Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era

Over the past twenty or so years few things have infuriated me more than the nonsensical and completely absurd myth of The Liberal Media. If by "liberal" one means "of the left" the media has never been liberal. At best it was solidly in the middle. You might occasionally get some unrepentant New Dealers like Eric Severaid (though he was a terrible sexist), but I am unaware of any mainstream television or print journalist who is more than mildly to the left. Even in the sixties there was no journalist as far to the left as William F. Buckley was to the Right. And today there are dozens of journalists all the way to the lunatic fringe of the Far Right, while there is not a single person who could be described as Far Left. For instance, among the more prominent left-leaning individuals today -- E. J. Dionne, Paul Krugman, Keith Olberman, Gene Lyons, the late Molly Ivins, and similar individuals -- I know of no one who is more than slightly to the left. The Far Left -- people like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Fredric Jameson, Simon Critchley, the late Robert Heilbroner, etc. -- is completely unrepresented. There simply is no place in contemporary mainstream media for anything that is more than tepidly left wing. Yet the Myth of the Liberal Media, one of the great achievements of the Far Right, persists. Somehow no one seems to notice that the Media is corporate owned and therefore largely conforms to the viewpoints and needs of the corporate world. By labeling moderate, middle-of-the-road journalists as "liberals," the Right has effectively shifted the common understanding of the political spectrum. Though a host of individuals holding ultra right wing (and absolutely nutty) positions get their own TV or radio shows, people like Rush Limbaugh, James Dobson, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Bob O'Reilly, Michael Savage (who reminds me of the reviled Father Coughlin), TV and radio has no place for anyone as far to the left as these people are to the right. Not a single one. Not even Air America has a single person to the far left. So the next time anyone babbles to you about the liberal media, ask why there is a complete and utter absence of a far left presence in the media. Enter the Internet. Though most so-called liberal bloggers are not really of the far left, they are definitely to the left of the token liberals TV and radio gives us. But as Markos Zuniga shows in this book the Internet and its left-leaning bloggers have reopened the political debate to those who are left of center. Though the left has been completely suppressed at NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and the various cable networks, it is alive and well on the Internet. Markos should know; he is the force behind one of the most successful blogs on the Internet, DailyKos. The book explores new strategies for the spreading of information, facts and stories that the mainstream media would prefer to ignore. Just as Berkeley said that if a tree fell in a forest and no one was there tha

This book is an interesting and informative look at how activism is changing. It identifies tactics which have been used effectively (such as the use of the internet for fundraising), as well as those which have lost their effectiveness over time (for example, street protests). It lays out very distinctly actions to take and provides examples along the way of both successes and failures. I found it very interesting that Moulitsos holds up the Heritage Foundation as an organization that really gets it, and which other organizations, both conservative and progressive, model themselves after. I wonder if some of the other reviewers have actually read the book - only one of the negative reviews seems to actually address the content of Taking on the System. Taking on the System is filled with stories of victories and failures, and highlights how technology in general (and not just the blogosphere) has changed the playing field. Not all of the examples are related to politics. The book is about getting around gatekeepers, which exist everywhere. I found it to be a very valuable, interesting, and inspirational read.

This seemed like an interesting book on how to play digital culture to the advantage of those seeking to make changes in the political, scientific or social landscape. The book did have a few quirks the author may not have realized, such as talking about enforcing the status quo vs. being the little guy trying to make a point, then going on to say that global warming is "settled science" and that anyone who makes a legitimate point contrary to the scientific consensus is just a troublemaker. Does the author not realize how hypocritical this sounds? Arguing for the inclusion of the little guy's voice in discussions, and then acting like the authoritarian brute and trying to exclude the legitimate opinion of the "little guy" in the global warming debate. Aside from a few foibles of that sort, the book was a pretty interesting read, drawing lots of specific examples from various newspapers, TV shows, liberal blogs, etc. The book itself has a very liberal slant, so anyone who's a die-hard conservative may roll their eyes at some of the discussions. But, political points aside, it seems like a decent enough manual for trying to get one's point across in whatever field there are "gatekeepers" trying to suppress your point of view, etc. While I'm not much into the political sphere, there seems to be a lot of politicking in science, and very similar tactics may be useful in effecting change in scientific circles. The book's probably not for everyone, but it kept my attention and made some interesting points.

Like most people, I don't want to be bothered by politics, but this election is a really big deal. It's time to lift the darkness, and this book has practical ideas for grass roots change that's good for all. It helps also to have a few cautionary tales, and to appreciate the heroic role of Stephen Colbert. Craig

For those of us who sometimes take the internet and blogging for granted, "Taking on the System" is a comprehensive reminder of just how influential ordinary people can become as they open a forum for political debate and spur a grassroots movement for participatory democracy. The Dailykos founder outlines the history of blog sites, their successes and failures, and provides advice and tools to help common citizens exert influence and promote societal change. The book is a clearly written, entertaining glimpse into a new and powerful medium, and one every person intending to vote should read. Sarah McKerrigan, author