 | By: Tammy Bruce Binding: Paperback Publisher: Crown Publications ISBN: 0761563733 ISBN-13: 9780761563730 Released: 02 Jan 2003 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Last year the BBC showed a documentary in which a member of the BNP stated the he would like to "machine gun" Moslems as they came out of the local mosque.
So we have two extremes: the Moslem fighting against the decadent West, & a member of the BNP who, presumably, has a rather higher opinion of Adolf Hitler than the rest of us.
This is the importance of this book: the argument that if an opinion is dangerous, it must be suppressed.
As the author rightly argues, the suppression of opinions is now a major plank in what passes for thinking on the left.
And nowhere is this more relevant than in the left's obsession with "multiculturalism".
People who are uncomfortable with this concept - probably a majority - know to keep quiet.
Diversity - pluralism - is a normal feature of an open society.
Multiculturalism, however, is something different. As the author puts it, it seeks " to shield non-European cultures from moral judgements. In the mind of today's multiculturalist, the cultural practices of minority groups are above reproach, no matter where they lead."
And we have seen where they sometimes lead on this side of the pond. There was the African boy whose body was found in the River Thames. His injuries - & death - were the result of witchcraft practices imported from Nigeria.
Many years ago, my next door neighbour sent his daughter back to a Middle Eastern country to an arranged marriage which she did not want.
These are examples of practices which multiculturalism dare not debate, & similar examples are given in this book.
The Thought Police in the UK are active in an unlikely area: criminology. As in the US, there is silence on the matter of black crime statistics. It's inviting a charge of racism to even mention - as the author does - that "the crime statistics speak for themeslves. ... Although African American men constitute only six per cent of the overalll population, they account for roughly 40 per cent of the country's violent crimes."
Police officers in the UK who have made similar statements have come to regret it. After 7/7 there was talk of the police "targetting" young Moslems. This was instantly stamped on. Of course white old ladies were just as likely to blow themselves up on the Underground, how could you have thought anything else?!
The difficulty posed when facts are suppressed, is that rational discussion of why young black men are more likely to be involved in violent crime goes off the agenda.
The left undulges in a kind of Christian Science approach to human affairs. The Christian Scientist believes that if you are ill you can think yourself well - by reading Science & Health - because illness is the result of bad thinking, & Mary Baker Eddy's book will correct your thoughts.
So, for the left, thinking that someone is a criminal makes them a criminal: they are the victim of your bad thoughts.
The left's delusional thinking is ultimately an indiaction of its deep seated wish to return to the comforts a closed-society where "I think" has been abolished. It is a victory for Hitler, Stalin, & the Inquisition: someone else knows best.
The author writes from the belly of the beast, so to speak, as she was president of the LA chapter of the National Organisation for Women & experienced these activities at first hand. At the heart of Thought Police activity is the argument that certain types of speech & the expression of certain opinions hurt certain groups & as a result should be restricted. The explicit message comes in the form of politicallly correct speech codes while implicitly the message is to remain silent when the virtual assassination of those who oppose the Left's status quo takes place, as in the case of Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
Bruce shares her unique experiences on the inside of a social movement & dispels the myth that only the Left's prevailing opinions are valid. She encourages the reader to think for herself/himself & to bravely explore their own opinions & conclusions about significant & controversial social issues. The book is an appeal for reclaiming ourselves & our culture from the self-appointed Kommissars.
She deals with the evolution of political correctness & its speech codes, contrasting the difference between the Lockean ideal of classical liberalism & today's Left, while exposing the hidden socialist sympathies of feminists like Betty Friedan & others. She demonstrates how the Left has become a mind control cult with the sole purpose of perpetuating itself. Her investigation of the concept of "hate crimes" is astute & enlightening as is her analysis of Groupthink.
Her writing is engaging & often humorous, as in the chapter in multiculturalism which she callls "the individuals. She also shines a piercing light on the double standards in the news media, the entertainment industry & academia, with reference to the disgusting book American Psycho & the OJ Simpson case.
The book ends on an optimistic note with example of successful social activism that was meant to empower & achieved great results & a section on the power of the individual to adhere to sound values & morals. The book concludes with copious notes, a thorough index & a bibliography that includes Hannah Arendt, Andrea Dworkin, Aldous Huxley & George Orwell.
Other must-read books of related interest include In Defense Of Global Capitalism by Johan Norberg, The New Anti-Semitism by Phyllis Chesler, Tales From The Left Coast by James L. Hirsen, The Vision Of The Anointed by Thomas Sowell & Treason by Ann Coulter.
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