Abstract
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Boredom, so we have been taught to believe, signifies the failure of a
given semiotic regime—whether that’s a lecture, a TV show, a news article
or a place. Boredom is presented to us as a common enemy that like
witches and sinners of old must be driven out. Perhaps though boredom is a
form of cognitive defence we should cultivate. Boredom isn’t necessarily a
sign of failure; one might also see it as a sign of success, a sign that one
has held onto the integrity of one’s thoughts despite the constant pressure of
external stimuli in the information rich age we live in. We must ask, what
does it say about a culture if it loses the art of being bored? Does that not
mean we who make up ‘this’ culture no longer know how to amuse
ourselves with only our inner selves for company? By conquering boredom
consumer capitalism has extinguished its most potent critic. Boredom is our
defence against the present.