Download or read book Stupidity in Politics written by Nobutaka Otobe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-10-11 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stupidity permeates our perception and practice of politics. We frequently accuse politicians, bureaucrats, journalists, voters, "elites," and "the masses" for their stupidities. In fact, it is not only "populist politicians," "sensational journalism," and "uneducated voters" who are accused of stupidity. Similar accusations can be, and in fact have been, made concerning those who criticize them as well. It seems that stupidity is ubiquitous, unable to be contained within or attributed to one specific political position, personal trait, or even ignorance and erroneous reasoning Undertaking a theoretical investigation of stupidity, this book challenges the assumption that stupidity can be avoided. Otobe argues that the very ubiquity of stupidity implies its unavoidability—that we cannot contain it in such domains as error, ignorance, or "post-truth." What we witness is rather that one’s reasoning can be sound, evidence-based, and stupid. In revealing this unavoidability, he contends that stupidity is an ineluctable problem not only of politics, but also of thinking. We become stupid because we think: It is impossible to distinguish a priori stupid thought from upright, righteous thought. Moreover, the failure to address the unavoidability of stupidity leads political theory to the failure to acknowledge the productive moments that experiences of stupidity harbor within. Such productive moments constitute the potential of stupidity—that radical new ideas can emerge out of our seemingly banal and stupid thinking in our daily political activity.
Download or read book Stupidity in Politics written by Nobutaka Otobe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Stupidity permeates our perception and practice of politics. We frequently accuse politicians, bureaucrats, journalists, voters, "elites," and "the masses" for their stupidities. In fact, it is not only "populist politicians," "sensational journalism," and "uneducated voters" who are accused of stupidity. Similar accusations can be, and in fact have been, made concerning those who criticize them as well. It seems that stupidity is ubiquitous, unable to be contained within or attributed to one specific political position, personal trait, or even ignorance and erroneous reasoning. Undertaking a theoretical investigation of stupidity, this book challenges the assumption that stupidity can be avoided. Otobe argues that the very ubiquity of stupidity implies its unavoidability - that we cannot contain it in such domains as error, ignorance, or "post-truth." What we witness is rather that one's reasoning can be sound, evidence-based, and stupid. In revealing this unavoidability, he contends that stupidity is an ineluctable problem not only of politics, but also of thinking. We become stupid because we think: It is impossible to distinguish a priori stupid thought from upright, righteous thought. Moreover, the failure to address the unavoidability of stupidity leads political theory to the failure to acknowledge the productive moments that experiences of stupidity harbor within. Such productive moments constitute the potential of stupidity - that radical new ideas can emerge out of our seemingly banal and stupid thinking in our daily political activity"--
Download or read book Democracy and Political Ignorance written by Ilya Somin and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2013-10-02 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the biggest problems with modern democracy is that most of the public is usually ignorant of politics and government. Often, many people understand that their votes are unlikely to change the outcome of an election and don't see the point in learning much about politics. This may be rational, but it creates a nation of people with little political knowledge and little ability to objectively evaluate what they do know. In Democracy and Political Ignorance, Ilya Somin mines the depths of ignorance in America and reveals the extent to which it is a major problem for democracy. Somin weighs various options for solving this problem, arguing that political ignorance is best mitigated and its effects lessened by decentralizing and limiting government. Somin provocatively argues that people make better decisions when they choose what to purchase in the market or which state or local government to live under, than when they vote at the ballot box, because they have stronger incentives to acquire relevant information and to use it wisely.
Download or read book Just How Stupid Are We Large Print 16pt written by Rick Shenkman and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-07 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bestselling historian Rick Shenkman takes aim at the wisdom of the American people. He writes that American voters are misusing, abusing, and abdicating their political power.
Download or read book Bizarre Politics written by Joe Rhatigan and published by Charlesbridge Publishing. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pizza kings, mama bears, fake PAC ads, and obscene tweets: Today's politics seem to have grown crazier--and more contentious--than ever. But is it really any weirder now than it ever was? In a world filled with corruption, lies, and illicit affairs, where the news regularly serves up politicians' gaffes, crimes, and screwups, it's hard to imagine things were ever stranger. Well, guess what? America has a long history of bizarre politics... and it's all here! We invite you into the political loony bin, where you'll encounter dozens of really unlikely candidates, follow campaign trail madness, meet far too many contenders with foot-in-mouth disease, and learn about a host of false promises and lies meant to lure (presumably gullible) voters.
