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54 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Actually, not what you'd think..., August 10, 2005
On the surface, you'd think this book was just another
"right-winger" making a list of 100 Liberals and trashing
them. Actually, it's not, despite the criticism of the
four guests on CNN who attacked Bernie Goldberg, without,
admittedly, even reading the book.
Even though there are the usual liberal suspects on this
list, such as George Soros, Paul Begala, and Howard Dean,
trashing liberals is not really the point of the book.
What Bernie Goldberg does in this book is to cite a number
of TRENDS in America that are ruining our society, and naming
a number of people who exemplify or encourage those trends.
His first several chapters are commentary about those trends.
For example, he cites the destruction of trust in one another
caused by our fear of lawyers, he cites how television
executives are filling the airwaves with a lot of trash
simply because of ratings, and he cites how the gangsta rap
craze is sending horribly destructive messages to our youth.
Then, in his list, he chooses a number of people who exemplify
some of these bad trends. What is MOST INTERESTING is the
number of people who are not all that famous, but many whom
you will recognize once they are described to you.
Here are a few examples...
...that idiot you'd see on late night TV, who wears the green
suit with the question marks all over it. He exemplifies the
idea that the way you get rich is to get "free money", and that
our tax dollars are that "free money".
...a woman, who finding out she was pregnant with triplets,
had two aborted, claiming that if she had to take care of
all three, she'd "have to shop at Costco".
...the former California congressman who was the major
catalyst for the "self-esteem" movement in secondary
education, the result being that our children score well
behind other countries in math and science, but rank
the highest in "self-confidence".
...the congresswoman who came to the defense of a convicted
murderer, as exemplifying the trend of defending the rights
of criminals rather than the victims.
In short, this book is so interesting that I believe if a
person enters into it with an open mind, it will be very
hard to put down. Also, despite its reputation as "right-wing"
and "liberal bashing", it really is not. I recommend this
book for EVERYBODY, and if I could give it SIX STARS, I would.
Lastly, you guessed who he lists as Number One.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting book, poor title, July 31, 2005
Goldberg's book is as much an effort to pin down why so many people think that self-righteousness, paranoia, and non-stop cussing should guarantee popularity & influence, as it is a book-length & well-researched rant about people that Goldberg doesn't like.
Unfortunately, the title makes the book sound more authoritative than it was meant to be. Goldberg does state in the introduction than he didn't take any surveys when he came up with the list, it's his list based on his opinions and he expects people will disagree with him on his choices and reasoning.
The first section of the book is a commentary on popular culture and things about it that are out of whack. Being popular does not automatically make a person wise, intelligent or informed, and I agree with Goldberg in my dislike of celebrities who feel entitled to make political comments every time someone acknowledges their existence. I also agree with him that managers & CEOs who make power & money their main concerns are pretty disgusting, as are supposedly serious news programs that prostitute themselves for ratings. But I also feel that there are a lot of other people to blame for some of these problems, like the congressmen & reporters who are so thrilled to meet a celebrity that they'll accept anything the celebrity says like it was gospel truth; or the parents who let their kids listen to gangster rap & watch foul-mouthed sitcoms and movies, and then can't figure out why their kids are so foul-mouthed and gutter-minded themselves. I do wish that Goldberg had made some comments about those types of enablers, as well as the offenders.
The Top 100 list, which takes up the majority of the book (246 pages out of 305), consists of short essays on people that set Goldberg's teeth on edge. I agree with many of his choices, although not all of them, and there are other people I wish he had included. Many of his targets are well-known liberals, such as Michael Moore & Al Franken. (And in the cases of both Michael Moore & Al Franken, Goldberg's chapters on them could have used more substance.)
But Goldberg also discusses people who operate behind the scenes in ways that should get a little more attention. And a lot of his choices are individuals who are symbolic of whole movements. For example, Susan Beresford is the president of the Ford Foundation and is #41 on the list. According to Goldberg, if a university wants a Ford Foundation grant (and with $11 billion, the Ford Foundation has a lot of money to grant), the grant application must include figures on how many women & minorities will be involved in the project. Honestly, what business is this of the Ford Foundation's? The validity of an idea or the quality of the research into that idea aren't dependent on the demographics of the researchers, so why should the number of women or minorities on a project make it inherently more or less deserving of funding? (And if Goldberg wants to single Bersford out as an example of charitable foundations who state they are non-partisan but seem to be awfully pushy & nosy for non-partisans, then Goldberg gets to do that because it's his list!)
Another example is Todd Goldman, #97, who was the creator of a line of T-shirts with logos such as "Boys Are Stupid. Throw Rock At Them!" and "Boys Are Smelly . . . Kick Them In The Belly!" Yes, the girls who buy these shirts, the parents who don't point out how disgusting the shirts are, and the whole gender feminist movement who pushes the message that men are inherently deserving of punishment for no other reason than their gender, ALL of those people need to be in this book as much as Todd Goldman. But, like Goldberg, I was disgusted by those shirts and I'm glad he pointed out whose stupid idea they were.
Goldberg has a fairly light writing style, and most of the chapters are pretty short, so it's a pretty quick book to read. I am irritated that the book did not include a table of contents, bibliography, or index. Between those deficiencies and the really interesting & informative writing, I want to give the book 3.6 or 3.8 stars out of five, but since I can't give incremental ratings I'll give it four stars, since it definitely deserves more than three.
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240 of 318 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a political book, but rather social commentary, August 3, 2005
First, anything by Goldberg these days is going to automatically get lumped into a political direction - right - and be blasted by those on the left. That's fair I suppose given his views about liberal ideology in the media. However, this book is far more about a social commentary on those whose views undermine the core beliefs, and social values and decency our nation was founded on. Goldberg takes on those on both sides of the political fence, but in general keeps his prose to issues that effect the everyday social fabric of America.
I actually really enjoyed reading his rants. Granted, some of them I disagree with, but generally he seems to really have issue with how a few misguided people have damaged the values the rest of us hold. If I were to summarize what you can expect, it would be this: If you support the rights of a criminal over the victim or glorify the behaviors of people who in any decent society deserve to be behind bars, you will get slammed in this book. If you got your fame and money through acting or music and attempt to be taken seriously as a political commentator, you will be taken to task here. If you support the sexualization of children, or support the boorish sexual antics of the fringe of society (ala Will and Grace glorifying adultery), you will find yourself on the list.
This book is after all a social commentary on the values of America, and the few who are trying to create a society that stands for nothing, allows and glorifies anything, and permits everything no matter how inappropriate. Take for example the so called "environmentalists" who attack others for driving big SUV's while they fly Gulf Stream jets and live in houses that use more energy than several small towns. Hypocritical is merely an obvious label for such people, but they deserve far more criticism than that. Goldberg exposes them here.
It should be noted, and isn't on any critical reviews I have read here, that Goldberg is not trying to silence such voices. He stands up for the rights of everyone to free speech. He takes on people whose views would be way right politically, and does so with gusto. So, the book is far more balanced that way than others here may be giving credit for.
Overall, a very good look at some of the erosion of values, morals and common decency in our society, and the few people who are trying to do the most damage. At times it is too sensational, at times a bit shrill, and of course is just one person's opinion. That said, he is far more often than not absolutely accurate in his assessment and its time more people woke up and started speaking out against such views.
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