Cruel optimism

In her book Cruel Optimism, Lauren Berlant affirms that the idea of ​​"the good life" is a way of making people believe that certain idealizations can be achieved, such as job security, social mobility, social and political equity, regardless of gender differences, race or social condition. Also, Berlant argues that as a society this kind of thinking becomes addictive and take us to depends or having something specific to be avail to participant in this system in order to have "a good life". However, what happened when reality hit these fantasies? Many of fantasies are exploited, processed and sold to us through magazines, television and currently in social media. It is also important to have in mind that many of the expectations of "having a life" under these conditions and associated with the possibility of having objects or achieving specific goals is part of a scenario where having these aspirations is optimism. However, the reality is that 80% of people will not have access to this "good life", which turns out to be a cruel optimism.

Similarly, in the case of the French nuns they are going in an evangelizing mission to Chile where they sell the locals the possibility of a better life through Christianity, a life they will enjoy in heaven, in an eternal life with Christ , where everything will be wonderful because all those goals and fantasies that they want to achieve in this life will be reality in the other. On the other hand,  Catholicism idea of ​​the "good life" function as control mechanisms. In the case of the nuns they hope to evangelize through promises and in the case of society they have sold us the American dream that does not distinguish between races, gender or social class, which is not completely true. I wonder how can you break with this cruel optimism without losing faith in God or in the Church?

Berlant, Lauren G. Cruel Optimism. Durham: Duke University Press, 2011. Print