Customer Reviews

Incorrect Thoughts: Notes on Our Wayward Culture

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Many probably have never heard of John Leo and seeing how this book is so hard to find, too many people never will. And that's a shame. Leo opens the reader's eyes to the world of political correctness. The book, a collection of Leo's columns over the years, exposes attempts by the media and university elite and turns their arguments upside down. Leo is hardly a political partisan but definitely takes aim at the cultural left and this book is a direct hit.

John Leo is frequently categorized as a conservative thinker, but such a label these days does little to indicate the actual freshness and vitality of his thought. He most resembles in this collection of occasional pieces a contemporary Dr. Johnson, for he applies a similar overwhelming good sense to a host of issues of the day. Perhaps he should be called a classical thinker. No knee jerker when commenting on contemporary matters, he is acutely aware of the claims both of the head and the heart . Underlying his treatment of the media, the educational system, etc., though, is the insistence that the head must balance the feelings in conflicts. Hence, in multiplying instances of its dismissal of facts, logic, or evidence, he exposes our age as one in which grotesque emotion seeks to, and often succeeds in, trumping reason. One leaves this collection not with a resolve to always vote Republican but instead with a determination to push for justice, but without succumbing to the forces of arrant propaganda which solicit on all sides.

A good, interesting read. It's full of bite-sized articles, catagorized into various groupings. My only (real) problem is that reading article-after-article on the craziness of it all, there's never any suggested course of action. Of course, that's not necessarily his 'brief', but it would have made various topics come 'full circle'. However, that's just my opinion. I would recommend this book...and you don't have to be a screaming conservative to appreciate it either!

A prior reviewer (see below) questioned the value of calling John Leo a 'conservative' thinker, but, let's face it, it's an appropriate label. The subject areas he tackles reads like Neal Boortz's program notes: abortion, feminism, victimology, postmodernism, welfare, Bill Clinton, Rigoberta Menchu, and some former low-level government temporary employee named Monica. Even George Lucas and Kate Moss get ladled a helping of Leo's unparalleled common sense. And the authors he quotes without referencing their political tilt (Heather MacDonald, David Horowitz, William Raspberry...) becomes almost a running joke.

Grouped into seven parts ('Media', 'Education', 'Family and Gender', 'Race and Minorities', 'Politics and Law', 'Culture and Language', and 'Society and Social Behavior'), the body of the book consists of reprints of Leo's columns from U.S. News & World Report, each only about a page long. Unfortunately, this makes the reading feel like riding with someone who's learning to drive stick, just as he gets rolling, he stops and starts again.

The two biggest downsides to the book are not Leo's fault: first, the articles aren't dated, which would have helped put some of his comments (like those on O.J. and Amy Fisher) a little more into perspective, and second, inexplicably, there's no index, which would have saved you much frustration the many times in the future you will likely refer back to these articles again.

John Leo fans will love it, of course. It is quintessential Leo. But for the uninitiated, John Leo presents a 7 course meal of the decline of culture through the use of the elite's conceptaual reconstitution of "fairness". He takes aims and devastates their pet ideal of Political Correctness, and spares no institution from his microscope. He's astute, on point and very, very funny. He's the precursor to Rich Lowry, et al, and a lot better at the game.

If the information present in this book is all true and accurately framed, I'm horrified. I am not implying that I am challenging the validity of the information. In fact, I have seen hints of some of this in other sources. Some of this left me almost speechless (I don't think I'm ever completely speechless). I don't doubt, that if this book were read by every person in this country, there would be massive changes demanded in many areas. I hope this book galvanizes enough people to begin the process of those changes. SUMMARY: Horrifying - and a must read for every citizen.

I appreciate the fact that this man is not easily defined as a conservative or something else. He's an equal opportunity stupidity finder, and his essays are thoughtful, thought-provoking, and humorous enough to keep one's attention. You can likely find many illustrations in this book's pages for a number of different situations.