An Analysis of the Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed - Essay Example

Reflection Paper An Analysis of The Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed In this book, Ahmed attempts to address the concept of happiness. She brings forth a comprehensive introduction that addresses diverse issues involving the perception of happiness. At the beginning of his work, she intelligently arouses the readers to reason and engage in the topic by asking some mind-boggling questions; “Do we consent to happiness? And what are we consenting to, if or when we consent to happiness?” (p.1). Her focus is to have people understand how happiness works, in so doing she categorically states that she is not up to defining what happiness is. I find this tactical approach bereft of the convection where we expect an author to define what they are talking about. However, from the flow of the ideas, one cannot fail to tell from what standpoint Ahmed addresses the topic. According to my observation of the text, I find her base her arguments on some history and having an anti-racist and feminist standpoint. Sara Ahmed’s skepticism concerning happiness as a path of good life is very reasonable. In her argument, she puts into perspective the concept of happiness having a close association with some aspects in life and being disassociated with others. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to associate happiness with some of the choices made while differing it from others. According to the author, the presence of “right associations” (p.2) constitutes the true happiness. While this is not the absolute position, it has some basis of what constitutes happiness. It is not always the case as argued by Ahmed that those that go against the norms are the unhappy ones. In some instances, that happiness can emanate from doing things in a different way. Happiness cannot be argued to be based on one or two factors because it has a broad perspective and relates to a number of issues based on individuality and the societal perceptions. The response by Ahmed to the development of books that deals with happiness is that they do not capture the true picture of happiness. I agree with her proposition that the main issue that requires to be addressed as far as happiness is concerned is the ideals that inform on perceptions about good life. The author goes ahead to describe what she refers as the “the happiness turn” (p.3). She beliefs that the books that have been developed as from 2005 on economics and positive psychology have influenced the perception of individuals on happiness. In this regard, I concur with her proposition that finding a measure of happiness as it has been brought forth is a daunting and almost impossible task. One of the arguments that support her claims is that positive psychology has been narrowed to “the instrumentation of happiness as a technique.” (p.10). In many cases, the happy individuals have been placed in that position relative to the unhappy ones in the society, this is true because people are likely to perceive themselves to be happy based on how they perceive themselves relative to others. This is why Ahmed puts forth the argument that the concept of happiness is guided by the “generalized culture of expertise” (p.9). Looking at how Ahmed perceives happiness, it is apparent that does not incline on its advantages or disadvantages but from a liberal point of view. She dispels the notion that happiness is a good thing and focusses on bring an argument on “not only what makes happiness good but how happiness participates in making things good” (p.13). She takes a philosophical stance in order to help connect well with the topic. She demystifies the relationship between happiness and “the good life” (p.12) which every individual yearns to have. The methodological approach taken by Ahmed in tracking the concept of happiness is quite systematic. It is clear from her arguments that she chooses to “track the word happiness, asking what histories are evoked by the mobility of this word” (p.14). This is a very important approach since it helps relate to the current view of the word happiness. History provides guidance to the present while helping provide a way forward for the future. History can be used to explain a number of aspects about happiness while at the same time demystifying the concept of unhappiness. She argues and I concur that the “history of the word unhappy might teach us about the unhappiness of the history of happiness” (p.17). However, the use of history is limited in different ways. Ahmed points out that in this methodology, she does not consider “exploring worlds that take shape under different horizons” (p.14). Ahmed focuses on the family as a site of happiness based on the prevailing psychological and philosophical perspectives. The family being the basic unit of any social organization plays the basic role of presenting happiness to its members. Therefore as argued by Ahmed, the family makes up the source of happiness or unhappiness. It is apparent that happiness to some extent based on historical viewpoints is based on the social structures such as the family. Her arguments about the affective alienation also hold water, this is because there are individuals within the social structures that interfere with people being happy, and she calls such “the unhappy queer”, “the feminist killjoy” and “the melancholic migrant” (p.18). She does well in using the archival information she claims to have obtained from “feminist, queer, and antiracist books” (p.19). This information is helpful in guiding her to understand all that involves happiness from different viewpoints. In this case, she has adopted an historical perspective. The archives are very important to Ahmed as she clearly says that “my archive is also my world, my life-world, my past as well as present, where the word happiness has echoed so powerfully” (p.19). This means that Ahmed does not take his topic casually but instead, she addresses the concept of happiness keenly based on information from other sources. In so doing, she limits her personal opinions and relies on credible information from others. An Analysis of Erotic Capital by Catherine Hakim The paper Erotic Capital by Catherine Hakim demystifies the importance of sexual attraction in order to give men and women a competitive edge in the competitive world. From the onset, she puts it clear that “women have more erotic capital than men in most societies