Well, that first website that I linked to, after more research, turns out to be a different person.
'Scuse that. Apparently his name isn't all that uncommon!
I wouldn't necessarily take the same tack as this guy and I'm hoping it's not too pretentious a tome, but I'm open to what he's written. It's kind of odd, his age and location would put him out of the loop I'd think but maybe he'll offer up some good thoughts. Generally though it seems that Kaufman was commenting on celebrity, with the has-been corner and celebrity cyst and more, and less on individuality. I agree with your gauging of him. One thing that makes me wonder is the author's taking for gospel the mythic reading of The Great Gatsby in its entirety to a submissive audience in Fairfield, Iowa. Somewhere Andy's smiling.
perhaps (stress on the perhaps; I'm not arguing, but rather musing) individualism has a different meaning in this case. perhaps the author is not critiquing what we would consider self-actualization, but rather individualism as a European might see American Individualism. European countries are more socialist, for one. maybe it's a critique of homo economicus, greedy, self-serving individualism, celebrity as stepping-on-necks-to-get-to-the-top individualistic quest, look-at-me.
