Shred That Bucket List
From Sebastian Modak, back in March 2023, and it’s hard to shake —
In 2017, Thomas Thurnell-Read, a professor of sociology at Loughborough University in England, undertook a deep dive into the promotion of such lists.
We’ve moved away, Mr. Thurnell-Read concluded, from thinking of the bucket list as a way to come to terms with the lives we’ve led.
“It has become commercialized and commoditized, and it’s short of any sense of mortality or self-reflection,” he said. “Many of the bucket lists have embedded hyperlinks, so the list is not just telling you what to experience but having you purchase that experience.”
We also give up our individuality, Mr. Thurnell-Read said. “The reality of the bucket list draws people back to a prescriptive list of places and experiences.”
The consequences loom large: We get caught up in a global version of rush hour traffic, where daily visitors to Venice outnumber residents two to one, and hourlong lines routinely form on Mount Everest’s peak.
joescheets 