false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223640599m/225851.jpg 225851 2 The idea that American culture is entering a great age of stupidity is something we hear everyday, but what distinguishes this collection of essays on that theme is the diversity of the commentators (and the damage they survey) and the wit exhibited in their reports. Noted essayist Phillip Lopate reports on Hollywood as afraid or merely unwilling to present characters who happen to be intelligent; Ken Kalfus writes about how Star Trek exhibits took the place of real science at the esteemed Hayden Planetarium; and Jonathan Rosen offers a controversial essay arguing that tragedy is trivialized by such institutions as the Holocaust Museum. While <b>Dumbing Down</b> contains more than 20 insightful essays delineating how American culture is being degraded, the effect is not depressing, but rather hopeful, in the sense that problems must be identified before they can be fixed. 218752 1996 Dumbing Down: Essays on the Strip Mining of American Culture total:20|4:10|3:8|2:1|1:1| 20 67 29 3 3 0 false false Mon Nov 24 07:06:45 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 07:07:21 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Sun Mar 02 08:25:19 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 02 08:31:15 -0800 2008 WRONG with America?" This book answers that question in some detail. I don't agree with every point made, but it's definitely worth reading. My only complaint is that the format - a collection of essays - results in a very hit-or-miss quality for the b...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 05 21:45:09 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 05 21:46:31 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Sep 29 16:09:07 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 16:09:07 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Aug 12 08:06:45 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 08:06:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jul 14 20:28:54 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 20:28:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jul 13 23:47:59 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 23:47:59 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 17 04:09:58 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 04:10:12 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Mar 28 13:00:54 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 13:00:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Mar 22 14:00:52 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 14:01:59 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 15:41:35 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 15:41:35 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jan 21 13:37:48 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 13:37:48 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Nov 15 01:45:44 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 15 01:45:44 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Sep 04 15:06:15 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 15:06:15 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Tue Jul 22 10:55:04 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 22 10:55:04 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu Jun 26 21:57:42 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 21:57:42 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Fri Apr 11 04:23:07 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 11 04:23:07 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Tue Feb 26 07:08:36 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 26 07:08:49 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Feb 18 22:06:50 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 22:06:50 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Tue Feb 05 19:14:16 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 19:14:16 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=225851