Download or read book Profiles in Ignorance written by Andy Borowitz and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-09-13 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER *WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER * Andy Borowitz, “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly “chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism” (Walter Isaacson) in American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump. Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” (The Wall Street Journal) and “one of the country’s finest satirists” (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report.” Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he delivers “a wittily alarming polemic that tracks the evolution of American politics from grounds for gravitas to festival of idiocy” (The New York Times). Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades. Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
Download or read book The Politics of Stupid written by Susan Powter and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-05-06 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestselling author Susan Powter returns with a real-life, commonsense guide to weight loss, complete with her trademark outrageous, uproarious humor. Susan Powter is back with her finest work yet! The Politics of Stupid is a revolutionary weight-loss program that shows people how they can reclaim their bodies and their brains. From food manufacturers to huge government lobbies to the fitness and diet industries, Powter illuminates why obesity is epidemic, and why millions of people are suffering the unnecessary consequences of being overfat and unfit. Inside this book you will learn: Who is the most powerful consumer in America's $276 billion food industry. Susan Powter's Lifestyle X-change program -- a revolutionary, interactive Web-supported program that tells the simple truth about weight loss and is refreshingly Susan Powter. How to motivate yourself to perform thirty minutes of regular cardio and strength training six days a week and achieve maximum results!
Download or read book Stupidity written by Avital Ronell and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Avital Ronell's work studies the fading empire of cognition, modulating stupidity into idiocy, puerility, and the figure of the ridiculous philosopher instituted by Kant. Investigating ignorance, dumbfoundedness, and the limits of reason, Stupidity probes the pervasive practice of theory-bashing and related forms of paranoid aggression. A section on prolonged and debilitating illness pushes the text to an edge of a corporeal hermeneutics, "at the limits of what the body knows and tells.""--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book It s the Political Economy Stupid written by Gregory Sholette and published by Pluto Press. This book was released on 2013-02-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's the Political Economy, Stupid brings together internationally acclaimed artists and thinkers, including Slavoj Žižek, David Graeber, Judith Butler and Brian Holmes, to focus on the current economic crisis in a sustained and critical manner. Following a unique format, images and text are integrated in a visually stunning bespoke production by activist designer Noel Douglas. What emerges is a powerful critique of the current capitalist crisis through an analytical and theoretical response and an aesthetic-cultural rejoinder. By combining artistic responses with the analysis of leading radical theorists, the book expands the boundaries of critique beyond the usual discourse. It's the Political Economy, Stupid argues that it is time to push back against the dictates of the capitalist logic and, by use of both theoretical and artistic means, launch a rescue of the very notion of the social.
Download or read book The Stupidity of War written by John Mueller and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-04 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative argument shows the consequences of increased aversion to international war for foreign and military policy.
Download or read book Idiot America written by Charles Pierce and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2010-05-04 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER The three Great Premises of Idiot America: · Any theory is valid if it sells books, soaks up ratings, or otherwise moves units · Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough · Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is determined by how fervently they believe it With his trademark wit and insight, veteran journalist Charles Pierce delivers a gut-wrenching, side-splitting lament about the glorification of ignorance in the United States. Pierce asks how a country founded on intellectual curiosity has somehow deteriorated into a nation of simpletons more apt to vote for an American Idol contestant than a presidential candidate. But his thunderous denunciation is also a secret call to action, as he hopes that somehow, being intelligent will stop being a stigma, and that pinheads will once again be pitied, not celebrated. Erudite and razor-sharp, Idiot America is at once an invigorating history lesson, a cutting cultural critique, and a bullish appeal to our smarter selves.
Download or read book The Stupidity Paradox written by Mats Alvesson and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2016-06-02 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Functional stupidity can be catastrophic. It can cause organisational collapse, financial meltdown and technical disaster. And there are countless, more everyday examples of organisations accepting the dubious, the absurd and the downright idiotic, from unsustainable management fads to the cult of leadership or an over-reliance on brand and image. And yet a dose of stupidity can be useful and produce good, short-term results: it can nurture harmony, encourage people to get on with the job and drive success. This is the stupidity paradox. The Stupidity Paradox tackles head-on the pros and cons of functional stupidity. You'll discover what makes a workplace mindless, why being stupid might be a good thing in the short term but a disaster in the longer term, and how to make your workplace a little less stupid by challenging thoughtless conformity. It shows how harmony and action in the workplace can be balanced with a culture of questioning and challenge. The book is a wake-up call for smart organisations and smarter people. It encourages us to use our intelligence fully for the sake of personal satisfaction, organisational success and the flourishing of society as a whole.
