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77 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everything You Know Is Subject to Debate, October 22, 2002
This review is from: Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies (Paperback)
Richard Metzger claims, in his preface to this book, that concensus reality laid over and died in 1996. If that's true, why is this book necessary? Rather than support his claim, the book as a whole supports the exact opposite, reminding us that everything we think we know is subject to debate by someone. This book is of uneven quality. Some of the articles offer information that really does challenge readers' expectations. Howard Zinn's history of the Ludlow Massacre is an excellent example, and should be shown to all Libertarians who think that Industry serves the common good. Editor Russ Kick offers ample documentary evidence that the Columbine school shooting was more complex than we realize, while Mike Males comes from another direction, suggesting that kids are a lot healthier and more law-abiding than we realize. Other articles aren't so hot. Tristan Taormino's praise of polyamory uses vulgar terminology sure to keep anyone on the fence from changing their minds. Are we really likely to agree to multiple partners if our best argument is full of language to make sailors blush? Greg Palast and Oliver Shykles' condemnation of the International Monetary Fund, though probably correct, refuses to cite sources and has a flip tone that won't sway any key undecided minds. Thomas Szasz, in claiming that mental illness is a fiction, simply states his opinion that psychoses don't exist, and then behaves as though his assertion is as good as proof. This is not a scholarly book. It is written with a distinct popular tone, though no clear political position. Some articles are liberal, some conservative; some pro-industry, some anti-neoclassical economics; some pro-religion, some openly athiest. David T. Hardy claims that law enforcement was too proactive and caused the disaster at Waco, but Philip W. Cook claims law enforcement doesn't do enough to protect men from domestic abuse. In the end, this book, despite the declarative title, isn't trying to prove a point or change your mind. It's trying to remind you that your belief doesn't equal ultimate truth. It simply calls the opinions many of us share into question in a sheer attempt to keep us from marching lock-step into the slaughterhouse. This is an excellent book if you're seeking to expand your thinking or if you want to hold your own in an argument. If you can't handle a challenge to what you believe, don't bother with this book. If you don't mind changing your opinions to suit the facts, this is the book for you.
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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Getting the other side of the story, July 28, 2002
This review is from: Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies (Paperback)
Have you ever wondered if the media is telling you the complete story? Have you ever wondered if there is another side to the stories that is just plain not being told? Is it possible that everything you are being taught is not necessarily true but is instead just the position that the government, media or other group wants you to believe? If you have then you owe it to yourself to read this book. Just a couple of examples from the book include the current situation with Mad Cow disease in America, the fact that violence involving young people is at it's lowest level in over 30 years (despite the impression you get from the news), how French authorities kidnapped a girl in California and took her to France. Other areas include nuclear safety, globalization, serial killers, the Vatican Bank, Olympic Games, the Columbine murders and many others. While at times the book seems like a series of articles from a "conspiracy theory" group, it has the advantage of each article being contributed by an authority in that field. The authorities include everything from investigative journalists to researchers to commentators and academic authorities. Each article includes well-documented evidence to backup all claims. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to learn the alternative possibilities and explanations that are out there, most of which are at least as plausible and sometimes more so than the "official" or "accepted" version. A fascinating read that opens the mind, answers many questions and at times creates more questions than it answers. Fun and irreverent, sometimes politically left, sometimes politically right, it is a recommended read.
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50 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything You Read Is Wrong, October 27, 2002
This review is from: Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies (Paperback)
This book from the folks at Disinformation is generally stronger than its predecessor, "You Are Being Lied To." That book was a similar collection of nonconformist articles but attempted to tie them all together under the theme of media manipulation and corporate conspiracies to control public information. That theme didn't work out too well as the book was damaged by whiny conspiracy theorists and bleeding heart crybabies. "Everything You Know Is Wrong" manages to avoid that problem, which could potentially damage any book with this kind of philosophy, and that's because it doesn't try to make any type of overarching point this time. Therefore this book becomes a more enjoyable and believable collection of articles on subjects that you are unlikely to hear about in the mainstream media. Another strength of this book is its differing viewpoints, as many political persuasions are represented and some of the essays even contradict each other. In a book like this that reacts against mainstream power, you will naturally get a lot of leftism, and that's true in at least four-fifths of this book. However, the right will find representation here too, especially in the essay "Watchdog Nation" which criticizes anti-racism groups that are mostly acting only in their own self-interest, plus endorsements of books that criticize gun control concepts and the Clinton/Gore administration. Readers of this book who take every single essay at face value, regardless of the reader or writer's political leanings, will find themselves with new well-rounded viewpoints. Regardless, the best essays here are far beyond mere left vs. right politics. Most notably "The Whole Truth About Domestic Violence," which proves that more men are abused than women; "Some Lessons from the Underground History of American Education," a truly terrifying expose on the real ideology of public schools (e.g. conformity and indoctrination rather than critical thinking); and "Postcards from the Planet of the Freaks," a realistic view on disabilities from the disabled themselves, which you are highly unlikely to see elsewhere. There are a few clunkers though, especially "Fear of a Vegan Planet," which starts out well with many well-considered reasons to avoid meat, but in the end states that meat eating is inherently illogical, as is "renting oneself out eight hours a day." If this author thinks that making a living is illogical, does it matter if you're a vegan when you can't afford to eat? Fortunately, inanities like this aren't numerous enough to damage the overall success of this book.
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