100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) by Bernard Goldberg see larger photo List Price: $25.95 Our Price: $15.57 Released 05 July, 2005 Hardcover Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Customer Review
Hits The Nail On The Head (which may hurt if you're a nail)
5/5 Stars
Here we go again. The reviews of this book will be largely predetermined by the reader's preexisting political outlook. Liberals will hate it and conservatives will (mostly) love it.

However, despite the rather inflammatory title, this book isn't the sort of red-meat-to-your-base type book of the Limbaugh/Franken ilk. The author thoughtfully deals with a number of important and timely issues.

Why is modern American society so vulgar and abrasive? Why is it that, as our technology and geopolitical power has advanced, our culture and ethics have retreated? After a few well-written chapters, Bernard Goldberg makes a persuasive case that the blame largely lays with a surprisingly small number of people.

The author's views are not simplistic. He isn't simply wishing for us all to return to the days when "Ozzie and Harriet" was considered great TV, gays stayed in the closet and blacks were in the back of the bus. He understands that the good old days clearly weren't good in every way for everybody. But he points out that we lost something important on our way to the present day.

Most of us, (I think) would agree that far too much offensive garbage spews from our TVs, the mouths of our entertainer/politicos and the open windows of passing cars. It isn't just the adult-themed words and images that easily find their way to non-adults; it's the disrespectful, uncivilized way that we treat each other. It isn't about whether you have the right to watch "Fear Factor;" it's how entertainment is aggressively targeted to the lowest common denominator - and thereby debases our culture. This isn't really a liberal/conservative debate; it's a debate between the majority of Americans and those who somehow got the power to impose their warped values on our environment.

You don't have to be a prude or a reactionary patriot to be offended. When did we decide that if someone else in the world hates us, we must deserve it? When did it become wrong to be proud to be an American? When did we decide that it was acceptable mainstream entertainment to have maggot-eating contests on TV? Who decided that someone like Paris Hilton deserved to be a star? Should we have electronic games, targeted at children, that glorify violence, abuse and porn? Have we lost all sense of decency? If you and I didn't vote for all this, who did? Goldberg points to his infamous 100.

I should point out that the author makes clear that this is HIS list, not necessarily THE list. Obviously, you or I might want to add or delete some names. In fact, he invites you to send him your candidates. I personally think his list - and the reasoning for each one - is very good.

I suppose if I had one real criticism of the book it would be the title. I suspect the publisher had a major influence in that. It seems a bit simplistic and sensationalistic. Also the (tongue-in-cheek?) dig at Al Franken seems kind of cheap. But it can't be called false advertising. There are 100 people on the list and Al is indeed #37. All-in-all, the book is better than the title would suggest.

A quick note on Goldberg: He spent nearly three decades at CBS and could have just played the game and went along with what he felt was slanted journalism. Instead he blew the whistle with his book "Bias." This defection earned him the undying enmity of the mainstream media - including his erstwhile friend Dan Rather (he makes the list too). While it's been said that no-one is as zealous as an apostate, I think Goldberg has remained surprisingly fair-minded in his criticisms.

Perhaps one subject that isn't covered well enough in this book is where we are headed. If we put the average American from 50 years ago in front of a cable TV for a couple of hours - after CPR - I think they'd be pleading to return to their world, with all its faults and mundane entertainment. Now imagine what the brave new world will be like 50 years hence. If we extrapolate trends, the future looks pretty scary. But, hey, if there's ever a dull moment, imagine all the things you'll be allowed to do to entertain yourself - and you probably won't have to worry too much about offending anyone.

Finally (whew), when reading some of the 1-star reviews of this book, the question arises: Did you actually read it? Give it a try - it's not really that much longer than this diatribe. If you aren't willing to buy it and support the (perceived) opposition, thumb through it at a bookstore. I think that many self-defined liberals will actually find a lot of common ground with Goldberg (gasp). He actually skewers several conservatives. But you have to READ THE BOOK before you know what it says!

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