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Title: You Are Being Lied To: The Disinformation Guide to Media Distortion, Historical Whitewashes and Cultural Myths by Russ Kick ISBN: 0-9664100-7-6 Publisher: The Disinformation Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.68 (38 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The best of the "alternative press."
Comment: A strange but engrossing mix of articles and essays, "You are being lied to" covers a vast array of topics and subjects, from Columbine to the Big Bang, from Darwin to Jesus, from the environment to the drug war, and many more. According to the authors and editors, these are the facts and views that the mainstream press refuses to touch. Much of what is presented here flies in the face of convention or accepted beliefs, thus keeping in the best tradition of the alternative press. (Do bear in mind, however, that the authors of these articles are not completely innocent of pushing an agenda or personal point of view). Many familiar names are here: Noam Chomsky, Howard Bloom, Michael Horowitz, Jim Marrs, Judith Rich Harris, Howard Zinn. Most of the pieces here are clear and well-written, concise and informative. A few border on the bizarre, and I found Michael Cremo's "Forbidden Archaeology" to be a mere regurgitation of pseudoscientific fringe theories. The best essays, however, are worthy of repeated reading: Ali Abunimah's timely essay on terrorism points out that there are more terror groups operating in South America and Europe than in the Middle East, something I heard years ago from a trusted source--but I have yet to hear it in the mainstream media. Another good piece is Jim Martin's too-brief look at the horrors of communism--and that Joseph McCarthy may not have been far from the truth. Greg Bishop's "The Covert News Network" sheds light on some of the CIA's actions over the years; Sydney Schanberg calls John McCain's altruism towards POW/MIAs into question; Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon's "The Martin Luther King You Don't See on TV" shows how the civil rights leader has been sanitized over the years; and Barry Chamish exposes a possible (indeed, likely) conspiracy behind the murder of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin, a theory that has already become to Israel what JFK has become to Americans.
The points of views presented are largely leftist and libertarian, though there are a few items of interest to moderates and conservatives, such as Russ Kicks' revealing expose on Al Gore, Patrick Moore's telling essay on the state of the environment, and Cletus Nelson's intriguing piece on the Oklahoma City Bombing, which gives light (and some credence) to many of the theories on the subject expounded by the far right. I do wish they had spent some ink exposing the extremes of political correctness or the increasing number of guru-based cults springing up in this country, and I would have liked more essays on pseudoscience and our crumbling educational system. Even if one disagrees with some of the opinions presented within this book (as I did), they still provide food for thought and debate (always good) and present a much-needed challenge to the mainstream media.
Rating: 3
Summary: Of Course, These Essays Have Agendas, Too
Comment: "You Are Being Lied To" is a conspiracy theorists dream come true, and an interesting cross-section of modern American progressive thought. Featuring essays by Noam Chomsky, David McGowan, and others, YABLT offers a mix of the intellectual and the borderline loony, and although most essays are well-cited, some of them rely on the same kinds of information manipulation this book is supposed to debunk.
There are several essays on how the media is and has been used as a tool to control information. There isn't much here new for anyone with a passing knowledge of Brave New World, and most of what is here is a repeat of Neal Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death." There is an essay on the Bush family's connection to the Nazis (although it should be noted that there is a much better essay on the connection of American BUSINESS to fascist Europe) and Gore's awful environmental record. Drugs are demystified, the Drug Wars bemoaned, the OKC bombing analyzed, Jesus questioned, and Columbus bashed. All in all, a good helping of far leftist thought.
The book's fault is that many of the essays, as previously mentioned, ignore large logical holes and other pertinent information to make their point. The Jesus essay is insipid, more the stuff of a whiner than a real Biblical or religious scholar; the OKC essay blatantly ignores several facts in favor of hyperbole; and the Columbus essay has been done before. Of note are the "Apt Pupils" article, an excellent piece on the alienation of those who do not conform to antiquated ideas of normalcy in the American school system. Also of note is "Who's Who in Hell," an excellent list of the different humanists/atheists/agnostics/Unitarians and non-Christians who have made an impact in both European and American history.
There's enough good stuff here to justify a purchase, but it's a buyer-beware scenario. One must not let his or her research end with this book - it's a starting point, not a finishing point for many of the issues discussed here. Don't think that just because some of these conspiracy theorists are bucking the mainstream ideas of events and concepts means that they are automatically correct; some of the bibliographies couldn't stand up to serious scientific or scholarly scrutiny, although many can. Also watch for logical flaws, because they abound. If you are interested in this book, by all means check out "From the Smoking Gun" and Postman's great "Amusing Ourselves to Death."
Grade: C+
Rating: 4
Summary: more ugly than you wish
Comment: This book sets out to crush much of what you wish were true and further proves that those in power all have dark sides and do what will be good for their future and theirs alone.
Bottom line, nuke DC, overrun the big corps and start from scratch, the system is screwed up and can't be fixed without a revolution. But of course the system would re-invent itself into the same greed ridden, lying bunch we have now.
Oh well
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Title: Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies by Russ Kick ISBN: 0971394202 Publisher: The Disinformation Company Pub. Date: June, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Art For Beginners by Dani Cavallaro, Daniel Cavallaro ISBN: 0863162657 Publisher: Writers & Readers Pub. Date: 21 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Norman Rockwell : A Life by LAURA CLARIDGE ISBN: 0812967232 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Translating the Curriculum: Multiculturalism into Cultural Studies by Susan Huddleston Edgerton ISBN: 0415914019 Publisher: Routledge Pub. Date: January, 1997 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction by Linda Gordon ISBN: 067400535X Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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