The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values (Paperback)

by Tammy Bruce (Author) "On May 30, 1997, late in the afternoon, Jonathan Levin, a beloved English teacher at a Bronx high school, answered a phone call from Corey..." (more)
Key Phrases: judicial conduct board, malignant narcissists, malignant narcissism, Left Elite, Los Angeles, Gay Elite (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Self-proclaimed lesbian pro-choice feminist Bruce, ex-president of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW and author of The New Thought Police, blames the decline of civilization on other lesbian pro-choice feminists in this lurid right-wing screed. Bruce argues that multiculturalism, identity politics and "relativism" have turned American society into a "moral vacuum" incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, a reflection of the "malignant narcissism" of an all-powerful "Left Elite." With an apostate's zeal, she pillories the Feminist Elite's hatred of men, marriage and motherhood, the Black Elite's championing of violent rap, the Gay Elite's "grab for children" by insinuating let-it-all-hang-out sex-ed programs into schools, the Academic Elite's nihilism and anti-Americanism, and the Entertainment Elite's "moral depravity beyond measure." Bruce revels in trashing radical excess (performance artists are a favorite) and does point out, crudely, some of the contradictory currents of left ideology. But her own critique lacks coherence. She lumps together such disparate figures as Bill Clinton, Mumia Abu-Jamal and the "moral terrorist" Ozzy Osbourne as emblems of a monolithic Left. She decries academics' rejection of all moral values, but when they do express a moral judgment-by condemning America's "ethnic cleansing" of Indians, or the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans-they are guilty of "morally killing" America's "heroes." She complains of being "demonized" by leftists, then describes said leftists as a "diseased seed" who "hate themselves and hate this country." "I now realize that conservatives who disagree with me also have good points," she avers. Too bad she won't extend that courtesy to her opponents on the left.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Rush Limbaugh would call Bruce a liberal who got mugged by reality, but she didn't become a conservative. The former L.A. chapter president of NOW is still a lesbian feminist liberal, but she has seen the truth about the Left Elite (her term)--that is, the powers that be in feminism, gay rights, civil rights, and sex education as well as throughout the judiciary, the entertainment media, and American university faculties. The Left Elite enrages Bruce because, not content with achieving equal rights, it wants to stand morality on its head. It is as if these people belonged to a "church of malignant narcissism," the guiding principle of which is self-validation at all costs (really never having to say you're sorry). Anti-Christian apologists for self-gratification, they push the sexual objectification of children (e.g., euphemizing pedophilia as "child-adult sex"), idolize convicted murderer Mumia Abu-Jamal--and that's just for starters! Bruce presents the evidence of cultural warfare pretty comprehensively and makes her take on it feisty, riveting reading. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400052947
• ISBN-13: 978-1400052943
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

194 of 216 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable--An Ayn Rand for Our Time, April 29, 2003

By	Kimster "kimster36" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values (Hardcover)

Wow--I heard Tammy Bruce on Sean Hannity's radio show and clicked on Amazon to get the book and read what I now know to be one of the strangest Publisher's Weekly reviews I've ever seen. She seemed like such a reasonable person on radio, I couldn't imagine how her book could be as they described.
Well, it wasn't. The subject matter is difficult sometimes--especially Chapter 7 which deals with the sexualization of children in our society--but this is a book which *must* be read if you want to be educated about what is really going on in our culture. She breaks it down like she did in New Thought Police--and deals with the gay elite, feminist elite and black power elite. There are also chapters about schools and media. In short, everything you need to know to get a grip on what's happening. My favorite new phrase, btw, is her so perfect description of those in power in left wing special interest groups "malignant narcissists."
What was also unique was the personal perspectives and stories she shared. They really added to why she was able to be a feminist and gay activist for so long.
Her ending about Ronald Reagan (even though I didn't vote for him) actually made me cry. That's quite a feat for a political book!
Untimately, she does a great job explaining the question I always ask, which is *why* does the Left do what it does, even when it harms their own.
It is methodically written (not in the least "lurid" or "crude" as the PW review oddly accused), she is reasonable and provides footnotes for all of her information, many of which are from credible sources on the internet. I liked this because I was able to go and check myself some of the more shocking information.
I also like her take and what's happening with culture because I also consider myself a liberal person but quietly noted to myself that something was going wrong in our society. I don't think liberal means the world should be a free-for-all. This book helped me put my own concerns in perspective and helped me to realize that I wasn't alone in feeling that moral relativism was winning the day.
I'm not kidding when I say she's like Ayn Rand. She is my new favorite author. I recommend not only this book, but her first one, too.

