Synopses & Reviews
Debunking Glenn Beck: How to Save America from Media Pundits and PropagandistS≪/i> was written in response to Beck's Arguing with IdiotS≪/i>. Its most immediate concern is with exploring the agenda behind Beck's arguments and exposing the flaws in his reasoning. But this book's real mission is something much broader. Using Beck as an example, author Karl Rogers also shows why media reform is so vital to the future of democracy.
To make that case, Dr. Rogers offers a detailed discussion of the ideas and ideology at work in Beck's arguments, revealing how the well-known conservative pundit has distorted and twisted facts to misrepresent American history, the meaning of progressivism, and even the U.S. Constitution. The book examines topics ranging from the Second Amendment to health care, education, housing, the Supreme Court, unions, democracy, and government. It concludes by explaining how Americans can revitalize the Constitution as a living document and, by doing so, revitalize public debate and democracy itself.
Review
"The culture and spirit of democracy depend on dialogue---listening with the possibility of being changed, and speaking with the hope of being heard. In this necessary book, Karl Rogers relies on the solid ground of evidence and argument to oppose the faith-based, fact-free twistificationS≪/i> of Glenn Beck, and by extension the entire army of noisy bloviators polluting the air."
< p="">Bill Ayers, author of < i=""> Teaching Toward Democracy < i=""> <> < p=""> <>
Review
"Karl Rogers is meticulous in dismantling one of the most irresponsible and irrational voices on the far right. The author is particularly effective in refuting Beck's uninformed, half-baked theories on the meaning and origins of the Constitution of the United States." < p="">Dane Smith, President, Growth & Justice <>
Review
"Rogers offers progressive-minded Americans ample ammunition to counter the often spurious arguments perpetuated by the right-wing. Brimming with historical fact and incisive constitutional analysis, DGB not only exposes Glenn Beck for the charlatan that he is, but is indispensable reading for those seeking to better understand the conceptual ideals of true democracy."
< p="">Viktoria Byczkiewicz, University of Southern California <> < p=""> <>
Review
"Debunking Glenn Beck is a thoroughly accessible, forward-thinking, and highly recommended critical treatise." - Midwest Book Review
Synopsis
Taking the example of Glenn Beck as a media pundit and propagandist, this timely and provocative book shows how mainstream media fails in its duty—and explains what the American people can do about it.
Synopsis
• Draws on history, political philosophy, and law to take on Glenn Beck's arguments and show their flaws
• Transcends Beck's message to address broader issues ranging from gun control to health care
• Offers authoritative insights for readers interested in and concerned about the state of public debate and democracy in America
• Aims to rediscover the history and meaning of the U.S. Constitution
Synopsis
• A foreword by Harvey Sarles, professor of cultural studies and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota
• An index