OYENTE

MaxD

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An interesting, if imperfect argument

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-21-25

Murray is a great reader of his own work.

Where I think the work is strongest is in its exploration of the conflicts, internal inconsistencies and logical errors with a great deal of what we might call the modern social justice theory. The other area where I think the book is strong, is the sympathy and empathy Murray displays when discussing the good faith and real concern many people involved in these social justice movements feel and are at the root of their activism, or support of activists.

Murray exposes the ways the edifice that is the intellectual frame work of modern identitarian social justice theory is built upon shifting and confusing sand.

He also explores, usefully, the way people within this movement acting in good faith, are themselves exploited and manipulated by those who are not acting in good faith. As the examples of Evergreen and the Yale Halloween Costume controversy demonstrate, It is very easy to weaponize these concepts.

Murray’s exploration of the Bogossian et al Sokal-style hoax on sociology was one spot that could have used better research. Many of the top ranked journals in these post modernist fields actually rejected their paper. The journals that did accept were largely pay-to-publish journals. This doesn’t let these disciplines off the hook really, as these journals also claim some peer review process. However, this is a crucial point that Murray either hadn’t discovered or left out.

Other areas where I happened to have some deeper back ground knowledge faired better in my estimation. So this seems, perhaps, an outlier in an otherwise well argued book.

I quite liked the close, where Murray offers an ideal and position on which almost all citizens of liberal democracies agree. But to get that, I think you should read the book. You may not agree with all or any of it, but that is okay too. It is important to get outside, touch the grass of opposing ideas and think more deeply about your own.

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It was sort of Rural Battle Royale.

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-03-24

This book mostly works. The characters are fairly believable.
There is some interesting, if ham-fisted, younger generation vs older generation, blue vs red philosophy commentary that occurs. Here though the heroes seem to be possessed of a mix of political stances. One of the heroes is a gay hunter who defends hunting and guns. Another of our heroes begins anti-firearm, but comes to accept and appreciate their utility pretty quickly as the fit hits the Shan. My only real problem with the book is a lot of the last act behavior of the heroes. For some reason a lot of authors seem to think that readers won’t notice when their pretty smart characters start doing obviously dumb things in what can only be a writerly strategy to contrive a more complicated, action packed resolve. This maneuver by the author had me-for a time-ready to align myself with whichever side started behaving sensibly in relation to the situation.

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Quite a banger of a scary story

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-31-24

I’m not sure I was totally satisfied with the finale. It felt like there were too many twists, with too few rules for the story to adhere too. This means anything goes I suppose, but it also means there times with not a single thing makes sense.
Jones often seems to have a problem stay simple, and over complicating his stories. This makes them too long, and instead of adding excitement can actually make for a boring disinterested read.

This never quite gets to that point but I do think the book could have been twenty or thirty pages leaner.
Narrator was great.

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Well written argument

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-08-24

I think I mostly agree with the author, that we over diagnose mental illness in kids. She lays out a sound case.

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Fascinating book with an unfortunate subtitle.

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 09-05-24

There is a lot to recommend this examination of hate crime hoaxing. There is also at least one serious critique.
The book’s examination of the reporting of bias crime hoaxing is quite good. It focuses mostly on hoaxes that depend or otherwise piggyback on left-leaning misapprehensions about bigotry, bias and racism in the modern United States. I think this book was released prior to Jussie Smollett hoax, which is too bad as I’m sure the author would have provided an interesting chapter on that Windy City fiasco.
The author spends a reasonable amount of time dwelling on liberal slant in most media as being a problem when reporting on these incidents long before the facts are all in. When the bias crime is reported, if it fits a certain slanted narrative many the media forget the important “verify” in the adage about trust and verification. The stories are bleeding and this leading, and since they conform to classic liberal narrative about race (for a certain kind of story) the reporting is not critical and the facts assumed.

I think this tendency in liberally slanted media is a product of a couple of tendencies, one bad, one good. The bad tendency is to ignore data when it conflicts with cherished bromides. This causes many reporters to check their critical functions at the door. The second tendency is to assume good faith when people report horrific things. It is humane and kind. But so it “trust but verify.”

The other major problem is the short treatment the author gives to right wing flavored hoaxes. He does address them. But not in the kind of detail he should have. One thing that has grown since Dawn of the Meme ages is the proliferation on social media of bullshit identity bias hoaxing from the right and left. I see so much right wing hoaxing (that doesn’t rise to the level of a Smollet) but that has to eat at the critical thinking functions of many on the right. I would love to see a companion book to this that illustrates how right wing false claims damage our national discourse too. I know the author brings it up a lot in interviews.

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All that is unknown and not reported on

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 09-04-24

Schrier has compiled an eye opening piece of work. There was a great deal I had not read about the subject. Schrier’s book is the first work I’ve read that explored the consequences of early use of puberty blockers in minors, and why that might lock in a medical pathway rather than “buy time to think.” The book also examines in some detail the potential serious side effects that attend the off label use of puberty blockers.

The author is at times snarkier than may be helpful for a book like this, but it is easy to understand the exasperation.
Solid work anyone interested should read.

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Book

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-28-24

This is my 8th time reading this book and has not gotten old in the slightest

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Thoughtful, humane, reasonable

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-29-24

The issues Stock tackles are certainly topical, have become a flashpoint in the culture wars -especially in the US- but also in the UK. Stock is not a culture warrior, but she is a thoughtful feminist, and her arguments, and objections to current orthodoxy on the left (and right) are worth hearing. This is true whatever political space you are in.

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The Abroad Experience

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-05-24

I’m glad Chris elected to read his book rather than hiring a narrator. The listening experience basically felt like I was tagging along, JR Pass in hand, on his adventures. It immediately brought my own memories of Japan to mind, as well as a desire to plan new trips. Great read/listen. Many stars!

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A necessary examination of Christian Nationalism

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 09-29-23

The Christian Nationalist/Christian Right movement begins with a defense of racism and a basic rejection of the principles of charity offered in some of the gospels by Jesus some of the time. The retcon that the movement was a response to Roe V Wade happened slowly over time. What galvanized the evangelical nationalists was actually a defense of the racist policies of Bob Jones. So argues the author. This book is worth your time because Balmer also supports this hypothesis with facts and primary sources.

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