“A relation of cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing... These kinds of optimistic relation are not inherently cruel. They become cruel only when the object that draws your attachment actively impedes the aim that brought you to it initially.”
So begins Cruel Optimism, the most well-known and influential text by the late Lauren Berlant, whose writings have replaced those of the French philosophers who used to dominate the field of literary studies.
Though I doubt Berlant ever considered Indiana men’s basketball at any point in their career, I can’t shake the feeling that this text can teach us something about Indiana fandom.