Christiana Spens Libri

A philosophical memoir about thedeepest and most primal of human emotions, how it controls us all, and how we tryto control one another when the stakes are so high.

In an age of PR, public protest and other forms of dissent have lost their meaning and impact. The intense media interest  in rioting and political violence, as well as an existing obsession with youth culture, have led to an over-saturation and misrepresentation of what these movements are about. Political protest has become a pantomime where activists are always villains, and therefore the politics of these groups are routinely ignored. By identifying the ways in which publicity has helped and hindered a wide range of movements, Shooting Hipsters  will find out the ways in which dissenting groups can thrive and survive in a media-saturated age, as well as describing the common ways that they can be undermined.

Exploring the lives of affluent young adults, the narrative follows Alice, Harry, Rose, and Hugo as they navigate self-destructive behaviors amidst the vibrant nightlife of Manhattan and London. Engaged in a relentless pursuit of pleasure through parties, drugs, and music, their summer spirals into a chaotic blend of highs and lows. As they confront existential questions about identity and purpose, the story captures the struggles of a generation seemingly blessed with privilege yet grappling with profound disconnection and uncertainty.

The book examines the portrayal of terrorists in Western media, focusing on the ideological and social implications of these representations. It introduces a theory of scapegoating related to narrative closure and employs a genealogical method of intervisuality. By linking contemporary depictions of terrorists to historical and fictional villains, it argues that these portrayals reinforce neo-Orientalist attitudes. The author contends that media narratives of punishment and dehumanization serve to unify nations and uphold hegemonic power in times of crisis.