because they work harder at personal presentation” (p.504). The theory brought forth states that besides the three personal assets that are used by people to progress in the society, there is a fourth one, the erotic capital. The others are cultural, social, and economic capital. The fourth dimension brought forth by Haim presents a controversy because of the beliefs and mindsets that people have harbored over the years. Hakim argues against the disapproval by the society for men and women that use their erotic capital to advance their lives. A proponent of the use of erotic capital, Hakim argues that those who fail to use it have themselves to blame. Hakim argues that, “erotic capital is just as important as economic, cultural, and social capital for understanding social and economic processes, social interaction, and social mobility” (p.499). Hakim passionately argues about the four forms of capital and that they all have equal importance. Since their development by Bourdieu in 1980, cultural, economic, and social capitals have been keenly addressed, while erotic capital has not been given much attention. I believe this is justifiable because erotic capital carries less weight as opposed to the other capitals. For example, the economic capital has been defined as “the sum of the resources and assets that can be used to produce financial gains” (p.500). This means without this form of capital it is impossible to develop oneself, such capital is mandatory. On the contrary, erotic capital complements the other capitals as opposed to providing something unavoidable. This means that one can operate well with or without the erotic capital. However, the point raised by Hakim cannot be dispelled. Erotic capital seems to have its position in the society and is meant to benefit those who exemplify this capital. Hakim talks about the six elements of erotic capital. These are beauty, sexual attractiveness, social (charm, grace, and social skills in interaction), liveliness, social presentation, and sexuality. To some extent, these elements contribute to success based on how a certain community perceives different things. For example, a sexually attractive woman may attract men in her premises while a less attractive one is scorned and receives less attention. However, this is not always the case; in other instances, there are multi-faceted factors that one considers before they make the ultimate decision on what to consider. This underrates the position taken by erotic capital. On the other hand, erotic capital correlates closely with social capital. There is a very thin line between the two, only separated by a few elements. Erotic capital is made up of a social element “social: grace, charm, social skills in interaction, the ability to make people like you, feel at ease and happy, want to know you, and, where relevant, desire you” (p.500). This is an indicator that erotic capital does not stand on its own. Another issue is that erotic capital is not easily measurable and varies across individuals and community perceptions. Modernity has amplified the need for erotic capital. Hakim argues that as opposed to the previous generations, the current generation requires to capitalize on erotic capital. This makes sense given that modernity has brought much liberalism courtesy of the bill of rights, which spells out the freedoms that people should enjoy. Erotic capital creates room for individuals to have access to what they consider best and most preferable for them. Women are at a higher advantage of using erotic capital; Hakim rubbishes the predispositions by radical feminists on erotic capital and states that it provides women with a better social and economic advantage. Despite changing the landscape of erotic capital, modernity has brought forth the need for such capital. In the traditional setup, there were few classes of people, but in the modern view, the rise in classes has caused an increase in the need for erotic capital. For example, very wealthy individuals would prefer being served by the most attractive and sociable super models. Despite erotic capital being beneficial to the society, it faces opposition in some cultures since it can be argued to promote immorality and breach of societal norms. Hakim argues that erotic capital is very important for performance. She points out clearly that “one is not born knowing how to be a woman or a man; one has to learn how to perform the role, as prescribed by the society you live in” (p. 503-504). I concur because the self-realization f ones sexuality makes them to behave and work out issues in a manner that inclines to their gender. Based on the sexuality that an individual is, they can capitalize on their erotic capital to derive benefits. The changing scenario towards embracing erotic capital is seen in the case of “men in Western Europe are devoting more time and money to their appearance, and work harder at developing their erotic capital” (p. 504). This shows that the importance of erotic capital in promoting the performance of individuals; all acknowledge that erotic capital is necessary. However, while blowing the trumpet on erotic capital Hakim fails to put the disclaimer that erotic capital is quite unreliable and sometimes has the capacity of fading away. Erotic capital has a widespread use in marriages and mating markets. It is almost obvious that men are attracted to beautiful women and women to masculine and handsome men, though this has a wide relativity. As well put by Hakim, “Women are aware that being attractive ‘buys’ desirable males” (p.507) and the vice versa is also true. This amplifies the importance of erotic capital in these markets where sexuality and attractiveness is of essence. However, based on the view that there is no ubiquitous system of measuring beauty and attractiveness, the overreliance on erotic capital presents less significance. Erotic capital is arguably important for “bargaining between partners” (p. 508). In addition, in the workplace, those hat exemplify erotic capital can use it to benefit in terms of getting promotions, acceptance or respect. However, if it is used as the only basis for personal evaluation, it is erroneous and may cause a decline in productivity, especially in a case where a person uses erotic capital without being productive. Works Cited Ahmed, Sara. The promise of happiness. Duke University Press. 2010. Hakim, Catherine. Erotic capital. European Sociological Review, 2010, 26 (5), 499-518. Read More