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Bad Taste

Or the Politics of Ugliness

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About this listen

A bold and original exploration from a renowned radical thinker, exploring the consequences of our obsession with image and taste.

This is not a taste, nor an anti-taste, manual.

This is an interrogation of the importance we place on seemingly objective ideas of taste in a culture that is saturated by imagery, and the dangerous impact this has on our identities, communities and politics. This book is dedicated to understanding the industries of taste. From the food we eat to the way we spend our free time, Olah exposes the shallow waters of 'good' and 'bad' taste and the rigid hierarchies that uphold this age-old dichotomy.

How did minimalism become a virtue, and who can afford to do it justice?

When did blue-collar jackets become a fashion item?

Who stands to gain from the distinction made between beauty, and sex?

Bold, original and provocative, Bad Taste is a revelatory exploration of the intersection between consumerism, class, desire and power, and a rousing call-to-arms to break free from the restrictive ways we see those around us.

©2023 Nathalie Olah (P)2023 Little Brown Book Group Limited for and on behalf of Dialogue Books Art Movements Philosophy Social Sciences Sociology Socialism Capitalism

Critic reviews

[Bad Taste has] really changed how I think about so much of what I considered every day, trivial and yet innately accepted parts of culture . . . An incredibly lucid view of a confused world. (Tom Usher)
All stars
Most relevant
Accessible, entertaining and extremely thought-provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would strongly recommend to anyone with an interest in high and low culture and politics.

Fascinating

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I couldn't stop listening, a very insightful book decunstrcting the notion of taste, modern society and, inevitably, capitalism.

A fresh approach

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An interesting point of view. Unwinding the confusing and nonsensical conformity to follow trends pushed on us by capitalism.

Interesting point of view on some relevant topics in today’s society

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