Customer Reviews

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America CD

5 star:		(349)
4 star:		(116)
3 star:		(63)
2 star:		(52)
1 star:		(319)

 

 

On the surface, you'd think this book was just another
"right-winger" making a list of 100 Liberals and trashing
them. Actually, it's not, despite the criticism of the
four guests on CNN who attacked Bernie Goldberg, without,
admittedly, even reading the book.

Even though there are the usual liberal suspects on this
list, such as George Soros, Paul Begala, and Howard Dean,
trashing liberals is not really the point of the book.

What Bernie Goldberg does in this book is to cite a number
of TRENDS in America that are ruining our society, and naming
a number of people who exemplify or encourage those trends.

His first several chapters are commentary about those trends.
For example, he cites the destruction of trust in one another
caused by our fear of lawyers, he cites how television
executives are filling the airwaves with a lot of trash
simply because of ratings, and he cites how the gangsta rap
craze is sending horribly destructive messages to our youth.

Then, in his list, he chooses a number of people who exemplify
some of these bad trends. What is MOST INTERESTING is the
number of people who are not all that famous, but many whom
you will recognize once they are described to you.
Here are a few examples...

...that idiot you'd see on late night TV, who wears the green
suit with the question marks all over it. He exemplifies the
idea that the way you get rich is to get "free money", and that
our tax dollars are that "free money".

...a woman, who finding out she was pregnant with triplets,
had two aborted, claiming that if she had to take care of
all three, she'd "have to shop at Costco".

...the former California congressman who was the major
catalyst for the "self-esteem" movement in secondary
education, the result being that our children score well
behind other countries in math and science, but rank
the highest in "self-confidence".

...the congresswoman who came to the defense of a convicted
murderer, as exemplifying the trend of defending the rights
of criminals rather than the victims.

In short, this book is so interesting that I believe if a
person enters into it with an open mind, it will be very
hard to put down. Also, despite its reputation as "right-wing"
and "liberal bashing", it really is not. I recommend this
book for EVERYBODY, and if I could give it SIX STARS, I would.

Lastly, you guessed who he lists as Number One.

Bernard Goldberg has such a terrific sense of humor that I would not mind being on this list. However, I find that his humor hits the mark 100 percent of the time. When the Roman Empire started its downward spiral it had more than a little to do with the loss of courtesy and morality. The Me Me society that we have today may be individually satisfying, but the truth of the matter is that we can only pull this planet through to victory with EVERYONE shouldering a bit of the weight. Being a famous person or celebrity does not give anyone the right to tear down our country or abuse our people in Government. To paraphrase Gorky, the only people worthy of freedom are those who are willing to go out and fight for it every day. But it also has to be a Freedom for All, not just a select few. Mr. Goldberg's selections may not appeal to everyone, but I do applaud him for having the chutzpah to do this book and know that he was going to get lots of flak!

Goldberg's book is as much an effort to pin down why so many people think that self-righteousness, paranoia, and non-stop cussing should guarantee popularity & influence, as it is a book-length & well-researched rant about people that Goldberg doesn't like.

Unfortunately, the title makes the book sound more authoritative than it was meant to be. Goldberg does state in the introduction than he didn't take any surveys when he came up with the list, it's his list based on his opinions and he expects people will disagree with him on his choices and reasoning.

The first section of the book is a commentary on popular culture and things about it that are out of whack. Being popular does not automatically make a person wise, intelligent or informed, and I agree with Goldberg in my dislike of celebrities who feel entitled to make political comments every time someone acknowledges their existence. I also agree with him that managers & CEOs who make power & money their main concerns are pretty disgusting, as are supposedly serious news programs that prostitute themselves for ratings. But I also feel that there are a lot of other people to blame for some of these problems, like the congressmen & reporters who are so thrilled to meet a celebrity that they'll accept anything the celebrity says like it was gospel truth; or the parents who let their kids listen to gangster rap & watch foul-mouthed sitcoms and movies, and then can't figure out why their kids are so foul-mouthed and gutter-minded themselves. I do wish that Goldberg had made some comments about those types of enablers, as well as the offenders.

The Top 100 list, which takes up the majority of the book (246 pages out of 305), consists of short essays on people that set Goldberg's teeth on edge. I agree with many of his choices, although not all of them, and there are other people I wish he had included. Many of his targets are well-known liberals, such as Michael Moore & Al Franken. (And in the cases of both Michael Moore & Al Franken, Goldberg's chapters on them could have used more substance.)

