“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” It’s one of Henry David Thoreau’s most-cited (and most often misquoted) aphorisms. But what precisely did Thoreau mean by this sentence? Was he attempting to capture the feeling of disconnect that defines the human condition? Was it an observation of the perpetual dissatisfaction that’s generated by existing within a capitalist society? Or perhaps the writer was expressing a surprisingly empathetic assessment of the broader world from which he had chosen to withdraw? For a long time, it was open to philosophical debate. But no longer.
Now we know for sure: Thoreau was referring to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Instagram feed.
Yes, the tragedy of man’s daily existence, caught within the vise-like grip of these failing machines of flesh and blood, has been powerfully captured by Walker’s unerring iPhone lens. Thanks to Wired’s Ashley Feinberg, the true existential horror of modern consumer life has been brought to light, and it is contained within the images found in the social media feed of Wisconsin’s second blandest gift to the world, after the BoDeans. In a lengthy exposé, Feinberg gets at the heart of Walker’s tragic pictures:
What makes his photos so simultaneously compelling and unnerving is that, for the most part, they feature everything you expect of an Instagram account. He photographs food. He photographs “events.” He photographs presumably enjoyable activities. And yet, Governor Walker insists on focusing on the least appealing part of his experience every single time.
The evidence is plentiful. Behold, just a few of the seemingly endless parade of brown paper bags containing Governor Walker’s lunch.