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More copies of this ISBN:

Sissy Nation: How America Became a Culture of Wimps and Stoopits

by John Strausbaugh

Sissy Nation: How America Became a Culture of Wimps and Stoopits Cover

ISBN13: 9781905264162
ISBN10: 190526416x
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Praised by The New York Times Book Review for being "persuasive [and] provocative," John Strausbaugh reveals in furious, funny, and ferocious strokes how Americans became sissified, soft, and scared — and offers us unforgettable solutions on how to snap out of it.

The American Sissy cocoons in a safe, virtual world — Fundadome. He plays with online friendsters and he plays with himself, anything to abate the growing anxiety about everything from terrorists to sex and spinach, air and water. He votes for sissy leaders, who lash out at the world like bullies — sissies in tough-guy drag. He's so afraid of death and illness he doesn't really live; he medicates and analyzes. And he's so busy following the lives of the rich and famous that he has no time to have a rich and fulfilled life of his own. "I don't mean sissy as girly man versus manly man," Strausbaugh says. "This is not about big biceps. It's about shrinking balls. And unless we stop acting like such sissies, soon enough some lean, angry barbarians from somewhere out Beyond Fundadome are going to overrun us, ramming their bayonets in our fat guts like fingers poking the Pillsbury Doughboy, and we won't be giggling."

Strausbaugh leaves no sacred cow untipped. He is as non-partisan as he is a straight shooter, taking equal aim at Democrats and Republicans, gays and straights, PETA fanatics, and the Christian right. But all is not lost. Sissy Nation offers "modest proposals" for getting back the gumption that made this culture great.

Synopsis:

Praised by the New York Times Book Review for being persuasive and] provocative, John Strausbaugh reveals in furious, funny, and ferocious strokes how Americans became sissified, soft, and scared--and offers us unforgettable solutions on how to snap out of it. The American Sissy cocoons in a safe, virtual world--Fundadome. He plays with online friendsters and he plays with himself, anything to abate the pall of anxiety hanging over his head about everything from terrorists to spinach to air and sunshine. He votes for sissy leaders who bully the world--sissies in tough-guy drag. He's so afraid of death and illness, he doesn't really live--he overmedicates himself and overprotects his kids. And he's so busy preoccupied with the lives of the rich and famous that he forgets all about having a fulfilled life of his own. Strausbaugh leaves no sacred cow untipped. He is as nonpartisan as he is straight shooting, taking equal aim at Democrats and Republicans, gays and straights, PETA fanatics, and the Christian right. But all is not lost. Sissy Nation offers modest proposals for getting back the gumption that made this culture great.

About the Author

"Impassioned yet brilliantly humorous" (London Evening Standard),John Strausbaugh is a contributing writer to The New York Times and lives in New York City.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Dan Starr, June 9, 2008 (view all comments by Dan Starr)
One of the best screeds I've read in a while. Strausbaugh hooked me when he described the devolution of our space program--going from the glory days when we were "banging the moon" with huge white phallic rockets, to the current day when we're just "taking the shuttle in and out of the garage." From there he builds a convincing case that we are becoming a nation of fat, unambitious, hyper-sensitive, politically-correct, always-victimized, fundamentalist, anti-intellectual Sissies living in a virtual reality he calls "Fundadome." Strausbaugh's taking on a mindset and a culture, not any specific politician or group, so he skewers George W Bush and Al Gore, Christian and Muslim fundamentalists, corporatists and "bullsheviks" with equal glee. He's politically incorrect, a bit over the top at times, and consistently rude and impolite, but I think he's on to something. He doesn't really offer any detailed remedies beyond get off yer butt, turn off the computer and get out into the world (well, he offers one alternative that's properly insane, but I don't want to give it away). Maybe that's all we really need.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781905264162
Subtitle:
How America Became a Culture of Wimps & Stoopits
Author:
Strausbaugh, John
Publisher:
Virgin Books
Subject:
General Political Science
Subject:
General
Subject:
Popular Culture
Subject:
National characteristics, american
Subject:
United States - 20th Century
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
Popular Culture - General
Publication Date:
February 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
170
Dimensions:
8.52x5.84x.70 in. .68 lbs.

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