The Idler (1993)  

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The Idler is a bi-yearly British magazine devoted to promoting its ethos of 'idle living' and all that entails. It was founded in 1993 with the intention of exploring alternative ways of working and living.

Contents

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Overview

Following in the footsteps of Samuel Johnson's collection of essays and Jerome K. Jerome's popular periodical, the concept behind The Idler is intended as a riposte to the idea of the 'work ethic'. As the magazine's founder and editor Tom Hodgkinson writes:

"[a] characteristic of the idler's work is that it looks suspiciously like play. This, again, makes the non-idler feel uncomfortable. Victims of the Protestant work ethic would like all work to be unpleasant. They feel that work is a curse, that we must suffer on this earth to earn our place in the next. The idler, on the other hand, sees no reason not to use his brain to organise a life for himself where his play is his work, and so attempt to create his own little paradise in the here and now." The Idler

The magazine argues that laziness has been unjustly criticised by modern society and that it deserves to have its good conscience returned to it and defended as an essential component of a happy life. The intention therefore is to produce a publication that is entertaining, thought-provoking and full of great ideas for living. Indeed, many international newspapers have adopted their views on leisure and lifestyle as a result through incorporation of sections on lifestyle and living.

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Recent history

More recently, The Idler has become known for its stance on social issues. Crap Jobs is a humorous series of books (and Idler column) looking at human exploitation. The Crap Towns books have a mission to find Britain's worst places to live. Crap Towns, caught the public imagination but drew fire from both local councils and local media in those areas concerned. The newest addition to the Crap series is Crap Holidays: an exploration of Samuel Johnson's maxim that the wise idler will allow events and goods to come to him rather than expend energy and money travelling to disenchanting locations.

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Contributors

Contributors and interviewees featured in The Idler include:

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See also



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