Abstract/Summary

Should one laugh at, cry or be inspired by Adorno’s engagements with popular culture? It would, perhaps, be a somewhat risky, ridiculous and disingenuous enterprise to position Adorno as either an enthusiast or a fan. Rather, being an, ‘uncompromisingly critical thinker [kompromißlos kritisch Denkende],’ is Adorno’s preferred approach to philosophising culture. Yet I will argue that Adorno’s conceptualisation of being uncompromising unintentionally supports an amorous subject and comportment, which is not altogether dissimilar to being an enthusiastic fan.