Customer Reviews

Junk Politics: The Trashing of the American Mind

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A brilliant intervention by cultural critic Benjamin DeMott -- these beautifully written reports and essays identify the malaise at the center of American politics and show how the obsession with character and civility -- the "perils of the touchy-feely" -- are actually a dangerous and reactionary distraction. The book is particulatly sharp about post 9-11 political discourse. Essential in every way.

Saying that politicians produce "junk politics" is like saying that authors produce junk books or that "cultural critics" produce junk cultural criticism.

DeMott provides a false choice between sentiment and substance and then proceeds to define substance in a politically sectarian way - egalitarianism. Even if we were to accept DeMott's definition of substance, John Edwards is an example of how "substance" and sentiment can go hand-in-hand. Edwards frequently engages in the cheerful and (even worse) civil "politics of personal testimony" on the one hand and offers proposals that address inequalities on the other. Perhaps DeMott would argue that Edward's proposals are not sufficiently radical. He would have a hard time arguing that they are not substantive. (But it would be nice to see him try.)

It is hard to conclude that political discourse suffers from an excess of civility when two of the best selling political commentators are Michael Moore and Ann Coulter. If "teachers" lacking in civility is what DeMott wants in his politicians, then Gingrich is his man.

For a guy who demands substance from others, DeMott is conspicuously AWOL when it comes to his own. If the vapid prose of Benjamin DeMott is an example of the constructive alternative to the horrors of "civility" then I am prepared to be horrified.

DeMott's book is an idea for an essay inflated into the size of a book. At 270 pages, it is about 250 pages too long.