Customer Reviews

Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children

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Great book on creeping nannyism in the U.S. The good thing about this book is that it doesn't present the case as being only about the "Left" trying to take our freedoms away (it includes an entire chapter on social conservatives). The book is about all kinds of "busybodies", who have a pet issue that they convince the local government to enforce. It usually is something they don't like and consider a "danger" (smoking, fast food, trans fats, alcohol, etc.).

Examples are of course smoking bans, "zero tolerance" alcohol policies, fun-free playgrounds (where any type of childhood exuberance is not tolerated), skateboarding bans, New York banning transfats, the Christian Right trying to ban pornography, etc.

Always, there is what the author calls a "nanny", who of course thinks they know better than us, what is good for us and society, and who then use police power to enforce this morality. The nanny is basically a puritanical authoritarian who can't tolerate anyone living differently than they do.

I can only say that this book rings very true. Having moved back to the U.S. from Germany, I noticed that even compared to Germany, there are a LOT of laws in the U.S. In Germany, there were also a lot of laws, but people were also much less uptight than Americans about certain things. For instance, it is legal in Germany for people as young as 17 or 16 to drink alcohol. And yet, there are not massive societal problems due to this. If you read and listen to the neo-temperance movement in the U.S., you would think that the world would end if we went back to the 18 drinking age.

Ditto many other things. In Germany, I noticed that older people might nag kids who skateboard around their neighborhood, but there are not the all-encompassing neighborhood bans on skateboarding, etc. that we have here. And why do we need them ? We then wonder why American kids turn to drugs, because they are so bored and so many things that might be fun are banned where they live. I personally think this is one reason American teens turn to drugs.

The Christian Right of course also wants to ban a lot of things, and they are in league with the Left on much of this ("zero tolerance"). I read through Sen. Brownback's recent book and it is scary how many things he wants to ban. And I think Brownback is typical for most "social conservatives" (under his and their logic, one could ban almost anything using the logic that it is "dangerous to the social fabric", and "harms the family". Exactly how family structures are harmed by porn, I fail to see, particularly considering that Utah is the U.S. state that downloads the most porn (and also has by far the strongest family structures in the U.S.).

Speakig of Utah, it is in some ways a great state. I found the state extremely clean and well organized. People are uber-friendly. But to me, it is one example of where we might be headed. Try ordering a beer in Utah. It is easier to get into some countries, than it is to order a beer in that state. They harrass you at every turn (this is why it is considered "America's least fun state"). Obviously, to the social conservative nanny, having fun on this earth is not a goal, and we should not have it as a goal. This is the religious philosophy behind bans - don't make life too fun, because that would be bad for religion.

I can tell you from personal experience of my own fight against the Nanny State. I live in Texas. As the author mentions, a Houston Democrat got it into his head that what Texas needs most is to not allow anyone to get a buzz on in a Texas bar. As the book mentions, the result was a practice in which police officers ("undercover") would "stake out" bars for people who "look inebriated". I am not kidding. They would arrest you INSIDE the bar. This happened particularly in Irving, Texas (coincidently, the world headquarters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving), and in some "po-dunk" counties outside Houston. [by the way, MADD is a useful organization, and has its purpose, but the author is also very correct in his attacks on MADD, because they have basically gone from being a safety-promoting organization to being an anti-alcohol organization].

All I can say is, if hundreds of us here in the Lone Star State had not gone absolutely ballistic and written to everyone in the state (the local news, the congressman, the governor, etc.), we might all be enjoying a cool lemonaide on Saturday night, rather than a beer, and Texas would right now be even worse than Utah, and all fun would have been exported out of state.

What I am trying to say is, yes, the author is right. The nannies are out there, and they are fighting hard. But we are also out there, and we are fighting hard. Write to congress, the governor. Go to local town council meetings. Write a blog. Write to your newspaper. Do something. It works !!

Freedom isn't free.

I first saw this book when Charley Reese had shown it in his article. When I saw it at the book store, I picked it up just to skim. Since then, this book has been a page turner I couldn't put down. The Libertarian ideas that are present can be used not only for the Libertarian but also for anyone that has a problem with big government. It goes to show how ridiculous some of the laws that have been instated have been. From laws requiring people to walk outside to smoke even in their own homes to taxes on fast-food, the book presents some great problems with big government.

