Book review: "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America"

Book: 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

Author: Bernard Goldberg

Publisher/Date: HarperCollins/July 1, 2005

ISBN: 0060761288

This book is Bernard Goldberg's opinion on 100 people who are, of course, "screwing up america". After the introduction, you need to read about 55 pages of more of Goldberg's boring old rants of blah, blah, blah, how we liberals are stupid jacka**es and how the media is so f**king indecent and...ahem...GANGSTA RAP IS MAKING BLACK PEOPLE LOOK BAD. That's right, in "I'm Your Pimp, You My B**ch" (pp. 24-28), he starts by being a KMEL-hypnotized teen and saying that he loves rap, then he says he tricked you and claims the truth: that gangsta rap "is moronic, disgusting, inane, ignorant, and soul-deadening, not to mention...dangerous and destructive" (25-26). Speaking of gangsta rap, #'s 60-58 have to deal with that very topic. #60 was Ludacris, who Goldberg condemned for being "very big with kids, (too) many of whom get their 'values' from the pop culture and the street and guys like Ludacris--instead of from a mother and a father at home" (136). Look, Mr. Goldberg, didn't you notice?

In case you're blind, look on the low-left corner. The words: "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content". That's similar to a rated "R" in movies or "TV-14" on TV, the RIAA (and TV and Movies) do these "ratings" and "advisorys" so that they can't be held liable to any damages to the kids' mind. Besides, you know as a parent it's their responsibility to teach their kids that Ludacris and other black people are stupid and should be mistreated and reffered to as n...oops, sorry, i was only kidding...I mean gangsta rap should be only used as entertainment and never be consider moral. Sheesh, do your homework before publishing stuff in public. Sorry, this is just stupid.

Following is Shirley Franklin, mayor of Atlanta because she on June 2004 honored Ludcaris "with an official proclamation citing his good works", for his having "given some of it [his royalties and profits] to charities in the Atlanta area" (137). Say, Mr. G, I can justify that, I even as a liberal find it retarded for Ludacris to be honored just for his charity work...it's like relasing a drug dealer from jail early for him/her saying "I'm sorry i did that sh**, I promise never to do it again". Then, at 58, Eminem, please refer to the previous paragraph. The "Parental Advisory" thing applies here too.

#43: Paul Eibeler, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, manf. of "Grand Theft Auto" video games. Goldberg condemns him for glorifiying the killing of police officers and violence and crime. Fine then, how about this: Why don't you go condemn the creators of other violent games or TV shows glorifing crime damit? Plus, you didn't mention the game was rated "M" - Mature/intended for players 17 and older. NO HE DOES NOT WANT TO PEDDLE THE GAME TO KIDS!! Man, one big fat "F".

Back down the list to #65, Oliver Stone, director of the recent bomb film "Alexander". Goldberg says that Stone is fictionalizing history in his films and getting away with it, in an era when fewer and fewer people can name George Washington as the first American president and basic American/world history. Sorry man, you shoud be pushing for better history/social studies education instead.

The rest of the book is just bullsh*t, basically ultra-conservative bullsh*t against people I appreciate such as Dan Rather, Barbara Walters, and Diane Sawyer, and a buncha other peeps I don't know of but I'm sure that Goldberg is being a bitch about them. However, he did make good points on these people:

