American Vulgar: The Politics of Manipulation Versus the Culture of Awareness
Robert Grudin is a lyrical philosopher. From Time and the Art of Living to The Grace of Great Things and On Dialogue, he has tackled the traditional subjects of classic philosophy with a beautiful prose style in work fueled by American pragmatism and metaphysical exploration. In American Vulgar, Grudin examines postwar developments in American social consciousness, as we have veered from the nineteenth-century ideal of the commonwealth to the contemporary fixation on the individual -- what others have described as the culture of narcissism. Grudin identifies how easily misled individuals can be by a class of professional manipulators -- politicians, marketers, advertisers, and the like. He demonstrates the calculated effort to diminish and demean broad national awareness, a project of vulgarization. Illustrating its effects in several areas of common daily life, he shows how this dumbing-down of the electorate has bred an epidemic and self-destructive ignorance. Grudin believes that only a rebirth of individual awareness can repair this damage and in this book sets about to explore the avenues renewed consciousness may take to save individuals from the death of mass vulgarity. American Vulgar paints a distressing portrait, but leaves us with hope, offering several possibilities for repair and salvation.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1593761023
ISBN13:9781593761028
Release Date:July 2006
Publisher:Counterpoint LLC
Length:208 Pages
Weight:0.68 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.6" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Remain a slave to the truths of others or find liberty -- it's your choice
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
If you choose to live under the illusions of mass-marketing -- or under the yoke of slavery to dishonest government -- or behind the bars of your own ignorance, then you should NOT read this book. Only people who yearn to find broader awareness and deeper understanding of how the world works should read this. Everyone else can just stay where they are in their own chosen confinements of the life they choose and be satisfied with that immediate gratification of ignorance...following the paths that sharks, conmen, and highway robbers of our culture would have you believe. This is the choice that American Vulgar offers. It is the choice that every day of life offers you. Grudin's new book lays it out in cool, concise vision. He carries the vision of a philosopher who cuts through the nonesenes that almost every institution in our American culture spreads and uses to twist our sense of truth, dignity, and honesty...all for the sake of power, money... Read this book and become aware. Live free. Live outside "the Matrix"
Bullseye
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
I'm only halfway through and continue in amazment. Grudin has perfectly described the American condition and provided me with the lexicon to describe it to others. Why was I so bothered by Celebrity Boxing? I knew it was wrong but I couldn't put into words. What has bothered me about "professional" wrestling all these years, why do people watch the crap they watch on TV... Grudin answers this and more.
Use AMERICAN VULGAR to understand this nature, and how it manipulates
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
American Vulgar: the Politics of Manipulation Versus the Culture of Awareness is a call to action against forces of corruption which has permeated American society from the top down. It argues that marketers, political candidates, the media and others have succeeded in diminishing American self-awareness to maximize power - and it identifies these forces and how to act against them. Vulgarity can be overcome, philosopher and academic scholar Robert Grudin maintains: but only if its nature is understood. Use AMERICAN VULGAR to understand this nature, and how it manipulates: high school to college-level students in particular will find AMERICAN VULGAR key to debates surrounding social and political issues and accountability. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
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