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A review by sugarandspicemakesitnice
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
5.0
I feel like everyone should be reading this. Klein so aptly describes our ailing political climate, grounding her analysis with a healthy dose of historical context and humour. The scope of the book is broad, but its throughline is the binaristic discourses that define themselves in opposition to each other. These discourses end up dancing around each other, instead of the real issues of toxic neoliberal ideologies, capitalist extraction, and climate disaster that surround us.
Something so refreshing about this book was Klein's self-awareness about her own implication in the issues she describes. She doesn't just point fingers at an evil "other"; she highlights how the very temptation to do that leads to a lot of words, but not a lot of action, and stunts the coalition-building that can actually make a difference.
I saved a lot of quotes from this book to reflect on later, but here are some favourites:
On conspiracy theories: "The words she was saying were essentially fantasy. But emotionally, to the many people now listening to her, they clearly felt true" (86)
On cancel culture: "I am also unsettled by the ease with which we can turn off other humans. I fear that there is something habit-forming about making other people disappear with a keystroke" (110)
On political polarization: "It is as if when something becomes an issue in the Mirror World, it automatically ceases to matter everywhere else. This has happened on so many issues that I sometimes feel as if we are tethered to each other as reverse marionettes: their arm goes up, ours goes down. We kick, they hug" (121)
A potential critique is that Klein could've explored her arguments with more depth, but I think the book stands up as a piece of public intellectualism, laying out a general theory that others can continue to expand on. Plus, if Klein's goal is make a broad appeal to readers to listen, collaborate, and act, I find her accessible, personable style to be an asset.
Something so refreshing about this book was Klein's self-awareness about her own implication in the issues she describes. She doesn't just point fingers at an evil "other"; she highlights how the very temptation to do that leads to a lot of words, but not a lot of action, and stunts the coalition-building that can actually make a difference.
I saved a lot of quotes from this book to reflect on later, but here are some favourites:
On conspiracy theories: "The words she was saying were essentially fantasy. But emotionally, to the many people now listening to her, they clearly felt true" (86)
On cancel culture: "I am also unsettled by the ease with which we can turn off other humans. I fear that there is something habit-forming about making other people disappear with a keystroke" (110)
On political polarization: "It is as if when something becomes an issue in the Mirror World, it automatically ceases to matter everywhere else. This has happened on so many issues that I sometimes feel as if we are tethered to each other as reverse marionettes: their arm goes up, ours goes down. We kick, they hug" (121)
A potential critique is that Klein could've explored her arguments with more depth, but I think the book stands up as a piece of public intellectualism, laying out a general theory that others can continue to expand on. Plus, if Klein's goal is make a broad appeal to readers to listen, collaborate, and act, I find her accessible, personable style to be an asset.