(Originally published 2008, Paperback edition 218 pages)
Holy smoke, Mr. Shenkman is a frustrated guy. Granted, he has a right to be. As
he says in his book, merely publicly raising the topic of the U.S. citizenry
being stupid is viewed as un-American. Ya think? I never cease to be amazed at
bold statements many people of all political stripes will make that clearly show
they don't even have a rudimentary understanding of how politics or economics
work. I don't claim to be Albert Einstein, but for crying out loud, most
Americans should at least understand simple things like how many branches of the
federal government are there or that campaign commercials are mostly BS. That's
probably why I liked Mr. Shenkman's book. The author may be a liberal but he had
no qualms at taking to task not only conservatives but also liberals and
independents.
Mr. Shenkman correctly claims and shows that American citizens are not fulfilling their obligations to maintaining a healthy democracy by being well informed, critical thinkers. The author addresses the superficiality by television news programs on their coverage of politics; the odious but effective campaign commercials; the inability or willingness of Americans to rationally address the causes of 9/11; as well as he serves up enough bon mots of American stupidity to have made me throughly depressed. Mr. Shenkman also demonstrates how we focus on inconsequential matters and ignore the important stuff. If you are an informed individual, the book should also make you question ever signing another ballot initiative.
Observing any campaign and it is easy to see that manipulation by fear and misinformation (a fancy word for lies) are the main ingredient used by politicians and interest groups. This is simply because it works. Myths move people, facts do not. The hardcover book was published in 2008 before the subprime-mortgage bubble burst which contributed to Barack Obama winning the presidency. Fortunately, an epilogue has been inserted into the paperback edition which covers the 2009 campaign. Is the public as stupid as Mr. Shenkman states? Well, to quote the female lightweight that had no business being within a country mile of the presidency "You betcha!" The book is a quick, informative rant about how stupid we really are. God, I need some chocolate.
Mr. Shenkman correctly claims and shows that American citizens are not fulfilling their obligations to maintaining a healthy democracy by being well informed, critical thinkers. The author addresses the superficiality by television news programs on their coverage of politics; the odious but effective campaign commercials; the inability or willingness of Americans to rationally address the causes of 9/11; as well as he serves up enough bon mots of American stupidity to have made me throughly depressed. Mr. Shenkman also demonstrates how we focus on inconsequential matters and ignore the important stuff. If you are an informed individual, the book should also make you question ever signing another ballot initiative.
Observing any campaign and it is easy to see that manipulation by fear and misinformation (a fancy word for lies) are the main ingredient used by politicians and interest groups. This is simply because it works. Myths move people, facts do not. The hardcover book was published in 2008 before the subprime-mortgage bubble burst which contributed to Barack Obama winning the presidency. Fortunately, an epilogue has been inserted into the paperback edition which covers the 2009 campaign. Is the public as stupid as Mr. Shenkman states? Well, to quote the female lightweight that had no business being within a country mile of the presidency "You betcha!" The book is a quick, informative rant about how stupid we really are. God, I need some chocolate.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I
started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short
reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #305)
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