Political Correctness: A Response from the Cultural Left [Paperback]

Richard Feldstein (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many critics of political correctness who consider themselves moderate or even mostly liberal would be surprised to learn from this book just how far to the right they are. Feldstein (English, Rhode Island Coll.) intends here to connect with a general audience while bringing "the weight of contemporary critical theory to bear." A sizable chunk of theory is hefted about, but any hopes the author has of reaching the mainstream are locked in the concrete of academic jargon. Those unable to get excited about signifiers and referents, recontextualization, and Lacan will quickly lose interest; despite the subtitle, people genuinely critical of PC will find no "response" here intended for their consideration. Feldstein assumes all such criticisms to be too absurd for argument. He lumps all PC critics into the same far-right conspiracy, one busy with a "jihad" of racist, sexist, homophobic propaganda For specialized academic collections.?Patrick Dunn, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816624763
• ISBN-13: 978-0816624768
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,645,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a pathetic exercise in psychologism, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Political Correctness: A Response from the Cultural Left (Paperback)

Although there are certainly valid criticisms to be made of the anti-PC right, Feldstein does not make them. He seeks to discredit PC critics by attacking their supposed motivations, unconscious or otherwise. As someone who has had two decades of firsthand experience with the PC academy, I found Feldstein's book to be a travesty of scholarship.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful attack on free speech!, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Political Correctness: A Response from the Cultural Left (Paperback)

This book was truly great. As a judge in the New Orwell Awards, I am personally going to recommend this book for the category "Orwellian Defence of Repression in Academia: Postmodern Styling".

This book is a rare find in Doublespeak. Using the ideas of freedom to attack freedom, using the concepts of 'hierarchy' and 'patriocentrism' to excuse the destruction of the free exchange of ideas is wonderfull and piquant.

But the essential goodness of this book comes from pure cynicism. The idea of calling an attack on political repression as political repression itself is simply superb. It's been one of the best bits of verbol locution and butchered logic since Herbert Marcuses "Repressive Tolerance".

I hear the baeuty of his boots crashing down, the symphony of his totalitarian character coming into full bloom page after page. Stalin in his full glory and apogee of enlightenment could still have learned something from this humble genius we all know of as Richard Feldstein.

1.0 out of 5 stars I had to put it down by the time I got to the football grid diagram, lest I sent it smashing through my window in anger, September 15, 2011

By 

Olga - See all my reviews

This review is from: Political Correctness: A Response from the Cultural Left (Paperback)

Well now, what can one honestly say about this muddled mess of mixed up nothingness? Richard's one achievement is hiding his complete lack of clear thought or convincing argument behind overcomplicated, pretentious language. He seems to be only bashing people in this book instead of engaging in any vaild academic debate. After great struggle over one rambling paragraph, I did manage to decipher one of his bolder facts however: "A good way to not be objectified is to avoid being objectified." Thank you Richard!