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Muzzled: The Assault On Honest Debate (2011)

by Juan Williams(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0307952010 (ISBN13: 9780307952011)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Crown

review 1: If you think political discussion in this country has become too much "us vs. them, if you're not with us you're against us" then you'll probably enjoy this book as a history on how we got here. Additionally, there are good examples of how both sides, Left and Right, aren't really doing anything about it, despite complaining about the other side. Unfortunately, this book is light on ways to improve national debate. Would recommend to anyone looking for information to help them pick a workplace politics fight.
review 2: First, a disclaimer. I read an occasional book about politics, but am in no way a political junkie. That might be why I loved this book so much. Juan Williams always struck me as an inoffensive news analyst. He never ranted and raved, and I co... moreuld usually understand his point of view even if I didn't agree with it. And NPR (when my radio could pick up a station) was often my station of choice. They had interesting programming, and I could do other things while I listened. My other disclaimer is, I line up more with the "conservative" label. Juan Williams has been placed on the spectrum (by someone!) as to the left of center.When I heard that he had been fired from NPR over something he had said, and then over just what he had said, my respect for NPR plummeted. Of all the left-wing liberal mouthpieces out there, that they would get rid of their one sound commentator left me with an "I don't believe it!" feeling in the pit of my stomach. Doesn't NPR live for tolerance, diversity and all that jazz? If Williams were white, maybe, but he's a "person of color." Their action screamed hypocrisy.Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate begins with the story behind his firing. The subsequent chapters deal with various ways our culture muzzles civil discourse and exchange of ideas. Williams clearly and accurately identifies the problem in America's political arena and media. Again, I didn't always agree with his analysis of the "why" or the "how" but he is fairly accurate. He recalled many incidents in the news and the halls of Congress that I had long forgotten. Several reviewers I read stated he was short on solution. I think his solution is we should all just sit down and be polite and listen to each other. On one hand he is right, but the reality is (and he mentions this several times) that ratings of news shows decline without plenty of drama, name calling and general rancor. And, I honestly don't believe every problem is solved by meeting in the middle. Sometimes a person has to stand for something that appears extreme by the other side. He addresses the topic of political correctness to the point that he accuses the "conservatives" of using their own brand of pc. (I'm using quotation marks around the "politically correct" labels which I don't like nor relate to!) He labeled certain politicians "moderate" that I consider to the far side of left, for example. To him, moderate is good. I would recommend this book to anyone of any political persuasion who is interested in the climate of America. I stopped watching television in 2000 (following the presidential election) because I couldn't get a clear report. Newscasters were telling me what I should do, who I should vote for, and what would happen to our country if a certain result was attained. This book was a breath of fresh air, because I realized I'm not the only person who feels disenchanted. Now to find someone I can talk about politics with, without having my head bit off! less

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