Introduction by Samuel Francis, Ph.D. Three essays by Kevin MacDonald, Ph.D. Background Traits for Jewish Activism Zionism and the Internal Dynamics of Judaism Neoconservatism as a Jewish Movement With the exception of the Introduction by Samuel Francis, these essays first appeared in The Occidental Quarterly, 3(2) Summer 2003, 3(3) Fall 2003, and 4(2) Summer 2004.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kevin MacDonald is Professor of Psychology at California State University-Long Beach. His research has focused on developing evolutionary perspectives in developmental psychology, the origins and maintenance of monogamous marriage in Western Europe, and ethnic relations (human group evolutionary strategies). He is the author of A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy (1994), Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism (1998), and The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements (1998), all published by Praeger. More recently (2004) he is co-editor of the second edition of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Development, published by Sage.
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236 of 259 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a succinct introduction to one of the most crucial power centers in the world today, Kevin MacDonald's "Understanding Jewish Influence" provides two timely services. First, on its own merits, the book profitably surveys a wide range of fields in which Jews have been highly influential and situates this influence down to the current day. Nowhere is this more evident than in his treatment of Jews and neoconservatism. As informed readers will have noticed, the public identification of many of the most pivotal neocons as Jews has waned considerably in the past few years, though MacDonald's essay clearly shows that the identification is correct. American troops are at this moment engaged in a hot war in Iraq, and it behooves the public to know why. MacDonald's exposition of this phenomenon is parsimonious - and on target.
Second, "Understanding Jewish Influence" may lead the reader to MacDonald's most important work, "The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements" (1998, 2002). For the serious intellectual historian, this book will provide scores of original ideas about the history of the West in the last hundred years. For the more general reader, it may introduce him to a new way of seeing his world, a needed tool in a time of great paradox and flux.
What is frustrating about this whole topic is the ironclad assurance that any Gentile writer exploring Jewish power in anything but the most gushing tones will be branded an anti-Semite and thus be largely ignored by the larger press. This is certainly the case with MacDonald's works, as any visit to Amazon's own site will show. Punch in the author's name and on either side of the list of his books will appear "Know How to Uncover Anti-Semitic literature" by Seth J. Frantzman, where he writes "Anything by this author is basically Anti-Semitism posing as scholarship," and "More anti-semetic [sic] hate books," a list by Seth J. Frantzman. Time and again, this effectively ends discussion of topics crying out for rational consideration.
Ironically, this taboo is rarely in evidence for Jewish writers. J.J. Goldberg can triumphantly author "Jewish Power" and be rewarded with the editorship of the venerable Jewish Forward newspaper. More recently, Steven Silbiger has penned "The Jewish Phenomenon," David Zurawik "The Jews of Prime Time," and Andrew Heinze "Jews and the American Soul." Perhaps the most provocative book comes in the form of Yuri Slezkine's "The Jewish Century" (reviewed by MacDonald in the pages of The Occidental Quarterly [Fall 2005]).
In one of the most dangerous minefields for Gentile observers, Orthodox Jew Michael Medved fairly dances with his important 1992 book "Hollywood Vs America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values." Like fellow Jew Neal Gabler ("An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood"), Medved is not afraid to say something like "It makes no sense at all to try to deny the reality of Jewish power and prominence in popular culture. Any list of the most influential production executives at each of the major movie studios will produce a heavy majority of recognizably Jewish names." A Gentile such as MacDonald, however, does so at his own peril.
It is time ownership of studies of Jewish power moves beyond the ken of Jewish writers alone and becomes the property of all concerned citizens and scholars. Given its reasonable price, its economy with words, and its crushing relevance to today's world, MacDonald's "Understanding Jewish Influence" is the type of book to be bought by the dozen and shared with friends and acquaintances who are up to the task of exploring these sensitive topics.
Second, "Understanding Jewish Influence" may lead the reader to MacDonald's most important work, "The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements" (1998, 2002). For the serious intellectual historian, this book will provide scores of original ideas about the history of the West in the last hundred years. For the more general reader, it may introduce him to a new way of seeing his world, a needed tool in a time of great paradox and flux.