But Goldberg also discusses people who operate behind the scenes in ways that should get a little more attention. And a lot of his choices are individuals who are symbolic of whole movements. For example, Susan Beresford is the president of the Ford Foundation and is #41 on the list. According to Goldberg, if a university wants a Ford Foundation grant (and with $11 billion, the Ford Foundation has a lot of money to grant), the grant application must include figures on how many women & minorities will be involved in the project. Honestly, what business is this of the Ford Foundation's? The validity of an idea or the quality of the research into that idea aren't dependent on the demographics of the researchers, so why should the number of women or minorities on a project make it inherently more or less deserving of funding? (And if Goldberg wants to single Bersford out as an example of charitable foundations who state they are non-partisan but seem to be awfully pushy & nosy for non-partisans, then Goldberg gets to do that because it's his list!)

Another example is Todd Goldman, #97, who was the creator of a line of T-shirts with logos such as "Boys Are Stupid. Throw Rock At Them!" and "Boys Are Smelly . . . Kick Them In The Belly!" Yes, the girls who buy these shirts, the parents who don't point out how disgusting the shirts are, and the whole gender feminist movement who pushes the message that men are inherently deserving of punishment for no other reason than their gender, ALL of those people need to be in this book as much as Todd Goldman. But, like Goldberg, I was disgusted by those shirts and I'm glad he pointed out whose stupid idea they were.

Goldberg has a fairly light writing style, and most of the chapters are pretty short, so it's a pretty quick book to read. I am irritated that the book did not include a table of contents, bibliography, or index. Between those deficiencies and the really interesting & informative writing, I want to give the book 3.6 or 3.8 stars out of five, but since I can't give incremental ratings I'll give it four stars, since it definitely deserves more than three.

I was tempted to give this a 5 star review if only to counterbalance some of the reviewers who will give this a 1 star simply on the basis of opposition politics. However, in my opinion it really does deserve 3 stars, or perhaps 2.5. Here's why:

1. The book won't change anyone's mind. However you feel about Goldberg and his opinions going in, is how you will going out. Goldberg writes entertainingly, but he's not writing a way that will change anyone's mind.

2. The book will age and become a "period" piece fairly quickly. "Hardball" will be around for a long time. This book will age right into near irrelevance in about 2 years.

3. The book is indeed a bit "biased". Goldberg is upfront about what he thinks, and says so - this is ~his~ list and he doesn't expect you to agree with it. Even so, there are a whole lot of Left Wingers here, so many that it gets a bit repetitive. Yeah, he nails Savage, Lay and Koslowski, but there are a lot more Right Wing types that deserve some attention, and some just plain no-goods that are apolitical that deserve mention.

4. You leave the book feeling angry. If you're a Conservative or Right leaning moderate, you're infuriated about what Goldberg has said. If you're a Liberal or a left leaning moderate, you're steaming about how Goldberg could be "so wrong". What you don't get is a useful long term perspective on the "culture wars", or any memorable thoughts on how the rift of opinions can be broached.

So, while I would have to say I agree with a lot of Goldberg's judgements and can understand his viewpoints, I feel the way he approached it was wrong. It seems like this was a fairly easy book to write - pick 100 people you don't like and harangue them in print, then await money to roll in. More time, more depth and more perspective would have made for a more satisfying read, and a longer "shelf life".

First, anything by Goldberg these days is going to automatically get lumped into a political direction - right - and be blasted by those on the left. That's fair I suppose given his views about liberal ideology in the media. However, this book is far more about a social commentary on those whose views undermine the core beliefs, and social values and decency our nation was founded on. Goldberg takes on those on both sides of the political fence, but in general keeps his prose to issues that effect the everyday social fabric of America.

I actually really enjoyed reading his rants. Granted, some of them I disagree with, but generally he seems to really have issue with how a few misguided people have damaged the values the rest of us hold. If I were to summarize what you can expect, it would be this: If you support the rights of a criminal over the victim or glorify the behaviors of people who in any decent society deserve to be behind bars, you will get slammed in this book. If you got your fame and money through acting or music and attempt to be taken seriously as a political commentator, you will be taken to task here. If you support the sexualization of children, or support the boorish sexual antics of the fringe of society (ala Will and Grace glorifying adultery), you will find yourself on the list.

This book is after all a social commentary on the values of America, and the few who are trying to create a society that stands for nothing, allows and glorifies anything, and permits everything no matter how inappropriate. Take for example the so called "environmentalists" who attack others for driving big SUV's while they fly Gulf Stream jets and live in houses that use more energy than several small towns. Hypocritical is merely an obvious label for such people, but they deserve far more criticism than that. Goldberg exposes them here.

It should be noted, and isn't on any critical reviews I have read here, that Goldberg is not trying to silence such voices. He stands up for the rights of everyone to free speech. He takes on people whose views would be way right politically, and does so with gusto. So, the book is far more balanced that way than others here may be giving credit for.

