Lured by brochures promising limitless intellectual freedom, Jeff Jackson arrives at picturesque Tinsley College, eager to experience college life to the fullest. He does not know that the freedom he has been promised is in short supply at Tinsley, a college so dedicated to leftist ideals that the administration changed the name of the anthropology department to “anthrogynology” in order to make the name more “gender inclusive.” Jeff makes the mistake of believing that the renowned Professor Bancroft Tarlton would be willing to debate the left wing politics that the professor advocates in his classes. Not realizing that there are just some questions one does not ask on a college campus, Jeff submits an essay outlining his provocative theories about happiness and human sexuality. Professor Tarlton is not the only one furious at Jeff for his lack of devotion to left wing norms. Calling himself a “pomosexual” and believing Jeff to be not only a homophobe, but a “pomophobe” as well, Carl Fitzgerald, Jeff’s classmate, begins a feud with Jeff. The battle escalates from insults, to vandalism, to shattered love affairs and a dorm room inhabited by a fainting goat. In a college obsessed with political correctness, a clash between the writer of a “homophobic” essay and the “pomosexual” victim of a college prank can only end one way: with a showdown in a campus courtroom.
Bias Incident: The World's Most Politically Incorrect Novel
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I expected this novel to be an amusing lampoon on political correctness. It does shine a light on that problem, but alas the subject turns out to be not very funny. It's alarming.
The only way this story could not be alarming would be if it were not accurate. The experiences of an innocent home-schooled kid when he arrives on campus at a modern-day university do not mesh with my own recollections of college, but unlike this protagonist I majored in the sciences--and that was 40 years ago. So I have to rely on my sense of what rings true. I rather doubt that a kid as savvy as Jeff Jackson would have selected his college and his courses with as little thought as is done here, or that he would be blind-sided to the extent that he is by what happens. In that sense, the narrative feels weak, but I don't think the nuance required for more complete development was intended.
In the conclusion, when offering a chapter-by-chapter summary of actual events in various U.S. colleges that substantiate the story line, the author acknowledges that it's unlikely for an incoming freshman to be bullied by diversity enforcers this thoroughly in the very first semester. But aside from that, he maintains that it's all drawn straight from actual events. I did recognize a couple recent news items from Columbia and the University of Deleware, so there's no argument from me. I accept the proposition that today young folks seeking to broaden their minds and develop critical thinking skills are instead being indoctrinated with "the kinds of thoughts you must habitually think in order to be a good citizen." Paradoxically, diversity training is serving to ensure that everybody thinks the same way.
Because Jeff offers his best effort at arguing a point of view not endorsed by the thought police, his problems escalate until he is in a disciplinary hearing. That part of the story makes for a fairly intense courtroom drama, although no such courtroom should exist outside of a totalitarian regime.
Again, it wasn't quite the story I expected. But it definitely kept me engaged and gave me food for thought (particularly as I have a couple college-bound kids at home).
The only way this story could not be alarming would be if it were not accurate. The experiences of an innocent home-schooled kid when he arrives on campus at a modern-day university do not mesh with my own recollections of college, but unlike this protagonist I majored in the sciences--and that was 40 years ago. So I have to rely on my sense of what rings true. I rather doubt that a kid as savvy as Jeff Jackson would have selected his college and his courses with as little thought as is done here, or that he would be blind-sided to the extent that he is by what happens. In that sense, the narrative feels weak, but I don't think the nuance required for more complete development was intended.
In the conclusion, when offering a chapter-by-chapter summary of actual events in various U.S. colleges that substantiate the story line, the author acknowledges that it's unlikely for an incoming freshman to be bullied by diversity enforcers this thoroughly in the very first semester. But aside from that, he maintains that it's all drawn straight from actual events. I did recognize a couple recent news items from Columbia and the University of Deleware, so there's no argument from me. I accept the proposition that today young folks seeking to broaden their minds and develop critical thinking skills are instead being indoctrinated with "the kinds of thoughts you must habitually think in order to be a good citizen." Paradoxically, diversity training is serving to ensure that everybody thinks the same way.
Because Jeff offers his best effort at arguing a point of view not endorsed by the thought police, his problems escalate until he is in a disciplinary hearing. That part of the story makes for a fairly intense courtroom drama, although no such courtroom should exist outside of a totalitarian regime.
Again, it wasn't quite the story I expected. But it definitely kept me engaged and gave me food for thought (particularly as I have a couple college-bound kids at home).
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Sarah
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As an unapologetic liberal, my main complaint with this book is that it demonizes the left in extreme, black-and-white terms - as if all leftists are this ridiculous.
That having been said, as a non-extreme liberal who recognizes the hypocrisy of being open-minded to everyone except those who aren't open-minded in the exact same way you are, I found a lot of value in the points made by the book.
And really, I can forgive the author for presenting such a one-sided, extreme portrayal, considering that the whole point was to write a satire - though I would have appreciated some sort of disclaimer somewhere acknowledging that "liberals" are not all like this.
Some of the points made on the specific issue that was discussed the most (leaving this vague so I don't get into spoiler territory) were also very interesting. Whether or not the approach suggested in Jeff's essay is realistic, healthy, or generally advisable - it is certainly interesting as food for thought and further discussion. And I appreciated the honest portrayal of Orthodox Jewish thought on the matter.
Maybe even more important than any of that - it was a fun read. Lots of funny bits, and the pace was quick - I read it within a couple of days, and enjoyed it.
That having been said, as a non-extreme liberal who recognizes the hypocrisy of being open-minded to everyone except those who aren't open-minded in the exact same way you are, I found a lot of value in the points made by the book.
And really, I can forgive the author for presenting such a one-sided, extreme portrayal, considering that the whole point was to write a satire - though I would have appreciated some sort of disclaimer somewhere acknowledging that "liberals" are not all like this.
Some of the points made on the specific issue that was discussed the most (leaving this vague so I don't get into spoiler territory) were also very interesting. Whether or not the approach suggested in Jeff's essay is realistic, healthy, or generally advisable - it is certainly interesting as food for thought and further discussion. And I appreciated the honest portrayal of Orthodox Jewish thought on the matter.
Maybe even more important than any of that - it was a fun read. Lots of funny bits, and the pace was quick - I read it within a couple of days, and enjoyed it.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good, quick read for conservatives. I enjoyed it. The trial preparation and semi-courtroom setting allowed some preaching, but for the most part, it was informative preaching. It's rather like a fictional experience of Crazy-U, though based on the author's own experience and well documented research into recent news. Well worth my time and the nominal Kindle fee.