Thomas Sowell calls them "the anointed." David Harsanyi calls them "Nannies." They are the paternalistic social engineers who have appointed themselves the guardians of the public good.

This group of elite social engineers have appointed themselves the protectors of the public whom they treat like children. Like children the American public cannot be trusted to manage their own lives and must be protected from their irrational decisions by the Nanny elites, those annointed to protect us.

Each chapter of the book is dedicated to dangers from which we must be protected by our Nannies. The list includes fast food, playground equipment, alcohol, smoking, etc. In their quest to protect us from ourselves, these paternalistic social engineers enact often innnane and insulting regulations designed to relieve us of any personal responsibility for our lives. Not to be deterred by a scarcity of data the Nanny class often resorts to scare tactics, "creative logic," and twisting the facts to suit their arguments.

Many of the Nanny laws described in the book would be funny if they were not real. But they are real laws--real laws that take away our right to make our own descisions, and the responsibility to accept the consequences of our own decisions.

I would have given the book four stars if the author had included more discussion about why the American public seems so willing to be treated as a bunch of incompetents. Eventually children outgrow their Nannies and assume an adult role. But the American public seems willing to give up their adult responsibilities. The Nannies are not taking away our right to make our own decisions. We are willingly surrendering our rights to our new Nannies. Harsanyi's book describes the results of this surrender, but neglects to explain why we surrendered in the first place.

I would recommend this book. But after you read Nanny State I also recommend that you read Thomas Sowell's The Vision of the Anointed, a much more difficult book but well worth the effort.

I think I discovered that there was a latent Libertarian living inside me after reading this book. Helmet laws, seat-belt laws, smoking laws have always bugged the heck out of me, and this book helped me explore why. This is one of those books that you wish every homeowner's association, city council, statehouse and federal house would read, as it systematically chronicles the good-intentioned road to hell that the anal-retentive control-freaks (he calls them nannies) daily pave. The material is endless, the stories are fascinating, but be warned that the feeling of frustrated anger can be about overwhelming at times as you watch a suburban mom spend time in jail for failing to "click it", or listen to how someone has lost the right to disable a (later proven) harmful airbag in his own car. The nannies have run wild, and the cost has been our liberty, and it is incredibly rewarding to hear someone so eloquently pointing out the process. Hopefully it's the beginning of taking back our country from those who would take away our dodgeball, our tag, and our rights to be as dumb as we want to be as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else.

Again, great reading, well-reasoned analysis, and courage to take on and defend the unpopular in the defense of liberty. Actual doing the job the ACLU claims to do and rarely does.

Live free or die. That's just about all you need to say about this subject.If one had any reservation about the effects this new paternalism has had on the American people they would be wise to consult David Harsanyi's Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children. It does not tell the entire story but it certainly shares as many lowlights that can be comfortably digested in a six hour period. The specifics of our "low-grade, feel-good tyranny" never fail to horrify.

Harsanyi effectively depicts the invasive nature of this new dispensation along with how misguided and arbitrary the actions of the nanny state have been. As is always the case, if you want to improve society the worst way to do so is to get the government involved. Regulators and enforcement officers often produce false positives, false negatives, and commit atrocious errors of judgment. This is expected as such failings are intrinsic to every state initiative. Our bureaucracies have always excelled at incompetence ...and they always will.

Harsany asserts that "there is no way to legislate the kid out of kids" but the assumption is disputable. The jackboot of the state can deaden a child's spirit and stultify his imagination which is something nanny staters have been highly effective at doing. Some Ohio municipalities even require the acquisition of a Halloween license before one can go out and trick-or-treat.

We find too that dodgeball is going the way of the highball. What we once termed rough and tumble play now has a decidedly anti-social connotations. Joyous anarchic enthusiasm is often characterized by the uncharitable words of bullying, victimization, and aggression. That sports are a prosocial means by which humans channel aggressive instincts is something lost on contemporary educators.

Nanny staters are undoubtedly motivated by a need to display moral superiority, but personally I think the main propellant behind this totalitarian nonsense is the statist's internal desire to control others. Certainly, promoting the health of the populace is pretty far down on their list of priorities. What really titillates them is the thought of dominating their con-specifics. Perhaps some of them are sincere about wanting to sink carbon dioxide, but their drastic measures would never benefit the atmosphere because the gas they diminish would be bountifully replaced by exhalations of self-righteousness and political correctness. Their dictatorial efforts will not halt until we are "all safe" and leading lives unworthy of living.

