How To Survive In An Age of Bullshit
BAD ADVICE: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN AN AGE OF BULLSHIT. Venus Nicolino. HarperOne.
“Really? With this shit? Can you read it through your Valencia filter and fake news feed? If you’re a human being, it’s a given that you’ve been lied to and that you’ve lied to people. The same goes for me and every other person who has ever walked the earth. Honesty Is the Best Policy is #BadAdvice. It’s preachy. It’s judgy. It’s dishonest, because the world is full of deception. (At Page 133)
Cover courtesy of HarperOne.
The title of this book describes its content perfectly, as Dr. Nicolino (who holds a PhD in clinical pyschology) tears through the superficial nature of our modern reality and outlines a path for us to follow back to the self. Ultimately, whenever you are receiving advice from others you should ask yourself who’s being served by the lesson – them, or me? As Dr. Nicolino stresses, we’re awash in “an age of bullshit” and nonsense is actually being given credence. Thus it remains every person’s job not to fall victim to cons and narcissists. But how do we actually protect ourselves? The road map is contained in Bad Advice, with Dr. Nicolino writing in a conversational ‘across-the-table’ tone (replete with a cool drizzle of profanity) that immediately puts her at one with her readers.
In the end, it becomes impossible to argue with her underlying position:
“It matters that you find your own answers and create your own meaning in life because doing so will give you a sense of agency, empowerment, and ownership over your time, your days, and your life. (At Page 186)
Electric Review 
“Ultimately, whenever you are receiving advice from others you should ask yourself who’s being served by the lesson – them, or me?”
Exactly what I say. Even more so, is it the gullible as a proxy?