From Publishers Weekly
Self-proclaimed lesbian pro-choice feminist Bruce, ex-president of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW and author of The New Thought Police, blames the decline of civilization on other lesbian pro-choice feminists in this lurid right-wing screed. Bruce argues that multiculturalism, identity politics and "relativism" have turned American society into a "moral vacuum" incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, a reflection of the "malignant narcissism" of an all-powerful "Left Elite." With an apostate's zeal, she pillories the Feminist Elite's hatred of men, marriage and motherhood, the Black Elite's championing of violent rap, the Gay Elite's "grab for children" by insinuating let-it-all-hang-out sex-ed programs into schools, the Academic Elite's nihilism and anti-Americanism, and the Entertainment Elite's "moral depravity beyond measure." Bruce revels in trashing radical excess (performance artists are a favorite) and does point out, crudely, some of the contradictory currents of left ideology. But her own critique lacks coherence. She lumps together such disparate figures as Bill Clinton, Mumia Abu-Jamal and the "moral terrorist" Ozzy Osbourne as emblems of a monolithic Left. She decries academics' rejection of all moral values, but when they do express a moral judgment-by condemning America's "ethnic cleansing" of Indians, or the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans-they are guilty of "morally killing" America's "heroes." She complains of being "demonized" by leftists, then describes said leftists as a "diseased seed" who "hate themselves and hate this country." "I now realize that conservatives who disagree with me also have good points," she avers. Too bad she won't extend that courtesy to her opponents on the left. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Rush Limbaugh would call Bruce a liberal who got mugged by reality, but she didn't become a conservative. The former L.A. chapter president of NOW is still a lesbian feminist liberal, but she has seen the truth about the Left Elite (her term)--that is, the powers that be in feminism, gay rights, civil rights, and sex education as well as throughout the judiciary, the entertainment media, and American university faculties. The Left Elite enrages Bruce because, not content with achieving equal rights, it wants to stand morality on its head. It is as if these people belonged to a "church of malignant narcissism," the guiding principle of which is self-validation at all costs (really never having to say you're sorry). Anti-Christian apologists for self-gratification, they push the sexual objectification of children (e.g., euphemizing pedophilia as "child-adult sex"), idolize convicted murderer Mumia Abu-Jamal--and that's just for starters! Bruce presents the evidence of cultural warfare pretty comprehensively and makes her take on it feisty, riveting reading. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Ms. Bruce smashes the facades of "Tolerance," "Understanding," and other Leftist slogans to reveal the ugly truth of their agenda. As a gay activist and former president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization of Women, she witnessed firsthand the Left's attempts to undermine our millennia-old code of morals and values, aided by politically biased media and academia. And if the news headlines of today are any indication, they're winning the culture war. Unless we act now, we are doomed at the hands of special interest groups on the Left who want nothing more than to undermine our ability to judge right from wrong in order to foist their own selfish, anything-goes society on the rest of us. This book reveals what they're doing, how they're doing it, and what we can do to restore decency in our society." You'll discover powerful tools in these pages to help you understand the psychology of the Left - what makes them tick and, more importantly, how to stop them from eroding our values completely.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

[Bruce's] points are familiar ones: that Hollywood and television have produced a culture of amorality, that the judicial system rewards criminals instead of victims, that -- thanks to the continued dominance of the left -- our children are not being taught the difference between right and wrong. But her examples are good ones: I certainly warmed to her when she attacked the open nihilism of the loathsome film "American Beauty," which inexplicably won five Academy Awards. — Anne Applebaum

Publishers Weekly