People Who Lunch: On Work, Leisure, and Loose Living

Post-work politics, crypto, clubbing, and polyamory have emerged as subcultures that reject patriarchal capitalist order. Sally Olds' book "People Who Lunch" explores the challenges of living ideals in a less than ideal world, examining the emotional prison of open relationships and the conversion of pleasure into capital.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 29 February 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Post-work politics, the cult of crypto, clubbing, and polyamory have emerged as thriving subcultures that reject the patriarchal capitalist order. These subcultures have arisen in response to various aspects of the current system, including wage labor, the dominance of the shareholder class over capital markets, and the commodification of romantic relationships. People Who Lunch, a book by Sally Olds, delves into these themes and explores the challenges of living one's ideals in a less-than-ideal world.

Olds' book is a captivating investigation of the utopian experiments that attempted to resist the unrelenting demands of late-stage capitalism, only to end up living comfortably alongside it. Through her unsparing scrutiny, Olds grapples with the sense of entrapment in the machinery of capitalism and the remorseless logic of commodification.

One of the key themes in People Who Lunch is the relationship between work and leisure. Olds explores how the traditional distinction between these two spheres has been blurred, with many people finding themselves working long hours and experiencing a sense of entrapment in their jobs. She also examines the ways in which technology has facilitated the blurring of boundaries between work and leisure, with the rise of remote work and the constant availability of digital distractions.

Another theme in the book is the challenge of living one's ideals in a less-than-ideal world. Olds explores how individuals navigate the tension between their personal beliefs and the demands of the capitalist system. She highlights the ways in which even the highest forms of culture exist to convert pleasure into capital, such as the multi-hour viewing of a critically acclaimed performance art piece that highlights the commodification of pleasure.

In one essay, Olds explores her brief flirtation with post-monogamy, which forces her to confront the emotional prison of the open relationship. She reflects on the ways in which the open relationship can be seen as a form of escape from the constraints of traditional monogamous relationships, but also as a way of perpetuating the capitalist system by commodifying intimacy.

Through her forays into these colorful worlds, Olds reveals a deep irony: escaping a system built on the exchange of wage labor is, quite simply, a lot of work. She highlights the ways in which individuals must navigate the complex web of social and economic relationships that constitute the capitalist system in order to live their ideals.

People Who Lunch is a thought-provoking and insightful book that offers a critical perspective on the current state of capitalism and the challenges of living in a less-than-ideal world. It is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of work, leisure, intimacy, and technology in today's society.

Weight: 286g
Dimension: 147 x 218 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780316565714