Customer Reviews

Straight Shooting: What's Wrong With America and How to Fix It

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although parts of this book are no longer topical (published 1989), there are some enduring truths here. Dr. Silber is a knowledgeable critic of America's educational structure, and advocates revision from age 3 (educational pre-school) through college (teach substantive subject material to Ed students, not touchy feely soft subjects).

Silber cites more sources, with less pedantry, than any writer I can recall. Pithy, relevant, readable.

The notably brilliant, if contentious and controversial conservative, John Silber, President of Boston University, bound together a collection of his articles and speeches and published Straight Shooting: What's Wrong with America and How to Fix It (SF: Harper & Row, Publishers, c. 1989).
In part one he focuses on "first principles," then deals with "lessons in school" in part two, "lessons out of school" in part three. America, Silber believes, has begun a precipitous decline. Only a resurrection of some old-fashioned values, some rigid self-discipline, can save us as a nation.
"We are beset by barbarians who have emerged within the walls of our own society, the "vertical" barbarians described more than sixty years ago by Ortega y Gasset" (p. 305). We courageously "face reality" and deal with the fact "that the degenerate society consumed in pleasure-seeking will not survive . . . that the society that will not defend its freedom will lose it . . . that a society that consumes more than it produces will go bankrupt . . . " (p. 10).
On the front line in this struggle are America's school teachers. Theirs is the task to recover some firm foundations for our culture. Unfortunately, they have very little possibility of succeeding. They have little philosophical or theological grounding, so, generally speaking, "What is being taught" in this nation's schools "is nihilism sweetened with hedonism" (p. 69). And the odds against them truly instilling lasting values are awesome, for TV basically educates America's young, and the tube's message hardly challenges them to strive for excellence or forego immediate pleasures for long-term achievement!
Like so many conservative laments--jeremiads with the prophet Jeremiah's implicit faith, hope, and charity--Silber's slashing bombasts have a certain shock value. He's a brilliant man, and he has the courage to state and live by his convictions. But about the only recipe for reorienting the nation is to return most everything to the private sector: private education instead of public schools, private charities instead of state-funded bureaucracies. In a sense, I suspect he's right. But in another sense, he's probably blowing bubbles in the wind.

I was torn whether to give this book 4 or 3 stars because parts of it are brilliant, while other parts break down in logic. His "predictions" for the future were not exactly on target. Remember this was written in 1989. What caused me to go with 4 stars was the sections that are relevant beyond the date of original publication for the most part, although I don't always agree with him on those issues either.

One of the strongest arguments he makes is in his chapter, "the litigious society," where he cites statistics that backup his case that the legal profession is hindering productivity in this nation as a whole. Lawyers have to generate business to continue to exist, resulting in myriad ridiculous lawsuits. "The proliferation of lawyers in the United States is often compared to the situation in Japan, where the total number of lawyers is smaller than the number we graduate from law school each year," he writes. He doesn't just describe the problem, but offers a realistic solution.

For the most part, his chapter on the ethics of war is solid. Here again, however, I don't agree with every position he holds, however. His argument on abortion is flawed. His analysis of foreign policy has proven to be inaccurate by things that have taken place since his book was written. In spite of all these "misses," he still has some valid points to make in the book as a whole.

Another policy issue that is strong in the book is in the financing of higher education. I don't see why this has never been followed up on in Congress. It sounds feasible. His discussion on tenure was an epiphany for me. In essence he says academe is not the only part of society where it's granted, i.e., that it is implicitely given in other fields. It just isn't recognized as such. Overall this book will make you think.

John Silber's credentials speak for themselves: he is a renowned philosopher and able administration, who has transformed Boston University into an educational powerhouse. In this book, Dr. Silber tackles what he thinks is wrong with America: a preoccupation with material affluence and a degradation of moral and spiritual value.

For one, Dr. Silber proposes the (re)introduction of ethical teaching in schools. More, he calls for ethical considerations in all professions. At the heart of his discontent is the general tendency to abstain from rigorous debate and critical thinking. He is thus very careful to add substance and facts to his arguments, which makes his book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. Regardless of whether one agrees with him, Dr. Silber's criticisms and recommendations need to be taken seriously by those interested in the connection between a country's educational system and its society.

The weakest parts of the book are those that deal with foreign policy. His chapter on Central America has little to do with the book's topic ("what's wrong with America") and more to do with the fact that Dr. Silber has served on President Reagan's National Bipartisan Commission on Central America. The conclusions of his chapter on foreign policy appear, with hindsight, to be largely incorrect, though no author could ever be blamed for failing to anticipate the end of the Cold War.

More than a decade after its publication, many of this book's recommendations might seem outdated; but what remains is the well articulated link between the health of a county's educational system and its society.

This book sticks like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. While peanut butter is good, it is high in bad cholesterol. This can mean only one thing, a little jelly with the peanut butter--thus peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now sugar is bad for you and jelly has lots of sugar in it. Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches taste good but are bad for you. Good/Bad. I guess the point I am making is some people like peanut butter, some jelly, some peanut butter and jelly. Just be sure to eat some vegetables, exercise and brush your teeth afterwards. So what does this have to do with this book. About as much as the vitriolic attacks on this page against the author by those who obviously have not read the book.

Was there ever a greedier university president than John Silber? A man who larded his board of trustees with non-entities to whom he doles out over $30 million worth of business every year in exchange for the USA's highest university president salary? He whined his way into a no interest loan - later forgiven completely - because living in the president's house had excluded him from the housiing market?! He once proposed taking our insurance policies on BU students, quipping that, in some cases, their deaths would be the only contribution they'd ever make. And of course, the final indignity - a $2 million payout to his hand-chosen successor whom Silber had fired before he ever started the job. Other universities that started at the same point that BU in the 1970s have gone much further than BU. Silber has stunted the university for years.

John Silber is the one and only deranged psychopath who runs Boston University. I'm not sure how he managed to find the time to write this pointless trash when his day to day work requires protecting BU students from the horrors of visitors after midnight, watching his staff polish the ceiling of his BU funded palace and repressing the true needs of a student body that pays a rediculous amount of money to attend wonderful Boston University. Don't give this prick the satisfaction of buying his "book". He's got enough money as is.