Customer Reviews

Hating Whitey: And Other Progressive Causes

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Admittedly, in these politically correct times, the very title, "Hating Whitey," makes one grimace, but upon finishing this book it becomes apparant the author is a humanitarian, loves his country, and is brutally honest in his quest to place an imperfect America in perspective as the world leader in the protection of human rights. Hating Whitey, challenges the tiny yet powerful socialist world of high minded special interest liberals, who feel their self serving hidden agendas are beyond scrutiny, debate, or even national security. Whether you agree with the point of view or not, Hating Whitey, has done a gutsy thing, and was written in an honest if idealogical way, in a somewhat forceful leftest style. On its "debate quotient' alone this book should be required reading in all places of higher education. Unfortunately, we live in a time of nanosecond attention spans, and the danger is that, half truths that feel warm and fuzzy are at odds with uncomfortable realities. Unless given thoughtful intellectual attention, Hating Whitey, will be totally misunderstood. Indeed, this humanitarian effort for clarity, democracy, and true integration, deserves our complete attention.

The only difference between white racism and black racism in the United States, is that Black racism is perfectly respectable -- made so by the ideologues that control the media in this country. Thank God for Mr. Horowitz who can't be intimidated and has the guts to tell the truth. This book should be required reading in every school in Ameica, but of course we know it won't, It's too honest.

I saw David Horowitz on a television program decided to get the book. Well, I got the book and it's a stunning expose of the forces that are deliberately tearing our country apart and imparting a message of hate toward not only fellow Americans, but toward the very core ideas and principles of our country. In some ways, this book should be called "Hating America". It's writers like the author who continue the color blind and equal society envisioned by Martin Luther King, Jr. I suspect the author will be demonized in the same way as the early civil rights workers, but I hope he can endure and keep telling the truth.

Racism, in all its forms, by all its many practitioners, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Indian and a myriad other ethnic groups, be they majorities or minorities, is a barbarous threat to civilized society. It represents the very worst and most destructive elements of human nature. If we are to succeed as a society, we must grow up and get beyond it. We must. David Horowitz has done a tremendous service in stripping this ugly and dangerous socio-cultural cancer of its pseudo-academic and deceptive trappings. He has laid bare the utter hypocrisy of the self-acclaimed black leadership today and insightfully revealed the extent to which their so-called "leadership" sociologically and economically cripples the black community, turning the focus on hatred, violence and destruction rather than getting on with the task of taking personal responsibility for life, success and progress. He has performed a tremendous service in stripping away the illusion of "righteousness" on the part of the sanctimonious left in perpetrating a "politically correct" doctrine of universal destruction underwritten by the rubber check of victimization. This book is a "must read" for all high-school students, and all Americans.

America changed overnight with the publication of Wittaker Chambers' "Witness", the harrowing account of one man's journey from the dark recesses of Communism to Liberty. It was said of Chambers that he didn't return from Hell empty-handed. David Horowitz has made the same journey, and returned to us heavily burdened.

Hating Whitey is a polemic first and foremost. Horowitz does not pretend to be a neutral observer in the Culture War. Like Chambers, Horowitz is plainly ashamed of his youthful association with the Left, and like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner feels condemned to confess his sins to all who come near.

That there is a sizeable proportion of the Left (black and white) which is vehemently racist should surprise no one (especially if you've been to one of our nation's universities). That the Black Panther movement was nothing more than a cover for a gang of robbers, rapists, and murderers likewise should come as no surprise.

What is shocking about this book is the degree to which those who know better seek to deceive the rest of America. Horowitz prints a damning letter from a former Black Panther colleague basically accusing him of murder for allowing a white woman he knew to audit the Panthers' books, knowing full well that such scrutiny would not be tolerated. That a grown man would actually excuse the rape and murder of a woman to cover up the pillage of organizational coffers is stunning. Horowitz' response to this incident, as to a number of others covered in his essays, is one of unbridled outrage.

Some readers will take umbrage at the author's tone. This is no Firing Line debate, moderated by the congenial William F. Buckley. Horowitz came back from Hell not a sadder and wiser man, as with Chambers, but as a hellfire-and-brimstone pulpit thumper eager to save souls from the fiery pit whence he came. It is a marvelous collection, if not for the faint of heart.

