Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Ah, my as-yet-unfinished write-up of Smile Time has a whole section on research by Seligman and others about the negative effects of TMPR.

Did this season of "Angel" -- where the A.I. team suddenly had all the rewards of success in terms of money and prestige and power over the lives of underlings -- attempt to subvert our national preoccupation with TMPR (by showing that that way lies the road to hellishness of all sorts), or is it in some sense buying into it, giving the public what they want, the fun of seeing the heroes get the goodies?

I'm pretty convinced it's the former. "Self-esteem is for everybody" strikes me as pretty ominous, given the circumstances.

I really have to finish that essay. I think these questions are key to understanding this season's themes.