANGER HANDBOOK which, with the passing of two decades, has acquired an unexpected poignancy. Whittle's lament at today's obsession with "me" instead of "we" was engraved on every Henry and Caroline's heart. Naturally, they were figures-of-fun (if in a kindly intended sense) - but they were the people who got things done. The people who made jam and chutney to sell at the Village Fete that brought the community together and made a profit for the church spire appeal. Whittle seems to worry that his critics will think him some dinosaur dreaming of olden and better days. Well, olden banking days can now, post Lehman Brothers et al, be seen as better in many ways. But - hey, dude - anything new is, of itself, better (isn't it?).
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.