Advance Praise forAmerican Newspeak
Wayne Grytting wields a very sharp pin,and hundreds of everyday hot-air balloons go offloudly in this rapid-fire book. If you've everwondered whether American society could be asabsurd as it often seems, this book confirms thatwhat's "normal" -- in media, politics, corporatelife and mass culture -- continues to extend theboundaries of mind-rotting and soul-murderingwackiness. Grytting does more than combinemeticulous research with mischievous quips; heconcisely deconstructs a wide range of everydaypretensions that often turn human consciousnessinto something akin to cottage cheese.In contrast to smirky neo-con humorists whodon't seem to believe in much of anything (exceptperhaps themselves), Grytting is both funnyand humanistic as he explores the knotty tanglesof American Newspeak and suggests howwe might extricate ourselves.
- Norman Solomon, syndicated columnist and author,The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media
American Newspeak is just what we need in thesemad days: a funny guide to the serious assaults onour language, our culture, our minds.
- Howard Zinn
Freshly baked humor direct from the websiterated "the best" on the web in political satireby Yahoo's Internet Life
American Newspeak slices and dices the liesof our culture. It's the funniest book I've readsince The Enron Code of Ethics.
- Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen
In a world where armies don't retreat, but make"tactical advances to the rear" and your grocerneeds your social security number "to better serveyou," American Newspeak cuts through all thedoubletalk in a sharp, humorous way.
- George Rabe in the HotBot Directory
Considering the absurdity of what is (and is not)covered by the news media, American Newspeak isa natural reaction to the banality that typifies whatpasses for news nowadays. Newspeak blendsa caustic wit with a terse style to deconstructthe news stories of the day...
Paul Fleming in Web Active
American Newspeak collects morsels ofnews pieces and exposes their double meanings,offering an often satiric commentary onpolitics and culture.
- Excite website Guide
American Newspeak presents cerebral,humorous commentary on current events.It's a thoughtful digestion of news, followed bywithering, caustic comments... Jay Leno it's not,but a sort of mild Dennis Miller it is.
- Internet Directory for Dummies
American Newspeak posts wry, sometimesscathing weekly commentary on stories thatWayne Grytting calls "cutting edge advances inthe art of doublespeak" that he has "scavenged"from America's "finer newspapers."
- Magellan Internet Guide
Doubletalk will save us from hell.Make that "permanent unpleasantness after life."Get some cheap laughs out of bad news. WayneGrytting has made it his mission to protect usfrom doubletalk by the powerful.
- VaguePolitix
American Newspeak: You probably overlookedmost of these news stories because they havea tendency to be buried in the back of thenewspaper. You'll be surprised at what you missed.Informative as well as entertaining, bringingyou tidbits that would be absolutelyabsurd if they weren't true.
- Comedy Zone
Product Description
Rated "the best" on the Web in political satire by Yahoo’s Internet Life, American Newspeak brings doubletalk up to date for the 21st century. An Internet favorite for many years, as well as a popular regular column in Z Magazine, Newspeak already has a large club of fans and admirers. Now the book is sure to awaken whole new audiences to the grim but gripping reality of how far our culture has gone in the direction of Orwell’s 1984.
Focusing on the "twin towers of alienation"—corprations and bureaucracies—author Wayne Grytting scavenges through the crevices of the popular media to reveal countless gems of doublespeak propagated by the spin doctors of the "emerging new world consumerist order." Specifically focusing on the insinuation of advertising into every square inch of our cultural life, Grytting re--digests the news, providing uniquely thoughtful, humorous and caustic commentary on specific examples of the best PR that money can buy. Between the laughs lies a more serious analysis of the mechanisms of distancing, disconnection and denial, and examples of humorous forms of protest designed to penetrate the layers of false consciousness. A final "Groucho Marxist Response" calls for using more satire, parody and play to subvert the indifference that has colonized our way of life, and to connect directly with people instead of simply being oppositional.
Sure to appeal to the politically active young people mobilized by WTO protests, as well as to educators, labor and community organizers, and cynical old Sixties activists, American Newspeak will also penetrate the mainstream.Wayne Grytting is a long-time Alaskan fishing skipper with a ’60s background in anti-war activism. He now teaches special education students in Seattle. He began writing "American Newspeak" columns on the Internet in 1996, which were then regularly featured in Z Magazine.
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