Summary: We inhabit a precarious world of crisis and calamity which mocks the post war promise of upward mobility, social equality and job security. Cultural theorist Lauren Berlant calls it the 'cruel optimism' of contemporary life; she discusses her contention with Laurie and sociologist, Professor Bev Skeggs. Also, Karen Throsby talks of her ethnographic study of an obesity clinic and the hidden moral element to every aspect of the procedure.
