Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts by Jonathan Franzen

“Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts” is an essay by Jonathan Franzen. The essay was published May 2011 inside The New York Times. It is based on his speech at Kenyon College, Ohio, USA.
This essay is about the contrast between peoples love for technology and real life. A very new and common expression is called “Like”. This originates from the social website, Facebook. This is mentioned as ”commercial subculture’s substitute for liking something. ”. Our parent’s generation has expressed popular terms. It is understandable, as we are entering a modern age, where everyone wants a little taste of this new world of technology we are entering. They are representing our era and the obsession with the Internet, smartphones and other things that contribute to the construction of our massive shield of technology. A lot of people use social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. to express their emotions. It is an effortless way to hide from the actual issue and emotions that are inside you. Jonathan Frenzen thinks, that people have a desire for consumer technology. It gives them a different point of view, which in a way satisfies them, without giving them anything at all. It is a contrast to an actual relationship with a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
The author, Jonathan Franzen, has a very creative and different way of capturing his readers. He makes this essay very interesting for the younger generation, as he speaks of his Blackberry smartphone as if it was his partner or girlfriend. He speaks about his relationship with the smartphone, in a very young and modern way. He and uses the exact same descriptions and expressions as I myself would use.

“I’d been similarly infatuated with my old device, of course: but over the years bloom had faded from our relationship. I’d developed trust issues and some doubts about my Pearl’s very sanity” page 8, line 15.
A mobile phone does obviously not have sanity; as of it is a plastic materialistic device. For a reason, Jonathan Franzen describes it as a person; this may be because our love and addiction for a smartphone in our pocket, is huge. Jonathan Franzens love story about his smartphone lasts a couple of lines, until he becomes serious about this problem, and what exactly has infected our youg-generation. Even though Jonathan Franzen’ were a middle-aged man at the time he held the speech, he still uses a lot of modern terms, which the youth can relate to. Using words that teenagers of our society uses in their weekday language helps him a lot. It makes the young people more engaged, despite the fact, that you perhaps would expect an old-fashioned language.
The author, Janothan Franzen, is very clear in his statement. Young people have a massive fear of too little acknowledgement from everyone else; therefore we are way too busy creating a fake side of ourselves. No problem can be solved if you keep on hiding it from yourself. Instead, lower your guards and let real life experience in. This might help a lot, and you might have a great outcome.
We are able to create our own fake identity and personality through different social media. It’s easy to keep this narcissistic personality for a long time, but regardless, it is not real. You’re shelter will not last for ever, and at one point, you have to come out and face real life. This includes its difficulties and problems that may occur. People are too busy being scared of rejection and side effects that may follow them in their search for real life and actual love.

Jonathan Franzen hands out some great example. Loss, break ups and even death. These are all subjects that he uses in his essay. But one must remember, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” – Kelly Clarkson, Stronger, 2011
We get one of Jonathan Franzens real life stories told. At one stage in his life, he started liking birds and everything that ever was involved with this animal. Whenever he saw a bird, he immediately adored it. This helped him becoming a lot less self-absorbed. Actually, he never saw this coming. He was afraid of live and it’s consequences. Even though he felt, that his love for birds was real, it gave him small idea and motivation into learninghow life should be lived, how people should be loved, and how any problems that may occur a long the road was no problem any longer.
This speech seems like an experiment to make our younger generation more motivated towards conquering the problems that may occur, and motivate them to give it a try, regardless of their fears.