Thread by @CiurriaMichelle

My take on the role of the #philosophy #books in #TheWhiteLotus, season 1.
The characters in White Lotus appear to be reading a number of philosophy books. 1/18

These include The Portable Nietzsche, The Interpretation of Dreams by Freud, The Wretched of the Earth by Franz Fanon, Discourse on Colonialism by Aime Cesaire, and Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. 2/18

Why did series creator Mike White choose these books? Here is one possible interpretation. 3/18

Above, I said that the characters “appear to be reading” philosophy books because there is some ambiguity as to whether they really are reading them. And I think that this ambiguity is highlighted by the themes of the books that appear throughout the season. 4/18

In one scene. Olivia and Paula are seen reading philosophy books on the pool patio, and Shane comes up to them and asks, “are you actually reading any of these books?” Olivia replies caustically, “No, they’re just props.” 5/18

Shane is also carrying around a copy of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and it’s not clear if he’s really reading it, either. 6/18

In an article in The Guardian, Mattew Jacobs writes, “[Mike] White wanted his characters’ choice of beach read to say something about who they are—or how they want to be seen.” 7/18

This suggests that there could be some deliberate ambiguity about whether these books are legitimate reading materials or just props intended to project a desired image. 8/18

This ambiguity is reinforced by the books themselves.
For example, Freud writes about the separation between the id and the superego (or between the primitive, instinctual self and the internalised moral values that make up one’s moral conscience). 9/18

Franz Fanon writes about the separation between the authentic self and social stereotypes about one’s self, which gives rise to a “double consciousness” or a dual way of understanding reality. 10/18

(For Fanon, this schism would be between his experience as a Black man vs. society’s racist interpretation of Black Masculinity). 11/18

Judith Butler writes about the performativity of gender, which she sees as something that exists partly outside of one’s own identity and therefore is never fully “authentic” or self-determined. 12/18

These books raise the question of whether White Lotus’ characters are being authentic or putting on a show. 13/18

Are they really reading these books or do they just want to look intellectual and progressive? Do they really care about racial justice or are they just pretending? Are they really friends or faking it? 14/18

These questions are prompted by the fact that the characters are staying at an expensive resort built on stolen Indigenous lands, meaning that they’re participating in a legacy of colonialism. 15/18

So, do they really understand the message of, say, Franz Fanon, who literally fought against the colonial rule of France in Algeria? Or of Aime Cesaire who was a revolutionary Black activist? 16/18

I think that, in general, White wants to explore the theme of authenticity in his work and to ask questions about how authentic a privileged person can be when living off of the spoils of colonialism, patriarchy, and other systems of oppression. 17/18

Does reading books make you a good person? 18/18 @whitelotus_hbo @HBO @hbomax