That such a character has made it into SNL 's repertoire indicates to what extent we see ourselves, exaggerated and humiliated, in the specious but optimistic Stuart Smalley. In this dysfunctional world, it's nice to know I have someone I feel functional with.
Anger is a powerful thing.
More and more people are also seeking individual counseling from therapists in order to figure out what is causing them emotional pain or discomfort. I have seen two different therapists and have participated in group therapy as well. What I want to propose is a way to engage with and radicalize the therapeutic process as it is understood in the American cultural mainstream. That is, I want to show what leftist or radical politics might do well to learn from popular recovery culture, and what recovery culture might become within the terms of a socialist politics. It seems to me that one of the most important imperatives of popular therapeutic culture is that it asks us to take our emotions seriously.