This book is Horowitz at his best. It is, however, quite polemical and sometimes goes beyond the truth. The average university liberal is not a Marxist thug full of genocidal hatred of Caucasians. From my experience in the university, the real radicals segregate themselves into isolated enclaves where they have virtually no contact with the rest of the university. Only if you purposely enter the realm of woman's studies or black studies do you encounter these persons.Yet in spite of this fact this book should not be overlooked. Horowitz is talking about a very important issue, and his failure to delve into the future of race relations is significant. If, after 30 years of trying to assimilate blacks we have created a situation where their leadership holds a genocidal hatred of us we need to question what we have been doing, and where we intend to go.As for Marxism, dedicated as its followers are, with the collapse of the Soviet block it is difficult to believe that the followers of this religion will be able to keep it going for all that long.We need to study and heed what Horowitz writes and to rethink our policies on race and come up with a policy which works. What we have done for the last 30 years has failed.

It's a pity that David Horowitz has to write this account thirty-five years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed. But the sad truth is that the vision of Martin Luther King has been bastardized into racial Marxism, where non-blacks have become the everlasting foe that must be crushed. As Horowitz makes clear, much of the regress and setbacks in the African-American community is a result not of "whitey" but of black leaders themselves -- who encourage young blacks to think of themselves as oppressed victims needing assistance and protection from a benevolent government. But notions of victimhood encourages resentment and does nothing to help blacks to reach their full potential. Instead, it makes them focus on obstacles, real or imagined. And this state of mind is self-fulfilling, producing failure more frequently than success. And the failure, in turn, drives the drumbeat of "blame whitey" instead of focusing on the real cause of failure -- the black victimhood mentality perpetuated by intellectual elitists who claim to have the interest of black people at heart. Horowitz refers to decades of carnage (e.g. the destruction of the black family via liberal anti-family welfare incentives) to demonstrate the consequences of following the line that blacks need ever more government to help them because they can't help themselves. It's time to end the insanity! Blacks are human beings equally capable of reaching their potential if only others would stop lying to them about hurdles and roadblocks. A positive message of hope along with elevating black role models (e.g. Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Alan Keyes, etc.) is the key not only to black achievement -- but also the key to reducing racial tensions -- and the culture of blaming one another for our own failures.

This is the kind of book, were you read a chapter then you want to dash out into the street, locate the nearest stranger, thrust it into his hands and shout "Look! Look!" Horowitz has been behind the scenes in academia and various social movements. He gives you a good look at the connections, both ideological and personal, between the liberal, the left, and the ultra-left. It will make you an aware citizen

2 for the name-calling. A wonderful read, if you can take the good with the bad (and you should).

While it's no secret that political correctness has left the arena of common sense, Mr. Horowitz brings in all the trash and dumps it right in your lap.

People from the left will cry foul as always, (evidenced by the proffessional reviews) and die-hard conservatives will take it hook, line and sinker. From an independant standpoint, you can see the facts that Mr. Horowitz presents are irrefutable. You will also see the venom he spews at everyone who's ever looked crossly at him.

This book is a must-read, if only for his personal testimony and the stuff liberals prefer not to see the light of day. You might wish it was a little shorter though. At least some of the pages could have been devoted to some solutions to the problems of race in this country, rather than beating the dead horse of the failures of liberal politics.

David Horowitz argues that America has become consumed by a double standard in which preferences, special treatment, and freedom to be bigoted are awarded blacks while whites are forced to operate within the strict confines of political correctness, and that this double standard is detrimental to both whites and blacks. The primary implications he uses to bolster his argument are his assaults on hate crimes, Affirmative Action, and the impunity with which leftists and blacks criticize whites and stereotype blacks.

For instance, he discusses how when a group of youths are slaughtered and molested by a gang of black teenagers in Michigan, the incident is scarcely reported, let alone charged as a hate crime. However, when James Byrd, a black man was dragged to death by whites it created a national uproar and sparked a nation-wide movement for increased hate crimes legislation.

He discusses how Affirmative Action hurts blacks by placing poor students in advanced institutions, bringing about low grades and high drop out rates. It also, claims Horowitz, diminished the achievements of Blacks who were capable of succeeding without a set-aside and it hurts whites and Asians who were more qualified but lost a spot in a college. Horowitz also explains that the black middle class grew faster before the implementation of Affirmative Action.

Numerous examples are given of remarks that imply a separate, unique, black existence, contributing to divisiveness in this country. Comments like one from Toni Morrison which asserts that Bill Clinton is the blackest president and the proceeds to rattle off all of the stereotypes he fulfills. He explains how whites are constantly called the oppressor and painted as racists, when he asserts that the reality is that the majority of whites do everything they can to avoid even the impression of racism. David Horowitz feels that on the whole whites are not racist and that this truly is a land of opportunity.

I would highly recommend this book because I believe it addresses critical issues-race, racism, tolerance, equality-and it presents an outlook not often expressed. Whether you agree or disagree, it is well written, fascinating, compelling, important, and worth your time.