What is frustrating about this whole topic is the ironclad assurance that any Gentile writer exploring Jewish power in anything but the most gushing tones will be branded an anti-Semite and thus be largely ignored by the larger press. This is certainly the case with MacDonald's works, as any visit to Amazon's own site will show. Punch in the author's name and on either side of the list of his books will appear "Know How to Uncover Anti-Semitic literature" by Seth J. Frantzman, where he writes "Anything by this author is basically Anti-Semitism posing as scholarship," and "More anti-semetic [sic] hate books," a list by Seth J. Frantzman. Time and again, this effectively ends discussion of topics crying out for rational consideration.
Ironically, this taboo is rarely in evidence for Jewish writers. J.J. Goldberg can triumphantly author "Jewish Power" and be rewarded with the editorship of the venerable Jewish Forward newspaper. More recently, Steven Silbiger has penned "The Jewish Phenomenon," David Zurawik "The Jews of Prime Time," and Andrew Heinze "Jews and the American Soul." Perhaps the most provocative book comes in the form of Yuri Slezkine's "The Jewish Century" (reviewed by MacDonald in the pages of The Occidental Quarterly [Fall 2005]).
In one of the most dangerous minefields for Gentile observers, Orthodox Jew Michael Medved fairly dances with his important 1992 book "Hollywood Vs America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values." Like fellow Jew Neal Gabler ("An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood"), Medved is not afraid to say something like "It makes no sense at all to try to deny the reality of Jewish power and prominence in popular culture. Any list of the most influential production executives at each of the major movie studios will produce a heavy majority of recognizably Jewish names." A Gentile such as MacDonald, however, does so at his own peril.
It is time ownership of studies of Jewish power moves beyond the ken of Jewish writers alone and becomes the property of all concerned citizens and scholars. Given its reasonable price, its economy with words, and its crushing relevance to today's world, MacDonald's "Understanding Jewish Influence" is the type of book to be bought by the dozen and shared with friends and acquaintances who are up to the task of exploring these sensitive topics.
174 of 199 people found the following review helpful
By Tom Blair
Format:Paperback
First, congratulations to Amazon. I do not know how long this book will be listed here - but it will take a lot of courage and adherence to principle to keep it here.
I recently read a letter to the editor of a major American newspaper that proclaimed Israel as the moral conscious of the world, whispering into the ear of gentile nations - yet also complaining that criticism of Israel's vicious militarism in the Middle East is - "treating Her differently." These claims were made without any sense of irony.
Kevin MacDonald has written a deeply perceptive and academically dangerous book - explaining this attitude, and others like it. This subject is a very dangerous one to address in modern America - even more so in Europe.
The influence of the Jews has been enormous, not just in modern America but for millenia throughout the West. Kevin MacDonald identifies both positive and negative effects Jews have on their host nation. Identifying negative effects Judaism might have on a gentile host is not done today - because it is very dangerous to do so. Kevin MacDonald could not safely travel to Germany, Austria, or even Great Britain now; this book could subject him to arrest.
Identifying four traits - ethnocentrism, intelligence, psychological intensity, and aggressiveness as the fount of Jewish power; he addresses the effect that power has on several host societies and significant events though history. And here is a major disagreement I have with him. MacDonald seems oblivious to the influence of religion on Jewish nature and behavior.
Indeed (as is often noted by Jewish historians) Jews were much on the mind of the Church Fathers in the fourth century during the formative years of Christian dominance in the West. Jews who identify Christianity as fundamentally anti-Semitic are not wrong. Christianity is very much a defensive mechanism against Jewish exploitation of indigenous populations. It is spoken everywhere that Christianity could not have arisen without Judaism - rarely mentioned however is that without Judaism it would not have been necessary. A separatist and triumphalist influence inside another society is not benign as Jews often claim - it can be devastating to ancestral social structures and cultural norms.
Kevin MacDonald provides an extremely rare, objective examination - from an outsider's point of view - of the interaction of Jewish and non-Jewish societies through history.
I recently read a letter to the editor of a major American newspaper that proclaimed Israel as the moral conscious of the world, whispering into the ear of gentile nations - yet also complaining that criticism of Israel's vicious militarism in the Middle East is - "treating Her differently." These claims were made without any sense of irony.