Overall, a very good look at some of the erosion of values, morals and common decency in our society, and the few people who are trying to do the most damage. At times it is too sensational, at times a bit shrill, and of course is just one person's opinion. That said, he is far more often than not absolutely accurate in his assessment and its time more people woke up and started speaking out against such views.

The funny thing about the negative reviews here is that they say everything from "Bernie Goldberg is a shill/hack/lackey of the Bush Admin" to "Goldberg is mean and calls (liberals) names."
Well, there may be some name-calling in his latest book, but the most ridiculous ranting and name-calling come from the people Goldberg cites. A lot I'd heard of, some I hadn't.

As far as the liberals dismissing Goldberg and even attacking him, they're just exposing their own bitterness and intolerance. They learned from the masters of the Politics of Personal Destruction themselves, the Clinton Administration. (Pointing out Ted Kennedy's past of womanizing, drunkeness, even criminal behavior that resulted in an empolyee's death--then quoting him as the moral "conscience" of the Senate, especially on women's issues--is not partisanship, it's just simple comprehension).

But 100 PEOPLE WHO ARE SCREWING UP AMERICA can't be so easily categorized or limited as one side's rant against the others. Howard Stern, who actively campaigned for John Kerry last fall, is right next to Michael Savage, radio's pitbull opposite of Stern.

By reading this book, you should realize that the people listed in this book aren't there because of which side of any issue they stand on, they're here because they really, really should've put some thought into how they express themselves.
But you'd have to have an open mind to see it.

Bernard Goldberg is a politically liberal, well-respected, highly honored journalist, who has made a career out of asking thoughtful questions and avoiding personal bias in his reporting. Naturally, such a temperment was bound to get him in trouble with his bosses at CBS.

This trouble led Goldberg on a path of asking more questions, which led to his writing two powerfully insightful books, BIAS and ARROGANCE, which are must-reading for thinking people on both sides of the political debate.

Now, Goldberg has written the provocatively-titled 100 PEOPLE WHO ARE SCREWING UP AMERICA. Though the title may seem a bit antagonistic, the content of the book remains thoughtful, factual, and cut-to-the-chase clear. The serious prose is leavened a bit by Goldberg's dry wit and by the fact that he is one superb writer.

A book like this is bound to make some angry, but hopefully it will provoke some much-needed discussion. You may ask, "How can a clown like Al Franken truly be screwing up a whole country?" But Goldberg actually has a clear rationale for saying what he says.

Goldberg's recent appearance on TV's Jon Stewart Daily Show--where he attempted to discuss the decline of civility in American society--only bolsters Goldberg's arguments in this book. Stewart was so boorish, crude, unfunny, and ill-informed that it simply proved Goldberg's point.

So, in short, the liberals who would screech and rant about this book (most of whom haven't bothered actually reading it) would be better served by taking a breath and actually listening to what one of their liberal brethren is saying.

What one star reviewers seem to have missed is that these top 100 people have the power to influence and influence negatively. Their thoughts do nothing good for your family or America. Fortunately, we have always had censorship in our home.

I say BRAVO Bernard Goldberg! You have hit a home run.

Admittedly, I never would have bought this book; I received it as a birthday gift. I took one look at the photos on the cover and thought, 'Wow, this is right-wing nonsense.' Having read it, I would say that I disagree with a lot of what Goldberg has to say, but it was an interesting read. He spends a lot of time bashing liberal elites, saying that they are so thoroughly ensconced in their own views that they are unable to even consider the viability of those of another. This is true, and I think it is important to acknowledge that way too many liberals consider 'conservative' synonymous with 'slow' and 'ignorant.' However, Goldberg is guilty of the same crime. He placed Michael Moore at the top of the list, but neglected to give any reasons - he just assumed that everyone would agree, because he is so obviously correct. That, and the fact that Rush Limbaugh is not anywhere on the list, made me give it only three stars. But I find it infinitely more entertaining to read an at least somewhat-well thought out book that I disagree with than a book that exactly echoes my sentiments.

I'm quite sure that the number of stars in each person's review of this book is based more upon political ideology than the merits of the work. Liberals and their ilk will absolutely detest it, and conservatives will simply love it! Since I consider myself a conservative, my rating should come as no surprise, but I honestly believe that I based it on the merits rather than on the book's politics. There are a lot of fringe loonies on both sides of the political spectrum, and they should be skewered for how they have contributed to the coarsening of what passes for "debate" in this country. We all have to tone down the rhetoric, and seriously attempt to regain some civility toward each other. I would agree with most of the names on the List, and also for the reasons given in the book. Neither side has the edge on virtue, but we must begin by being willing to treat each other with kindness. Calling President Clinton a "murderer" (as some conservatives have) equates with calling President Bush a liar and a traitor (as some liberals have). Both sides are wrong, and should look deeply inside themselves to see where their particular bias is leading them, and this wonderful country in which we live.