Download or read book A Short History of Stupid written by Bernard Keane and published by . This book was released on 2014-12-03 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did everything get so dumb? How did we become hostages to idiocy? What must we do to be freed from a captor whose ransom note simply reads, 'D'oh'? The deteriorating quality of our public debate and the dwindling of common sense in media, politics and culture can drive you to despair and rage. It certainly drove writers Helen Razer and Bernard Keane to a desperate act: befriending each other for long enough to write a book. Join forces with these uneasy allies to fight against a world that has lost its reason. Explore what's behind the remorseless spread of idiocy, and why there's just so much damn Stupid around you. Stupid isn't just ignorance; it's not just laziness. Worse than the absence of thought, Stupid is a virus that drains our productivity and leaves us sick and diminished. And Stupid has a long, complex and terrible past, one we need to understand in order to defeat it. A Short History of Stupid traces the origins of this maddening ill, examining the different ways in which we've been afflicted over the last three thousand years. It damns those who have spread Stupid and celebrates the brave few who resisted. It shows how Stupid tightens the grubby grip of the foolish around our throats. Hilarious, smart, unpleasant, infuriating and rude, A Short History of Stupid is at once a provocation and a comfort. It will spark debate, soothe the terminally frustrated and outrage the righteously Stupid. It is a book whose Stupid time has come.
Download or read book 449 Stupid Things Democrats Have Said written by Ted Rueter and published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. This book was released on 2004-03 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just in time for election season, political science professor and admitted political junkie Ted Rueter has compiled 449 stupid quotes, from Democrats and Republicans, drawn from a wide variety of sources, with full citations. Subjects include equality, mass transportation, aging, and hookers.
Download or read book The Ruling Asses written by Stephen Robins and published by Prion (GB). This book was released on 2005-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What better antidote to our post-presidential-election weariness than this stupendous anthology of political inanities? In this current climate of spin and soundbites, there has been a deluge of choice pickings. Ranging from Abortion to Armed Forces, Grammar to Gun Control, Media to Morality, Terrorism to Transportation, and the Welfare State to Women at Work, The Ruling Asses is chock-full of one-liners that will have you laughing out loud...or running back to the voting booth.
Download or read book Unusually Stupid Politicians written by Kathryn Petras and published by Villard. This book was released on 2009-03-12 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras, bestselling authors of the scathingly funny Unusually Stupid Americans and Unusually Stupid Celebrities, now set their bipartisan sights on the hallowed halls of the United States government. Unusually Stupid Politicians exposes the mind-boggling but true political mishaps, missteps, and miscues that have even the savviest spin doctors shaking their heads and saying “No comment.” Sections include • Extreme Hairsplitting–such as when Florida governor Jeb Bush, after being accused of hiding in a closet from rampaging Democrats, denied the allegation completely, stating that “it was actually a boiler room” • Brilliant and Innovative Ideas from The Pentagon– like their groundbreaking "Gay Bomb," their "Bad Breath Inducing" halitosis weapon and their plans to enlist The Three Stooges in the fight against terror. • Creative Political Excuses——such as “I just discovered I’m Jewish and it’s a Holy Day,”——used by Senator George Allen, who, after learning of his Jewish heritage, got out of a Senate hearing to “observe” Yom Kippur • The Most Egregiously Large Political Egos–measured in standard Chuck Schumer Ego Units (CSEUs) This hilarious and eye-opening exposé gives awards for “How I Blew My Campaign” and “Worst Campaign Ad,” and shares a list of candidates “endorsed by God,” as well as a list of those who lost because of Satan. So turn off C-SPAN and quit text-messaging congressional pages–you’re about to learn what the definition of “is” is.
Download or read book It s the Leader Stupid written by Andrew Adonis and published by . This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Leadership is what matters above all in politics: everything else is secondary." Leaders dominate coverage of political history and election campaigns and there is hardly a historian or election analyst who doesn't attribute importance to leadership. But the argument of this book is different. It is that leaders are basically all that matter to the course of politics. In this incisive group portrait of many of the foremost leaders of modern states which are now democracies, from Churchill and Lincoln to Biden and Modi, Andrew Adonis analyses the fundamentals of political leadership in western politics. All the leaders in this book shaped their nations and eras in significant ways, often in their own image and through sharp conflict with rival leaders with radically different agendas. Dramatic and novel accounts of the battles between Gladstone and Marx, and Stalin and Bevin, illuminate the impact of the political struggle between rival leaders on the fate of liberty, constitutions and social and economic structures within as much as between different nations in each generation. Drawing on three decades of experience of politics and government, as historian and journalist and as a politician himself, Adonis offers a stimulating account of modern politics and many of the leaders who shaped it, for good or ill. Each essay is a nugget of insight about the extraordinary human beings engaged in one of the most central activities of modern societies : the leadership of nations.