This was a great book. All about how "big government," (Republican and Democrat) tries to stop us from making poor decisions, so dumb Americans don't hurt themselves, physically or morally, or possibly in both ways in some cases! Harsanyi is an entertaining and funny writer who has delved head first into the scary trend in this country of Nannyism. Seatbelt laws in all but one state are the best example of Nannyism run amuck, but it is happening every day. In fact, it is on the news every single day--those kids not allowed to hug (Npvember 7-8, 2007) who have been issued punishment by their school districts in Illinois and Alabama (one of the biggest scariest Nanny states around--where I live!). Come on, that is outrageous! Some school board member in Autauga County actually got on the air on the liocal news and said (and I am paraphrasing here)that hugging and kissing (i.e. public display of affection) can lead to other things, and that is not good. What freaks!--there was no sexual misconduct! What is wrong with this world? The girl was consoling a friend who had recently lost a parent. But this is exactly what Nanny State is all about--he covers it all and in a very organized and super intelligent manner.

Tha author covers so many facets of life that are affected by constant Nannyism--our sex lives, what is on television, how we care for pets, what we eat, how our children play, alcohol, smoking, etc. The frivolity and tiome wasting of our legislators and the control freaks that are trying to protect families and chidlren are very upsetting. It has made me want to be more involved in what goes on in my state and this country regarding these issue. Especially because these tyrannists are counting on our complacency.

I would highly recommend this book to all Americans who love freedom!

I consider myself to be a small "l" libertarian, so I was pretty excited to crack open Mr. Harsanyi's book about micromanaging bureaucrats and legislators. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the documentation of how food and health and "moral" regulations really take away our responsibility for ourselves, and I found Mr. Harsanyi's claim that the nanny state really is turning us into a nation of children to be a valid one.

The flaw I found in this book is that it preaches, so to speak, to the anti-statist, libertarian choir, and it doesn't go far enough into detail as to WHY government meddling is harmful. Maybe that wasn't the scope of the book, and I guess I can understand that, but it would help Mr. Harsanyi's argument so much more if he made the case a little more clearly as to why personal liberty and responsibility should be preserved and why laws regarding trans fats, baggy jeans, censorship and the like rob us of our reason and liberty. The book, in my opinion, is missing the "So what?" factor.

Read it for an entertaining chronicle of absurd laws and ridiculous regulations. You'll be left shaking your head at the arrogance of those people who, for some reason, think they can live your life better than you can.

This book reminds me of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but only in the sense that it's more about the message than the prose. Harsanyi is effective at getting his point across but my no means a "great" author. That said, this is one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever had. Several times, I felt like jumping off the couch with my fist in the air and screaming "Yeah! Damn those a-holes!"

Every person that gives a crap about personal liberties should read this book. In a perfect world, it would be required reading in high school.

I read this book, Nanny State, for my CAPP government class as part of a book report assignment. Never reading a political book before, Nanny State grabbed my attention from the moment I read the title. Nanny State is a book written to show the rights and wrongs of government, and how they attempt to protect us from ourselves.

Harsanyi did a good job of making the government look silly by the laws they enacted. Things such as an attempt to ban tag, smoking outside, and get a fine for wearing low pants are a little out there. It never occurred to me, until reading this book, how particular the government is on personal rights.
I would have to give this book five stars. Although Nanny State is the first political book I have ever read, I actually found it very interesting. The way the author went about describing the laws that government enacts, they would made me think they are silly and ridiculous, that is, if they were not real. However, the laws are real, so instead of laughing at them, my jaw drops and I am astounded. It really opens the reader's eyes to how much government is attempting to control every aspect of our lives from the food we eat to the cars we drive and the clothes we wear.

Harsanyi collects a diverse crew of nannies. They cover a wide political spectrum, but each wants to impede your freedom. From the "No Running!" sign on the kids' playground, to trans-fat bans, he gives a consistent voice for freedom and personal responsibility.

I don't know how much of the information will be new to most who buy the book, although I was interested in the "scope creep" of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and new, zero-tolerance laws that criminalize driving with a measurable blood alcohol content. One senses Harsanyi is preaching to the choir.

Still it is amusing, well paced, and chock full of outrageous examples. I give it five stars.