Authenticity

The theme that Jenny Diski returns to the most in Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? is that of authenticity as she calls into question numerous public figures as well as the populace itself. Those with the most power and prestige, however, are scrutinized most critically by her. Diski spends much time in her book considering her own character and attitudes. She yearns to understand both herself and others. It is possibly because of this that she is so concerned with people portraying them to be something that they are not, and she draws attention to these dichotomies throughout her essays.

Diski criticizes both Richard Branson and Christine Keeler for claiming to be what they are not. In “Stinking Rich,’ Diski criticizes Branson for making himself appear to be one of the little guys who is not allowed to compete by the big companies...