Today’s links Naomi Klein’s “Doppelganger”: On late capitalism’s double-vision and double trouble. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2013, 2018 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading Naomi Klein’s “Doppelganger” (permalink) If the Naomi be Klein you’re doing just fine If the Naomi be Wolf Oh, buddy. Ooooof. I learned this rhyme in Doppelganger, Naomi Klein’s indescribable semi-memoir that is (more or less) about the way that people confuse her with Naomi Wolf, and how that fact has taken on a new urgency as Wolf descended into conspiratorial politics, becoming a far-right darling and frequent Steve Bannon guest: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374610326/doppelganger This is a very odd book. It is also a very, very good book. The premise – exploring the two Naomis’ divergence – is a surprisingly sturdy scaffold for an ambitious, wide-ranging exploration of this very frightening moment of polycrisis and systemic failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCjcwVhFhTA Wolf once had a cluster of superficial political and personal similarities to Klein: a feminist author of real literary ability, a Jewish woman, and, of course, a Naomi. Klein grew accustomed to being mistaken for Wolf, but never fully comfortable. Wolf’s politics were always more Sheryl Sandberg than bell hooks (or Emma Goldman). While Klein talked about capitalism and class and solidarity, Wolf wanted to “empower” individual women to thrive in a market system that would always produce millions of losers for every winner. Fundamentally: Klein is a leftist, Wolf was a liberal. The classic leftist distinction goes: leftists…Pluralistic: Naomi Klein's "Doppelganger" (05 September 2023)