2008 Woodie Awards
The Assault on Reason
Book Review
Andy Scagnelli
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Opinion
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Former Vice-President Al Gore takes full aim at the administration of President George W. Bush in his new non-fiction work, The Assault on Reason. Reason, Gore argues, is missing from the democratic conversation. The resulting silence has created a political atmosphere of apathy and abuse, extending in some shape or form around the globe, and has largely turned the population into mere witnesses with little to no effect on the nation as a whole. Gore mixes an assault on the Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies into an attack on the mainstream media, all in order to support his primary argument that the greatest change in the political landscape will be the rise of the internet in mainstream culture.
Gore's first target is the mainstream media. His argument is not that the actual reporting most news sources is slanted to the left or to the right, but rather that television and radio exist as an almost totally one-way source of information. Rather than allowing for a true conversation, these mainstream forms of media dictate to an audience the goings-on of the world. Gore argues that since the Nixon-era repeal of laws requiring differing viewpoints to be given equal airtime, the rate of public discourse has dropped dramatically, the side effect of which is the rise of commentators who either approve of or reject any policies simply based on their party affiliation. This side effect was greatly exploited by the conservatives in the political spectrum, allowing them to reach a large audience and unquestioningly wave away serious shortcomings, act as administration mouthpieces and attack or insult political opponents.
The other major point of contention, the current administration's foreign policies, also is picked apart piece by piece. Gore's major lingering point is that the administration used fear to displace reason from the democratic discussion, and played on this fear to lead the nation into Iraq. Through the course of the book, he systematically takes apart the administration's arguments for war piece-by-piece, carefully using only intelligence that was known at the time any decisions were made.
While Gore makes some astute observations when he talks about the one-sidedness of the political discourse, his arguments against the administration come across as too much of a pile-on and ultimately lower the tone of the whole book. Although Gore refrains from mudslinging, his relentless attacks eventually stray further and further from his central point of a lack of reason. Ultimately, the book is a very worthwhile read due to its political aptitude and interesting discussion on the involvement of the people in democracy.
Gore's first target is the mainstream media. His argument is not that the actual reporting most news sources is slanted to the left or to the right, but rather that television and radio exist as an almost totally one-way source of information. Rather than allowing for a true conversation, these mainstream forms of media dictate to an audience the goings-on of the world. Gore argues that since the Nixon-era repeal of laws requiring differing viewpoints to be given equal airtime, the rate of public discourse has dropped dramatically, the side effect of which is the rise of commentators who either approve of or reject any policies simply based on their party affiliation. This side effect was greatly exploited by the conservatives in the political spectrum, allowing them to reach a large audience and unquestioningly wave away serious shortcomings, act as administration mouthpieces and attack or insult political opponents.
The other major point of contention, the current administration's foreign policies, also is picked apart piece by piece. Gore's major lingering point is that the administration used fear to displace reason from the democratic discussion, and played on this fear to lead the nation into Iraq. Through the course of the book, he systematically takes apart the administration's arguments for war piece-by-piece, carefully using only intelligence that was known at the time any decisions were made.
While Gore makes some astute observations when he talks about the one-sidedness of the political discourse, his arguments against the administration come across as too much of a pile-on and ultimately lower the tone of the whole book. Although Gore refrains from mudslinging, his relentless attacks eventually stray further and further from his central point of a lack of reason. Ultimately, the book is a very worthwhile read due to its political aptitude and interesting discussion on the involvement of the people in democracy.