MINIBAR: The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good (with Jennifer Kling)

Most of us know what it’s like to want to do something good and then, on realizing we can’t do it perfectly, do nothing at all. You put off calling a struggling friend until you can give them your undivided attention, and the call never happens. In this Minibar episode, Jennifer Kling pulls up a stool on her own to take a hard look at advice so familiar we’ve stopped hearing it: don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Jen draws on Alexis Shotwell’s critique of moral purity and Iris Marion Young’s account of shared responsibility to ask when “good enough” counts as a real achievement and when it works as a polite defense of an unjust status quo. Along the way, she considers who pays for our compromises and why solidarity can’t wait for any of us to become perfect allies. Grab a drink and join Jen as she makes the case for the imperfect phone call. [NOTE TO LISTENERS: As is our custom on this podcast, we release "Minibar" episodes between seasons, to ensure that you're still getting fresh, new content every week. Be sure to stay tuned for Season 17, which begins October 30!) Full episode notes available at this link: https://hotelbarpodcast.com/minibarjen --------------------- SUBSCRIBE to the podcast now to automatically download new episodes! SUPPORT Hotel Bar Sessions podcast on Patreon here! (Or by contributing one-time donations here!) BOOKMARK the Hotel Bar Sessions website here for detailed show notes and reading lists, and contact any of our co-hosts here. Hotel Bar Sessions is also on Facebook, YouTube, BlueSky, Instagram, and TikTok. Like, follow, share, duet, whatever... just make sure your friends know about us! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★