A quick post to recommend ' Big Babies, Or: Why Can’t We Just Grow Up?', Michael Bywater's book about how culture is becoming more and more infantile. He argues that the Baby-Boomers are in control and they are committed to perpetual infantility. As a result, the rest of us become Big Babies.

At times, it's a bit repetitive and he's prone to ranting, but the writing is always first class. It's also short and he's a gifted comedian.

Here he is on the ubiquity of adverts:

'we would be advised not to linger too long over our lovemaking, in case an advertiser sneaks in through the window and glues an ad to our arse'

On the trend to home entertainment:

'Interesting to see how, for example, Blockbuster Video attempts to synthesise the old cinema-going experience with its sacraments of popcorn and coke, both served in a bucket; perhaps they should also sell urinal cakes for that authentic movie-theatre smell and, ideally, you should, for a premium, be able to hire a pervert who would creep in, sit next to you and put your hand on his thing.'

He is not the only voice on this topic but he's one of the most entertaining.