This book dealing with our age of unreason, untruth, a factless world, takes more of an historical view as opposed to the last book written by a book reviewer referencing books. How long will the "post truth world" last?
The author references Hofstadter, pointing out that Trump is not unique in American history. What is unique about Trump is his use of modern media techniques and his uniqueness with nonstop lying and getting away with it. Also he is the first President with no experience in government or the military. Otherwise he combines racism, economic resentment, and anti-intellectualism that is in no way unprecedented. He is the best reaching the lowest common denominator.
On not using the word "folks" instead of people. P. 3
Uniting thought and action. P. 39
The author has a chapter on "blaming the 60's." Some conservatives blame that decade for everything they find wrong today. This is an exaggeration. When we talk about the 60's we actually mean the latter half of the decade even after acknowledging the traumatic assassination of Kennedy in 1963. Campus disruptions were not as pervasive as they seemed at the time, and the roots of a conservative revival are easily seen today.
Social Darwinism was a function of the late 19th Century intelligentsia with people like Sumner and Spencer. It's hard for me to understand the influence of Herbert Spencer. P. 62
Sumner advocated what we would now call trickle down economics. P. 73
William Jennings Bryan is perhaps one of a kind in American history: anti-intellectual but liberal economically. P. 83
The author seems to have a positive view of "middlebrow culture." P. 105
We live ink a culture of distraction. P. 244
Schlesinger on national stupidity. P. 320
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