In 2005 Steve Lowe and Alan Mcarthur brought us Is It Me Or Is Everything Shit? (Time Warner Books), a tirade against the evils of modern culture. Everything from bar-clubs and soulless coffee chains to global warming sceptics and IKEA came under fire.
An Optimistic Antidote
Steve Stack’s welcome response to Lowe and McArthur is entitled It Is Just You, Everything’s Not Shit: A Guide To All Things Nice (2007, Friday Books Ltd). It is a refreshing antidote to the rampant pessimism and atmosphere of doom and gloom that pervades modern life.
You do not need to have read Is It Me…? to enjoy this upbeat encyclopaedia of everything that is good about the world. Appreciation replaces cynicism as Stack pays tribute to (sometimes) little known figures that inspire and do their bit to change the world.
The Internet
He also stands up for easy cynic’s targets, such as The Internet. Arguing that any type of media is open to corruption, he says that it is not inherently bad.The book is also quaintly nostalgic, reminding the reader of gems from their childhood that would otherwise be forgotten forever.
Here are a few of the treasures unearthed in the book:
Ice Hotel
Based in Jukkasjarvi in Sweden, this actually is a hotel that is made out of ice. Sculptors and artists design the building every winter, with changing architecture every winter. Guests sleep on ice beds covered in reindeer skins, drink vodka in the Ice Bar, and tie the knot in the Ice Church.
Muhamed Yunus
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Yunus founded the Grameen Bank. This bank lends money to poverty stricken Bangladeshi farmers, 97 percent of whom are women. Money borrowed goes towards starting businesses or buying tools. The Grameen’s interest rates are small – just like the default rate on their loans.
Krtek The Mole
A precursor to Pingu, this Czech cartoon creature delighted children from 1956 onwards (in the seventies in the UK). With no real spoken words and its quirky eastern European animation, it is a forgotten classic of many a middle-aged adult’s childhood.
Free Hugs, Free Help
Free hugs was a massively popular 2004 YouTube clip that consisted of a young man walking up and down a street in Sydney with a sign proclaiming Free Hugs. After persuading one passer by to hug him, it snowballed into hundreds of strangers following suit. Juan Mann (a pseudonym) has now set up Free Help, a chance for volunteers to assist those who need particular help.
Ulises de la Cruz
This Ecuadorian footballer who now plays for the British team Reading FC is an example to sportsmen and women everywhere. Hailing from Piquiucho, a tiny village three hours north of Quito, he has single-handedly financed its renovation.
A medical centre, fresh water, improvements to the local school and new housing all exist thanks to Ulises de la Cruz, who sends ten percent of his salary home every month.
It Is Just You, Everything's Not Shit is just what the doctor ordered for those winter time blues. If you want to know why flickerbooks, the duck-billed platypus and watching television sideways make life worth living, this is the book for you.
