Sex, Drugs, and Boredom

Why we should take entertainment more seriously than we do.

Peter Stromberg is an Anthropologist and author of Caught in Play: How entertainment works on you. See full bio

July 14, 2009

What Does Empathy Have To Do with the Supreme Court?

One of the concerns voiced by conservative critics who are uncomfortable with the idea of Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court is that she has made comments that suggest that her capacity to empathize with oppressed groups is something that might inform her judgments on the bench. Read More

July 10, 2009

What's the Opposite of Boredom?

Historians and anthropologists who have studied boredom have often concluded that it is not a universal affliction, but is instead a problem that is largely confined to contemporary society. Read More

July 4, 2009

Did Michael Jackson give his life for us?

More than a week after Michael Jackson's death, we still seem to be trying to sort it out. Personally, I remain stunned by the response to his death. The volume of news coverage and spontaneous public concern has been similar to what I might have expected from, say, an alien invasion of our planet. Read More

June 30, 2009

Shadow values and, one more time, doublethink

In my first couple of posts in this space I discussed our strange ideas about celebrities; more recently I've talked about "shadow values," the fact that the world of entertainment allows us to indulge and cultivate values that we deny. The two topics are related, of course. Read More

June 24, 2009

Entertainment, Consumption and Shadow Values

I'd like to point out--in case you've missed it--that most people in our society have to work pretty hard to make a living. And in order to work pretty hard, they have to cultivate values like discipline, diligence, stamina, responsibility and so on. Read More

June 19, 2009

Shadow Values and, Say, Miley Cyrus

One of the things I want to say about entertainment is that it endorses a set of shadow values, ideas and things we value, but claim that we don't. An example: Read More

June 14, 2009

Why you can't help but care about Brad and Angelina, Part III

I know some things about your life, because I know some things about people in our society (including myself). I know that you (probably, there are always exceptions to generalizations) have a fantasy that things will be better for you when (1) you graduate (2) you get married (3) you get the promotion, or a better job (4) you pay off your student loans (4) you get a new laptop (5) Tom, the hunky guy, asks you out (6) etc. Read More

June 10, 2009

Why you can't help but care about Brad and Angelina, Part II

There are people who care about Brad and Angelina, and they admit it. They devour whatever information they can find on Brad and Angelina, they discuss B and A with their friends, etc. And, there undoubtedly are people who really, honestly, don't care about Brad and Angelina. Read More

June 6, 2009

Why you can't help but care about Brad and Angelina, Part I

This post is about "entertainment," and in writing it I feel like a salmon trying to talk to other salmon about water. Not only is entertainment all around us, but various factors conspire to make it difficult to assess, even difficult to notice. Read More

Books by Peter G. Stromberg, Ph.D.

Caught in Play: How Entertainment Works on You

Media Basics

From the ever-expanding Googleverse to the snarky payoff of celebrity gossip, life is splintered and refracted in a million ways by contemporary communication tools. This media has a profound impact on how we perceive ourselves and our world.

Go to the Media Basics page for more on Media including:

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.

Subscribe to Sex, Drugs, and Boredom

Books by Peter G. Stromberg, Ph.D.

Media Basics

Current Issue