New Book : The Death of the Grown-up
Sir Frederick
"The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization"
by Diana West
(August 21, 2007)
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
West, a Washington Times columnist with a hard-line conservative's interest in culture, sounds a dire alarm over an age she sees
marked by the mainstreaming of countercultural behavior. An unprecedented reversal of priorities from parents to children has
occurred since the 1950s, according to West, allowing for structural failures that permitted the behavioral revolutions of the 1960s
to go forward unimpeded. To support her case, West draws on sources generally weighted to the right end of the political spectrum,
like Robert Bork and Daniel Pipes. Her examination of the social repercussions of a new youth market would be better grounded within
the context of the transformations in postwar American society, but she focuses instead on the negative aspects of these large and
complex changes, without reflecting on her underlying assumptions. In her view, the prolonged adolescence of baby boomers has left
America open to an insidious Islamization of culture via a misconceived political correctness that can't recognize the dehumanizing
ideology of that religion. West, a vocal purveyor of distrust toward Islamic cultures, lays nothing less than the decline of Western
civilization on the American counterculture, making her argument compelling only to those already in her corner. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Diana West’s analysis of American culture and society is filled with sharp insights and critical judgments that are illuminating
and provocative. The Death of the Grown-Up delivers an honest perspective on the many forces and pressures challenging 21st century
Americans.”
—Lou Dobbs, CNN
“The most intriguing question about American culture today--even more intriguing than, "When and why did men start to hug each
other?"--is the question Diana West tackles in this penetrating and witty book: "When and why did Americans decide to stop growing
up?" Actually, I have a depressing feeling that the two questions are related.”
—George F. Will
”This is a vigorously argued, far-reaching and timely book which should be read especially by those content to drift along with the
noxious tide of fashion.”—Paul Johnson
“Diana West's brilliant and irreverent skewering of America's fixation on youth is a wake-up call for every individual who wants to
see Western civilization endure. West makes the provocative case that a mass cultural obsession with perpetual adolescence has
eliminated adulthood from the human experience, leaving our society effectively undefended as we confront the challenges ahead,
especially the menace of Islamofascism.”—Tony Blankley
“With keen wit and unparalleled insight, Diana West traces the national decline of adulthood and the rise of the permanent
adolescent class in American life. From James Dean to Elvis to Bill Clinton, from "anything goes" to "whatever," un-parents have
succumbed to the Teen Age. But what makes West's invaluable analysis stand apart is her connection of the death of the grown-up to
the post-9/11 political, intellectual, and moral paralysis that imperils us today. Her impassioned message: We cannot defend our
identity if we have no clue about who we were and are and should be. We cannot defend our existence as long as we mollycoddle a
generation of self-absorbed brats. West administers an overdue spanking to the cultural relativists: Wise up or we will all pay
dearly.”
—Michelle Malkin
“This is a brilliant book that devastatingly dissects our politically correct society. In a book that will be read for generations,
Diana West has written one of the most important books on our culture, politics and society that I have ever read. Diana has
masterfully recognized and explained how certain trends within Western culture have fundamentally altered Western identity and
weakened our resolve to combat a fierce enemy, radical Islam. A must read for anyone
who wants to understand why, all too often, many in the West are apologetic when confronted with the excesses of radical Islam and
what we need to do to win the war on terror. This is a phenomenal book that will truly alter the way you view society. It is
masterful.”—Steven Emerson
”Diana West has written a book not to be missed by anyone concerned about the future of America and the West. With wide- ranging
scholarship and a lucid and sprightly prose style, she chronicles and analyzes the unprecedented transfer of cultural authority from
adults to teenagers. The unhappy consequences range from the obliteration of traditional standards in almost all areas of life to a
multicultural relativism that lowers our defenses against elements of a civilization that would destroy us. West has mounted a
much-needed counterattack in the service of Western values and common sense.”—Judge Robert Bork
chatnoir
> http://www.amazon.com/Death-Grown-up-Americas-Development-Civilizatio...
>
> "The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization"
> by Diana West
> (August 21, 2007)
> Editorial Reviews
>
> From Publishers Weekly
> West, a Washington Times columnist with a hard-line conservative's interest in culture, sounds a dire alarm over an age she sees
> marked by the mainstreaming of countercultural behavior. An unprecedented reversal of priorities from parents to children has
> occurred since the 1950s
But that is what the Republican Driven Corporate world wants! They
market to children - the weak link! They buy shelf space at the eye
level of children to increase their sales! This is no Hippy left
over, this is a cynical corporate driven policy!
