Chilling...

[rowangolightly]

I clicked on this Netscape headline during lunch and damnear got indigestion:

http://politics.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/08/06/the-ten-most-harmful-books-of-the-19th-and-20th-century/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.humanevents.com%2Farticle.php%3Fid%3D7591&frame=true

Turns out it's on this site called 'Online Human Events' published by the 'National Conservative Weekly'. Makes for some intersting reading. But I am gonna do my usual "shake my head, ignore the scary and put my energy where it'll actually do some good."

::shakes head::

Guess we shouldn't read anything that might inform us about other ways of thinking, believing or acting even if we don't subscribe to those ideas, huh? Gosh, we might learn something or develop analytical skills or personal discernment or something.

Some of these I've read, some of them I haven't. Wish I'd read all of them.

Ok, that's my, what, second political post ever? Done. Now I'm going back to painting and put on some music for mental floss...want my good mood back.

Comments

[tessagratton.livejournal.com]

I find this freakin hysterical and indicative of the way uber-conservative minds work. I mean, The Communist Manifesto having more harmful impact than Mien Kampf? And Silent Spring by Rachel Carson being on there AT ALL? It's hilarious. Of course they hate Nietzche, but it was really the kiss of death to say "The Nazi's loved Nietzche."

Hey, at least it wasn't MARX who loved Nietzche.

LOL.

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

*lol* Yeah, that whole list of what they find "dangerous" is hilarious....but scary at the same time.

Not worthy judges

[5rings.livejournal.com]

Speaking from a purely academic point of view, The "judges" listed are at best 3rd rate academicians. They aren't worthy to lick Kinsey's boots when it comes to judging scientific method, or scholarly merit. They are the Christian dominionist Taleban. 3rd rate minds wearing shoddy choir robes.
That said, the communist manifesto is a rant from a man who suffered too much. Das Capital was exceedingly immature, and Marx was way outside of any training. He spoke to his suffering. What resulted was immature, but compelling if you don't think about it too hard. True of most revolutionary points of view, including these aforesaid dominionists.

Re: Not worthy judges

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Yes, definitely. I also wondered how many of those judges had actually read all of those books, you know?

[ravenared.livejournal.com]

I have read most of them...
there were a few of them that
very much reflect how the world is now...
I guess the panel wanted things to stay
referring to the realm of women: barefoot and pregnant..
god forbid one should work..or know anything about
sex...and think?...oh no, that's just not allowed
to happen..people are not capable of doing something
as complicated as that
jeez..
some of those were required reading when I was
in college...especially the sociology ones..
so they think sociology/anthropology is dangerous?
morons...
at this rate - there is no hope for the species

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think there is....they are SO not the moral majority they think they are. Neither...moral nor the majority!

Oh, how polite...

[youngraven.livejournal.com]

...they've provided us with a reading list - it's always so time consuming to sort out which books are worth a person's time, and which aren't.

I've got to admit, however, (and my leanings are as pink as they come) I couldn't take the Communist Manifesto seriously.

Re: Oh, how polite...

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking, too.

Good thing it wasn't a list of movies....

[cplady.livejournal.com]

I emailed the link to the article to a friend of mine who has read most of those, I believe. He'll get a great chuckle out of it, I'm sure.

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Undoubtedly...

[wifeofset.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I've actually read the Quotations of Chairman Mao book in translation. I was given a copy that was not translated by one of the individuals who came here to discuss with MSN some of their policies regarding net searches and such in China. I admit to being a bit fascinated that they actually do wear the grey suits and hats in a very "communist" sort of way.

I've..read quite a few of those books. I wonder what that says about me

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

It says that you're well read and concerned with your world...far as I'm concerned anyway.

[blindgeoff.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder though, would the world have been a better place without Das Kapital, Mein Kampf, Mao's 'Little Book,' and The Communist Manifesto?

The notion that Keynes belongs in the same collection though? Or Kinsey? Margaret Mead, for Ghod's sake!?

As for Origin of Species, I invite any and all critics of evolution to consider the following: it is the foundation stone of biology. They should all feel free to eschew these heretical teachings and all they have made possible! Go back to your bloodletting, your childbed fever, and your 'miasmas.' Leave real medical treatment for the rest of us!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Well, I for one, firmly believe that any society, any good society can stand up to any Idea...think on it, consider it, examine it...

Any idea, like power or like any weapon, is not dangerous in and of itself. It all depends on how it is used.

Fabulous icon, BTW...

[oldwolf.livejournal.com]

Huh??? And ta think I read half of those in High School and the other half in college.

[sometimeslibby.livejournal.com]

You know what is absolutely fabulous about that list? I read #1 last fall for Russian history. (Also 3, 6, and 10..) I read 98% of #2 this past spring when I took Hitler and Nazi Germany. #7 I read in the spring as well, for Women's history. So! Because of my classes and that list, I would undoubtly be qualified as a commie nazi dyke. Whoo! (And we won't talk about the research projects involving pulling stories of off al jazeera. Then we could add terrorist to the list or something.)

And most of the rest of those books, along with just about every book listed in my "100 Banned Books" book, I've read just because I felt like it. Damn. Must be a scary liberal nut too, reading books like that.

Whee. In other words: That's the best list ever!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

*giiggle* Yeah, that's kinda what I thought, too.

Hurray for being a scandal!

[shackrlu.livejournal.com]

Wish I'd read them all too! But you know that now they are on this list they might become best sellers again! LOL

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

I have a few to nominate:

Holy Bible: King James Version
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
anything by William J. Bennett
many more too numerous to mention

Oddly, I agree with them about Mein Kampf. But I wouldn't want to prevent anybody from reading it either. Same with the above - anybody should read them to see how dangerous they are.