This delightful sketch comes from indexed, a blog which is worth a daily feed. Having spent a lot of time in airports recently the sheer number of shelves devoted to simple guru based recipes is scary. Everything is made simplistic (not simple), reduced to basic steps (normally seven), with off-the-shelf recipes and claims for success that would shame the worst street vendor in the most corrupt market in the world. Snake-oil salespeople have been around for a long time but they persist. Maybe it is time to bring back the old western remedy and tar and feather the varmints. Bookshops might then have to stock something worth reading, which would make waiting around airports more worth while.
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Comments (4)
What makes these books such a strange attractor?
Clearly, to my way of thinking, they are merely signposts to much larger and deeper cultural phenomena.
But this line of thinking, at least in me, doesn't result in any clarity of how to instigate change.
Or am I missing the point? Do you only want better stock in airport shops?
Posted by Don | January 22, 2007 4:24 PM
Posted on January 22, 2007 16:24
Thinking that the purpose of airbook books is to give serious management advice is a bit like thinking that David Beckham is a footballer. In reality, the purpose of both is simple entertainment.
Posted by Matthew | January 23, 2007 12:48 PM
Posted on January 23, 2007 12:48
The same applies to airport bookshop popular science books - the only difference is that popular science isn't written for the serious scientist in and for his scientific work, but it appears as though the popular management book is designed for the professional manager. Of course, those strategic popular management writers are often proven correct, but I take that to be social engineering not prophecy. If enough managers read the latest fad on their air travel it is no wonder that this fad is then the latest wave of corporate practice. But I think similar things happen in popular business schools on their unsuspecting mature management students.
Posted by Peter Stanbridge | January 31, 2007 11:14 AM
Posted on January 31, 2007 11:14
The same applies to airport bookshop popular science books - the only difference is that popular science isn't written for the serious scientist in and for his scientific work, but it appears as though the popular management book is designed for the professional manager. Of course, those strategic popular management writers are often proven correct, but I take that to be social engineering not prophecy. If enough managers read the latest fad on their air travel it is no wonder that this fad is then the latest wave of corporate practice. But I think similar things happen in popular business schools on their unsuspecting mature management students.
Posted by Peter Stanbridge | January 31, 2007 11:15 AM
Posted on January 31, 2007 11:15