We respond to things because they make us feel, not just because they make us feel good about ourselves. Taste, both as regards the individual and the crowd, is complex and unpredictable. The one irrefutable statement about taste is that there s no accounting for it. De gustibus non est disputandum , baby. Chacun son go t .
Life is sloppy that way.
The second irony is that Seabrook is more interesting as a reporter and storyteller than as a social theorist, best when reflecting upon himself, his family the chapter on his father s closet and their sartorial relationship is one of the best and the behavior of the people he meets in Buzzworld. He s got something interesting to say about nearly everything upon which his attention falls, an eye for the telling detail, an ear for the revealing quote. The false front, the tinsel, the customized car, the inflated bosom we are used here to things not being what they seem, and accustomed from an early age to take the artificial as something potentially better than real. I m going to Disneyland . Inc. All rights reserved.