I started reading this book on company time when it I found it sitting around at werk. KRS-One once said,“knowledge rules supreme,” and taking such advice I figured it wouldn't hurt to read something by this porknob (hell, probably not even fashionably, y'all know what I'm about). Sure, he's told us what he really thinks, but how does he stand-up in print; when he can't tower his football ass over people and tell them to shut up. Besides, my mom has been getting 100% behind Fox News ever since they said “God”, so it's probably a good idea to bone up. She was never a patriot before Fox News had it's Post-9/11 rise, however, her Evangelical Christianity and America are now totally linked together. I've grown tired of explaining to her that I'm not pro-terrorist just because I don't like Neo-Liberals our foreign policy or God. So honestly, it's probably a better idea for me to have read this book than not to. I devoted most of my time to reading this only while I was struggling with slaphappy insomia, so it took me about a year to read it. It did serve the purpose of putting me to sleep. If anything, that says something about O”Reilly's skill at transferring his blowhard, reactionary tactics to print and about him as about him as a writer. It also makes this review kind of hard to write because I can't recall all I read. No...I didn't take notes. Anyway, just going from memory, O'Reilly, is really good at finding shit to get him onto your side and to divide the Right from the Left and the Middle. For instance, he's able to find find cases of the “War On Christmas” (still one of the world's funniest catch-phrases) that I have to agree with him on. His examples are hard to argue with, such as a case in the private sector where someone wasn't allowed to put Christmas lights on their house or something like that. Or cases about the ACLU defending child molesters as mentally-ill and letting them go free as victims rather than to be convicted. If this is true fuck the ACLU, ya know. I'm not cool with them taking on dirtbags on the principle of civil liberties either. So yeah, he's kind of tricky. He throws everyone who isn't a right-wing douchebag under the umbrella term Secular-Progressive saying they are working to undermine the Judeo-Christian Tradionalist values of this country. This is bullshit, because he's making up a word here. One to use as a catch-all term for people who are against his Conservative agenda. At least, his people like to be called Conservatives and we call them their own term (of course, I did call them douchebags earlier, which I acknowledge if it comes down to splitting hairs). I'm a radical actually am trying to undermine the values of America (a word, I try not to recognize, because I don't believe in borders) and I resent being thrown into a box with garden variety liberals and, apparently, child molester apologists and every one else that I don't really feel that I have much common ground with politically or socially. A lot of this book is actually more about O'Reilly's megalomania than politics at all. There are so many pages devoted to him just bragging about how how he's such a bad-ass journalist that he gets attacked by the New York Times and Warren Beatty and how he's such a Rambo of “Cultural Warrior” and how much everybody is afraid of him. He's just a 6' 4” blowhard bully who's so pent-up he has to sexually harass his secretary over the phone. Or was it an intern? I guess I should get my facts straight before I end up another example of Secular-Progressive spin-doctoring. Now I'm faced with a problem, I have this book and I don't want to give it away, because I don't want to spread his message any further, but I also don't want believe in throwing books away. Liberal, er...Secular Progressive problems.
Culture warrior is a book aimed at traditionalist thought and the fight against the "secular progressive movement," which is a cause aimed at changing America from a free-market capitalist society into a mostly socialized socitey. The book begins with a fictional "State of the Union Address from year 2020 and president Gloria Hernandez" in which she outlines America's new position in the world as secular humanism where a mostly Socialized Government takes control of America and is the birth of the "Human Race." Although this utopian society sounds all well and fine, O'reilly spends the next fourteen chapters outlining who the players of this movement are and what their process are. He points out the Culture War that is going on between traditionalist thought and secular progressivism. I decided to read the audiobook when I realized that O'reilly would be the narrator. Absolutely a good idea as he added inflection and used sarcams the way it is meant to be heard and not read. All in all it was a great book and I reccomend it to many of the people who think that your local news station is giving you the truth and unbiased information. Just look at the current election. . .you cannot deny that Barack Obama hasn't dominated the newscasts regardless of the day's activities. Chances are, your local news station or local newspaper have undoubtedly so decided FOR YOU who the next president will be.
What do You think about Culture Warrior (2006)?
Not being much of a TV watcher, I have had limited exposure to O'Reilly, and got a lot of info about him from my Mom in her final years as she was a devout fan. When I visited with her, She would always ask, "Did you see the O'Reilly guy last night?" When I said no she would admonish me with"You should watch him, he's right a lot more than he's wrong."Now I know what she was talking about. O'Reilly is right on with his take on the Progressive/Traditionalist war currently going on in our Society. This is a book that should be required reading for anyone who has little clue as to what is going on in America today. Should be read by everyone, actually. Probably help those understand in about 5 years when we no longer exist as a free society and wonder, "What happened?"
—Bob
A very interesting book, and one that definately gives me a lot to think about. I'm a person who is very grateful and appreciative of what this country has given me the opportunity to do. I believe the country was founded on good, solid principles. I don't want to see the principles our founding fathers fought for disappear, and thus, if what Mr. O'Reilly says is true, I have cause to worry! I see Bill O'Reilly attacked and villanized so much that it's interesting, and very informative to get his point of view and his side to the argument. I love his writing style, and I believe he writes the same way that he speaks (which, in my mind, lends honesty to his words). And to a certain degree, I appreciate what he's trying to do and what he's fighing for! I may not always agree with his methods or his temper, but I appreciate what he's fighting for!Excellent book!
—Kevin Hanks
This was a rather quick but insightful read into Secular Progressives and Traditionalist-O'Reilly gets down to how progressives operate, who are some of its biggest founders and a bit of history of the movement, he talks about how he is a culture warrior and gives the reader the tools to combat secular progressivism in a civilized way. Can't wait to read his other books. Learned a lot about some guy name Laikoff who hails out of Berkley, CA. I might have to read his book-in fact, O'reilly says all traditionalist should read it. Oh, many on the left have slammed O'Reilly about gay rights and marriage-in his book he is okay with a gay couple raising orphaned children-he is Catholic but this is something he has parted ways with his faith. That was an eye opener-got it straight from his mouth-and he claims he has a big one! The book is laced with human, but insightful anecdotes. Can't wait to pick up more of his best sellers via NLS Talking Book program.
—Peggy