Kevin MacDonald has written a deeply perceptive and academically dangerous book - explaining this attitude, and others like it. This subject is a very dangerous one to address in modern America - even more so in Europe.
The influence of the Jews has been enormous, not just in modern America but for millenia throughout the West. Kevin MacDonald identifies both positive and negative effects Jews have on their host nation. Identifying negative effects Judaism might have on a gentile host is not done today - because it is very dangerous to do so. Kevin MacDonald could not safely travel to Germany, Austria, or even Great Britain now; this book could subject him to arrest.
Identifying four traits - ethnocentrism, intelligence, psychological intensity, and aggressiveness as the fount of Jewish power; he addresses the effect that power has on several host societies and significant events though history. And here is a major disagreement I have with him. MacDonald seems oblivious to the influence of religion on Jewish nature and behavior.
Indeed (as is often noted by Jewish historians) Jews were much on the mind of the Church Fathers in the fourth century during the formative years of Christian dominance in the West. Jews who identify Christianity as fundamentally anti-Semitic are not wrong. Christianity is very much a defensive mechanism against Jewish exploitation of indigenous populations. It is spoken everywhere that Christianity could not have arisen without Judaism - rarely mentioned however is that without Judaism it would not have been necessary. A separatist and triumphalist influence inside another society is not benign as Jews often claim - it can be devastating to ancestral social structures and cultural norms.
Kevin MacDonald provides an extremely rare, objective examination - from an outsider's point of view - of the interaction of Jewish and non-Jewish societies through history.
83 of 97 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Forget about"weapons of mass destruction"; forget about "spreading democracy"; forget about oil. If you want to know the REAL reason we're at war in Iraq read this monograph. As in his trilogy on Judaism as a group evolutionary strategy MacDonald's honesty and insight will be immediately obvious to anyone with an open mind and no preconceptions. What makes this
work so compelling are not only its obvious truthfullness but the relative paucity of other works which reach the same conclusions MacDonald does--conclusions which can be verified by simple observation.
work so compelling are not only its obvious truthfullness but the relative paucity of other works which reach the same conclusions MacDonald does--conclusions which can be verified by simple observation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is hate literature disguised as scholarship
This author, like David Irving, has been listed by The Southern Poverty Legal Center as an Anti-Semite whose followers pose some danger. Read more
Published 8 months ago by rastaman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written
This book is well written and well documented. It has information that can't be disputed and this is information forbidden to be put on television or radio. Read more
Published 19 months ago by John B. Todd
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yikes!
Some damn scary (and also depressing stuff). I am about halfway through these essays and I must say they answer (or appear to answer) some of my questions such as why so many... Read more
Published on October 25, 2009 by M. Caelius
5.0 out of 5 stars
More, please.
We should all (us Gentiles!) read books like this...it will help us to comprehend what is going on in the World...particularly with regard to 'immigration'.
Published on April 3, 2009 by Graeme Borthwick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched info about Israel-Zionist power in US & control of...
MacDonald's monograms present well-researched information, in a scholarly, factual way, about Zionist and Israeli control of all U.S. Read more
Published on June 5, 2008 by Observer
1.0 out of 5 stars
Ranting and raving
This tract will appeal to the anti-Semite in every Christian. The negative characterics attributed to Jews can be found in most Christians, or even non-Christians. Read more
Published on October 11, 2007 by Jerry Warriner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important to Understand American and Global political reality
These essays reflect current political reality and are important to understanding the current middle east and immigration situations. Read more
Published on June 7, 2007 by D. Nix
4.0 out of 5 stars
Now I understand
Never knew all this. Should be compulsary reading for school kids.
Jews seek the protection of the state, in return they give their talents as financiers and... Read more
Jews seek the protection of the state, in return they give their talents as financiers and... Read more
Published on March 15, 2007 by Moshe Goldzahn
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unscholarly propaganda
On a global scale, Jews are not all that important. After all, only around 1 out of every 500 people on this planet happens to be Jewish. Read more
Published on December 2, 2006 by Jill Malter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Burn him at the stake?
Is he right? I don't know. The only way to find out would be to devote a few years to checking his references and researching his theories. Read more
Published on November 28, 2006 by Sutton
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