79 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important book on a serious subject, June 2, 2003

By	Jay A. Haron "jamuljay" (Jamul, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values (Hardcover)

It would be very easy to lump this book in with the ever-growing pile of "ain't the Left awful" or the "Let's dump on the Clintons" books. This book is neither, and if the phenomenon of Malignant Narcissism that Ms. Bruce describes didn't hit so close to home, I would think this book was overly alarmist and sensational. The fact is, I KNOW these people exist, and not just in Hollywood and Manhattan. These people are in our schools, churches and even in our families.

The book opens with a review of how Ms. Bruce defines right and wrong - a useful exercise in an era of situational ethics and moral relativism. Her definition is made clearer since she is an athiest, and does not have to address religious moral principles. Then she describes her past, including her fight for gay and lesbian rights, her pro-choice stance, and her former role in NOW.

She then describes how these causes have been hijacked by extremists that she refers to as the Malignant Narcissists. She details how they become the way they are and how their ultimate goal is to produce a world full of similar-minded people. This is not "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"...this threat is REAL. These people exist and I can assure you that I have encountered them in undergraduate and graduate school, in my professional life, in my religious life, and sadly, in my social life.

Ms. Bruce then closes with a very sad story about the twisted motives of some very pathetic people. The only thing I found uplifting is that there are still people whose politics are very different than mine that I can admire. Ms. Bruce showed true courage writing this book, and has demonstrated her willingness to face ethical issues head on, and not shrink from the consequences of her prior actions. Ms. Bruce is the kind of person I would love to sit beside on a flight from Los Angeles to Sidney, Australia. I believe we would find a great number of areas where we can agree, and would come away with new respect for each others' positions.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astute Analysis of the Application of Nihilism, June 3, 2003

By	Pat Goltz "PatGoltz" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values (Hardcover)

This is a striking and astonishing book. Bruce, coming from within the ranks of the very groups she excoriates, rings true. Unlike Phyllis Schlafly (Feminist Fantasies), Bruce doesn't blame one tiny segment of relatively powerless liberals (modern "feminists"). Rather, she embraces the original and true feminism: the feminism that caused the suffragists to put the needs of slaves and unborn children ahead of their own, recognized the character and personality of women, fought side by side with the medical association to protect women from the ravages of abortion, demanded full humanity for women, and elevated the relationship between mothers and children to its proper place. Bruce doesn't come to us as a mother; she comes to us as a lesbian pro-choice feminist with strong libertarian leanings, but she values and celebrates childhood and children. Her book is comipelling precisely because she comes from within the ranks, and she has the goods on techniques and goals of the leadership. The Death of Right and Wrong offers a compelling analysis of the lies and deceits of modern liberalism (as contrasted with classical liberalism). In a book filled with graphic and gripping illustrations of the outworkings of the current liberal philosophy, Bruce nails the problem right on the head. This is a book that will never bore you. Instead, be prepared to have your sensibilities offended. It is high time.

One point Bruce makes clearly is that there are decent homosexuals out there who are offended by the conduct of the gay rights movement. She felt the call to expose and oppose them, and she does so brilliantly. At one time, I called on honorable homosexuals to speak out. She has.

Tammy Bruce is clearly an analytical thinker. She was troubled by the niggling attitudes of the people on the liberal left and she decided to explore the problem. To my mind, this book is written by a person in transition. She as of yet offers us no solutions; she simply identifies the problem: repeatedly and consistently. Identifying the problem is the first step toward a solution. This books cries out for a sequel. I eagerly await it.

Pat Goltz
cofounder
Feminists for Life