California Poppy
> On Aug 31, 11:40 pm, Sir Frederick <mmcne...@fuzzysys.com> wrote:
>
Thanks for posting this, Sir Frederick. I need some time to read and
ponder it.
mg
>
> "The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization"
> by Diana West
> (August 21, 2007)
> Editorial Reviews
>
> From Publishers Weekly
> West, a Washington Times columnist with a hard-line conservative's interest in culture, sounds a dire alarm over an age she sees
> marked by the mainstreaming of countercultural behavior. An unprecedented reversal of priorities from parents to children has
> occurred since the 1950s, according to West, allowing for structural failures that permitted the behavioral revolutions of the 1960s
> to go forward unimpeded. To support her case, West draws on sources generally weighted to the right end of the political spectrum,
> like Robert Bork and Daniel Pipes. Her examination of the social repercussions of a new youth market would be better grounded within
> the context of the transformations in postwar American society, but she focuses instead on the negative aspects of these large and
> complex changes, without reflecting on her underlying assumptions. In her view, the prolonged adolescence of baby boomers has left
> America open to an insidious Islamization of culture via a misconceived political correctness that can't recognize the dehumanizing
> ideology of that religion. West, a vocal purveyor of distrust toward Islamic cultures, lays nothing less than the decline of Western
> civilization on the American counterculture, making her argument compelling only to those already in her corner. (Aug.)
> Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
>
> Review
>
> "Diana West's analysis of American culture and society is filled with sharp insights and critical judgments that are illuminating
> and provocative. The Death of the Grown-Up delivers an honest perspective on the many forces and pressures challenging 21st century
> Americans."
>
> "The most intriguing question about American culture today--even more intriguing than, "When and why did men start to hug each
> other?"--is the question Diana West tackles in this penetrating and witty book: "When and why did Americans decide to stop growing
> up?" Actually, I have a depressing feeling that the two questions are related."
>
> "This is a vigorously argued, far-reaching and timely book which should be read especially by those content to drift along with the
>
> "Diana West's brilliant and irreverent skewering of America's fixation on youth is a wake-up call for every individual who wants to
> see Western civilization endure. West makes the provocative case that a mass cultural obsession with perpetual adolescence has
> eliminated adulthood from the human experience, leaving our society effectively undefended as we confront the challenges ahead,
>
> "With keen wit and unparalleled insight, Diana West traces the national decline of adulthood and the rise of the permanent
> adolescent class in American life. From James Dean to Elvis to Bill Clinton, from "anything goes" to "whatever," un-parents have
> succumbed to the Teen Age. But what makes West's invaluable analysis stand apart is her connection of the death of the grown-up to
> the post-9/11 political, intellectual, and moral paralysis that imperils us today. Her impassioned message: We cannot defend our
> identity if we have no clue about who we were and are and should be. We cannot defend our existence as long as we mollycoddle a
> generation of self-absorbed brats. West administers an overdue spanking to the cultural relativists: Wise up or we will all pay
> dearly."
>
> "This is a brilliant book that devastatingly dissects our politically correct society. In a book that will be read for generations,
> Diana West has written one of the most important books on our culture, politics and society that I have ever read. Diana has
> masterfully recognized and explained how certain trends within Western culture have fundamentally altered Western identity and
> weakened our resolve to combat a fierce enemy, radical Islam. A must read for anyone
> who wants to understand why, all too often, many in the West are apologetic when confronted with the excesses of radical Islam and
> what we need to do to win the war on terror. This is a phenomenal book that will truly alter the way you view society. It is
>
> "Diana West has written a book not to be missed by anyone concerned about the future of America and the West. With wide- ranging
> scholarship and a lucid and sprightly prose style, she chronicles and analyzes the unprecedented transfer of cultural authority from
> adults to teenagers. The unhappy consequences range from the obliteration of traditional standards in almost all areas of life to a
> multicultural relativism that lowers our defenses against elements of a civilization that would destroy us. West has mounted a
There's no doubt that a spoiled, bratty generation has hatched a bunch
of spoiled, bratty children. But there's no reason to associate that
with the Muslims. We're starting to sound like the Germans who
probably also blamed a permissive, previous generation for failing to
recognize the Jewish threat.
Jean Smith
California Poppy <GoldenSt...@aol.com> wrote:
It's just the Republicans needing to blame someone else for their madness.
--
Hereąs a little tip about gratuities
http://www.cleveland.com/schultz/plaindealer/index.ssf?/schultz/more/1.html
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/08/what_the_terror.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,34300,00.html