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204 of 230 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable--An Ayn Rand for Our Time, April 29, 2003
Wow--I heard Tammy Bruce on Sean Hannity's radio show and clicked on Amazon to get the book and read what I now know to be one of the strangest Publisher's Weekly reviews I've ever seen. She seemed like such a reasonable person on radio, I couldn't imagine how her book could be as they described. Well, it wasn't. The subject matter is difficult sometimes--especially Chapter 7 which deals with the sexualization of children in our society--but this is a book which *must* be read if you want to be educated about what is really going on in our culture. She breaks it down like she did in New Thought Police--and deals with the gay elite, feminist elite and black power elite. There are also chapters about schools and media. In short, everything you need to know to get a grip on what's happening. My favorite new phrase, btw, is her so perfect description of those in power in left wing special interest groups "malignant narcissists." What was also unique was the personal perspectives and stories she shared. They really added to why she was able to be a feminist and gay activist for so long. Her ending about Ronald Reagan (even though I didn't vote for him) actually made me cry. That's quite a feat for a political book! Untimately, she does a great job explaining the question I always ask, which is *why* does the Left do what it does, even when it harms their own. It is methodically written (not in the least "lurid" or "crude" as the PW review oddly accused), she is reasonable and provides footnotes for all of her information, many of which are from credible sources on the internet. I liked this because I was able to go and check myself some of the more shocking information. I also like her take and what's happening with culture because I also consider myself a liberal person but quietly noted to myself that something was going wrong in our society. I don't think liberal means the world should be a free-for-all. This book helped me put my own concerns in perspective and helped me to realize that I wasn't alone in feeling that moral relativism was winning the day. I'm not kidding when I say she's like Ayn Rand. She is my new favorite author. I recommend not only this book, but her first one, too.
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84 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very important book on a serious subject, June 2, 2003
It would be very easy to lump this book in with the ever-growing pile of "ain't the Left awful" or the "Let's dump on the Clintons" books. This book is neither, and if the phenomenon of Malignant Narcissism that Ms. Bruce describes didn't hit so close to home, I would think this book was overly alarmist and sensational. The fact is, I KNOW these people exist, and not just in Hollywood and Manhattan. These people are in our schools, churches and even in our families. The book opens with a review of how Ms. Bruce defines right and wrong - a useful exercise in an era of situational ethics and moral relativism. Her definition is made clearer since she is an athiest, and does not have to address religious moral principles. Then she describes her past, including her fight for gay and lesbian rights, her pro-choice stance, and her former role in NOW. She then describes how these causes have been hijacked by extremists that she refers to as the Malignant Narcissists. She details how they become the way they are and how their ultimate goal is to produce a world full of similar-minded people. This is not "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"...this threat is REAL. These people exist and I can assure you that I have encountered them in undergraduate and graduate school, in my professional life, in my religious life, and sadly, in my social life. Ms. Bruce then closes with a very sad story about the twisted motives of some very pathetic people. The only thing I found uplifting is that there are still people whose politics are very different than mine that I can admire. Ms. Bruce showed true courage writing this book, and has demonstrated her willingness to face ethical issues head on, and not shrink from the consequences of her prior actions. Ms. Bruce is the kind of person I would love to sit beside on a flight from Los Angeles to Sidney, Australia. I believe we would find a great number of areas where we can agree, and would come away with new respect for each others' positions.
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71 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chilling exposure of malignant agendas, December 26, 2003
In this informative and disturbing book, Tammy Bruce starts out with a traumatic episode from her youth to describe her personal and political journey. It is an honest account of the people and events that shaped her beliefs and convictions. At the same time it reveals some horrific aspects of popular culture, politics and the media as they operate today.
Bruce exposes the rank hypocrisy, soul-destroying motives and malevolent mind-set of the Left in chapters dealing with the Academic, Black, Gay and Feminist Elites, plus some destructive tendencies in the arts, the media and the justice system in the United States today. Some of her examples make harrowing reading, whilst her insight is often tinged by a bit of humour, for example when she identifies the gangster rapper as the current equivalent of Rousseau's "noble savage" in the eyes of the Left.
Bruce's diagnosis rings true. She discusses the mental disease called malignant narcissism and explains how it is rooted in trauma that never attempts recovery. These individuals, instead of seeking psychological help, are focusing on social change. In other words, they want the rest of society to mirror their own hurt and pain.
She makes a very convincing case for the fact that an entire wing of politics is invested in the victim-hood of its constituency, the leaders of which are trying to work out their demons on society. This is scary stuff, but easy to recognize from the examples in the book or by taking a critical and discerning approach towards trends in the media.
To be fair, Bruce points out that there are similar people on the Right (puritanical compulsives), but that these do not control the culture. The concept and repulsive results of moral relativism and the phenomenon of groupthink are also analysed. The author quotes Dr M Scott Peck and recommends his book People of the Lie for a thorough investigation of malignant narcissism and its use of the lie to distort reality.
A chilling read at times, The Death Of Right And Wrong is a brilliant and eloquent exposure of some pathological strains infecting large sectors of culture and society. The book ends on an optimistic note with a call to the individual to recognize the difference between right and wrong, to take a stand and to live a life of decency and integrity.
The book concludes with 31 pages of notes and references arranged by chapter, plus a thorough index. It is a real eye-opener, a thought-provoking work that offers unique political and psychological insights. I also recommend Paul Johnson's groundbreaking work Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky for an interesting look at the private lives of certain famous writers and philosophers, and Thomas Sowell's book The Vision of the Anointed.
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning
Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie (Revised and Updated Edition)
Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left
The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism: Jews, Israel, and Liberal Opinion (Philosophy and the Global Context)
What's Left?
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