100. Rick & Kathy Hilton

99. Matthew Lesko

95. Courtney Love

90. Michael Jackson

85.-83. are various references to stupid jackass celebrities

62. Howard Stern

53. Anna Nicole Smith

32. Jerry Springer

31. Maury Povich

20. Howard Dean

And, back to the negative side, who was #1? Answer: MICHAEL MOORE!!!!!!! All that Goldberg says is a quote from Moore that he thinks Americans are dumb. Not the director of a film that says that Bush is a dumbass! And now regarding Ludacris: in 2003, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News fired at Pepsi for using music from the controversial song "Move B*tch" by Ludacris because he thought of Ludacris and rap music as immoral and Pepsi is being a bitch by using gangsta rap, so Pepsi replaced Luda with the Osbournes (y'know, Ozzy, the former Black Sabbath lead singer). Russell Simmons, president of Def Jam at the time, condemned Pepsi for apparant racism, because both Ludacris and Ozzy were known for being vulgar, violent, profane, etc., and called for his fellow blacks to boycott Pepsi. I see a silmiar situation in this book: Why is Ozzy Osbourne not on your list, Bernard Goldberg? I have listened to many Ozzy songs as Ludacris songs, and I can safely say that Ozzy's lyrics are just as profane and vulgar and violent as Ludacris if not less. Or how about Marilyn Manson for his promotion of Satanic themes to young people? Why did you not condemn punk rock or heavy metal for promoting immorality to young people? Are you trying to say that black people are stupid for promoting such values to teens but don't care about white rock artists for doing pretty much the same? Wow, what a bitch.

So in the end, this book is simply 305 pages of ultra-right wing crap, only like 20 pages worth reading.

Grade: D

Comment from Kevin L: "It's a load of shit. why'd you even read it? Michael Moore at #1? i think this goldberg guy is screwing up america with his lies."

The Darker Side of Cartoons

CNN.com - Group: Children's TV Isn't Kid Stuff - March 2, 2006

Hey parents, throw your TV's out your windows! TV is a sh**ty world of trash!

HAHA, I was just exagerating Pat Robertson. Anyway flipping through TV this morning for the weather I happened to find "Xiaolin Showdown" on WB 20 - no not that show a clip from it in a "700 Club" report on TV violence and its effects on children. I found that story very retarded and ultra-conservative. In fact, later today I found this story on CNN, thanks to an anime forum I use regularly - thank you StealthSeeker for bringing it up. If I went on CBN's site I'm sure I could've barfed. Now, on topic, lemme evaluate some of the crappy points they made:

"The report also criticized the networks for airing children's programs with questionable language -- such as "stupid," "loser" and "butt" -- as well as sexual innuendo, insults, bullying and putdowns." What happened to parents and how THEY are the ones who are supposed to teach the kids what's right to speak? Besides, kids don't hear this sh** on only TV, they hear it all the time in books, school, real life too, so why aren't THOSe sources getting condemned?

"Professional health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and American Medical Association have concluded data show at least a casual link between extensive TV viewership and aggression in children." Yeah right. Hey AAP, APA, AMA, you were using kids who don't know the difference between fantasy/reality and right/wrong and were totally stoned! OMG! THIS IS F**KING PROPAGANDA!!! AAAH!!!!! I've seen lotsa violent TV, I'm still a civilized and peacful human being. So are lotsa my friends.

"The Parents Television Council said its report included everything from characters running into a door to depictions of death, fire and off-screen violence that is heard but not seen." Sure, why don't parents sue the owners of a burning building for indecent exposure? Or sue people who bump into other things for indecency as well?

"On its Web site, the Parents Television Council says its primary mission is 'o promote and restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry in answer to America's demand for positive, family-oriented television programming.'" Hmm, I don't necesarly see a problem with parents wanting this kind of stuff if they want good, ethical kids...but if that's the only stuff their kids can watch until age 18, that's f**ked up. Look, America, you gotta accept that times and acceptances are changing and that kids should be able to watch what they want, and parents should TEACH their kids, not shelter them, as it's becoming unavoidable to sheild kids from indecency now that we've accepted it as "fun" and that the real world and other places that aren't TV show indency too.

So overall this article and research was just a waste of time and money. I mean, look at the CHINESE government - they regulate all media - books, TV, music, movies, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. And then turn on Chinese state-run TV anytime and you are 60-65% likely to see something objectionable to children. Hey, why not spend more time and money on America's EDUCATION and SCHOOLS rather than trying to solve just one side of the problem (TV). I laugh at how American soccer moms complain of how indecent TV is and that there should be more done by FCC and then complain of how our schools are underfunded.