education

I've not yet read this book, but I'll give it 5 stars anyway since he was on Laura Ingraham's radio program a couple of days ago and was very impressive. I had two sons go to college, and one graduated law school. They both went as conservatives and the last 3 years, they were most certainly indoctrinated by left-wing radical professors. I saw the changes first-hand. Call me a paranoid evil conservative, but I'm a mom who knew her sons when they left, and hardly do now that they've had their brains laundered. It's not that they've lost all their values, but they definitely are leaning more left in some of their views now than they were before. They're both smart, and I know they'll not forget their roots of Midwest values they were raised with, but it has been difficult of late talking about things like we used to just 3 years ago. They're very much more P.C. which is the most disturbing, because the more P.C. this country becomes, the more dishonest we have to be with eachother for sheer fear of being deemed hatemongers, racists, bigots, homophobes, you name it. PJ O'Rourke managed to live through college and as he said, "At least I was never a liberal. I went from Republican, to Communist, right back to Republican." I know my sons will survive as they live in the real world and meet real challeges. The leftwing garbage will make it's rapid exit from their brilliant minds the farther they get from their socialist professors. 5 stars BEN!

It figures...liberals attempt to quash debate on an important issue by slandering a book they obviously haven't read. The fact that Ben Shapiro excites such vitriol from the "open minds" of the left can mean but one thing: This book is worth reading! Anything liberals hate is good! That, by the way, is a fundamental reality principle. Write it down and memorize it. Anywho, here's the truth, from a 56-year-old who's written 10 books himself (check out the Amazon reviews, if you need proof of this reviewer's credentials): "Brainwashed" is great, informative stuff. It's heavily factual, delightfully funny, and a devastating attack on America's socialist-run propaganda mills, also known as America's colleges and universities, especially those that are funded by taxpayers, most of whom would become libertarian tax refusers if they read Shapiro's book. Topic by topic, Shapiro addresses the issues of the day, explaining how each is twisted by a faculty dominated by people who hate America and all that it stands for and want to remake it in their own warped image. If these other liberal reviewers don't like Shapiro, that's their business, but to sabotage the reviewing system is the act of an intellectual midget. In fact, after reading Shapiro's book, I'd be not the least bit surprised to discover that the one-star reviews contained herein weren't submitted by nervous "America is the Great Satan" professors attempting to do on Amazon.com what they do on campus: to wit, brainwash. I sense that big things are to come from this young man. Keep an eye on him. He rocks!

Mr. Shapiro trots out the tired and worn out thesis, a favorite of conservatives since at least the 1950s, that the higher education system is throughly awash with liberals and their students are brainwashed into accepting their world view. As proof of this he cites an exit poll of UCLA students that voted in the 2000 election. According to the poll 84% said they voted for Gore. Mr. Shapiro takes this to indicate they are all liberal and a vote for Gore makes you a liberal.

However no where in the book are far left critiques of the American two party system examined that would undermine Mr. Shapiro's contention that a vote for Gore makes you a liberal. Gore Vidal says the Republicans & Democrats constitute the "money party" and are virtually indistinguishable, Michael Moore states that during the 2000 presidential debates both candidates agreed so much there was no difference and various Communists and Socialists believe both parties are tools of large corporations. Their critiques, right or wrong, don't even enter into his world view. But in his simplistic view of liberal and conservative thought this doesn't even matter that the left is far more diverse than he would care to admit. I wonder if his angst over college voting not representing the 50% of the population that voted for Gore extends to white evangelical protestants that will vote in droves for Bush in a far higher proportion than the rest of the country?