Tune in for Vicky and Joe’s hot take on hot takes! Yep, this week our hosts have Opinions on other people’s opinions. With the internet crammed full of knee-jerk reactions and instant outrage, what’s the cost to us as a society? How can we slow down and think things through? What can a noble dude from the 1500s teach us about life? And what does all this have to do with books, anyway?
Key Takeaways:
[1:00] It’s April but it’s snowing! Vicky and Joe are freezing in their home office.
[2:35] Joe reads out the title of the book Vicky is reading in his best radio presenter voice.
[03:30] We think of essays as the dry and boring academic stuff that was forced on us during school, but Vicky shares why essays are great!
[05:05] Montaigne’s essays are all about figuring out how to live a good life.
[06:15] Update on casa dingle! Let’s build some stud walls in the bathroom.
[09:00] What are hot takes? Vicky uses the example of Will Smith’s slap at the Oscars.
[10:40] ‘Hot takes’ take away the attention of what should’ve been a really amazing moment.
[11:45] ‘Hot takes’ usually happen in social media. Vicky shares what really frustrates her about it.
[12:45] There is a lot of pressure to have an opinion on something. Vicky talks about Jameela Jamil as an example.
[14:30] Books give you space to think and put forward a considered opinion.
[15:20] Montaigne wasn’t very bright and forgot things a lot. Vicky explains why she likes his essays.
[16:40] Vicky reads out Mark Manson’s email called, The Life Cycle of Outrage, and explains why she recommends it.
[19:20] Joe wonders what the motivation is for the person that puts these stuff out.
[21:50] Vicky can’t imagine one’s life having to comment on everything that’s happening. It must be exhausting!
[22:35] Opinions get taken as facts but the two are not the same thing.
[24:05] We need to be able to entertain an idea that we might profoundly disagree with. The world is not binary.
[24:50] Vicky explains why she’s a fierce advocate of writing and reading a book or other longer forms of way to consume news vs social media.
[26:00] And if you would like to write a book, Vicky is still looking for two beautiful weirdos to come with her to her book coaching event!
[27:05] Think slower, go beyond the knee-jerk reactions and take your time to ponder.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast
Email Vicky about 1:1 coaching at: vicky@moxiebooks.co.uk
Boyhood, Childhood, Youth by Leo Tolstoy
The Great Hunt: Book Two of ‘The Wheel of Time’ by Robert Jordan
My Mess is A Bit Of A Life by Georgia Pritchett
How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell