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Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know Is Wrong
by
John Stossel
Consumer advocate, investigative reporter, and bestselling author Stossel is back with a new work based on his top-rated "20/20" segment, which debunks popularly reported misconceptions. 20 photos throughout.
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
May 9th 2006
by Hyperion Books
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Five minutes of research packaged as definitive truth.
Any review is more than this book deserves - so I'll just give an example of Stossel's breathtaking stupidity.
Here's one of the myths he claims to debunk:
Myth: Polygamy harms Women
Fact: The women aren't complaining.
Stossel backs this up with a walkthrough of a polygamist compound where all the women he speaks to seem to be doing just fine.
-Well, that's it then, isn't it? Conc...more
Any review is more than this book deserves - so I'll just give an example of Stossel's breathtaking stupidity.
Here's one of the myths he claims to debunk:
Myth: Polygamy harms Women
Fact: The women aren't complaining.
Stossel backs this up with a walkthrough of a polygamist compound where all the women he speaks to seem to be doing just fine.
-Well, that's it then, isn't it? Conc...more
I always enjoy John Stossel's 20/20 reports and was excited he finally released a book based on his recent "myth-busting" stories. If you want comprehensive, in-depth discussion on controversial subjects, this is NOT the book for you. If you would like snippets of information and entertaining food for thought, you will love it. Easy-to-read and great for picking up and putting down in your moments of free time. If you hate this book... you need to lighten up. It is not necessarily thor...more
Downright stupidity is right.
I'm not going to argue about whether he has his facts straight or not (mostly because in several cases he doesn't), but I am going to point out that it wouldn't matter anyway thanks to the rock-hard shell of arrogance clotted around this book.
I originally picked up the book thinking "Oh myths and lies, this ought to be fun." I had no expectations from Stossel himself, since I've never watched 20/20 or had any contact with anything else he's done...more
I'm not going to argue about whether he has his facts straight or not (mostly because in several cases he doesn't), but I am going to point out that it wouldn't matter anyway thanks to the rock-hard shell of arrogance clotted around this book.
I originally picked up the book thinking "Oh myths and lies, this ought to be fun." I had no expectations from Stossel himself, since I've never watched 20/20 or had any contact with anything else he's done...more
John Stossel has some interesting views on a lot of topics. He's very pro-capitalism and anti-big-government. I agree with a lot of what he has to say about lawyers, lobbyists and corrupt politicians being the cause of a lot of today's problems (even many that aren't immediately obvious) but some of what he says just makes him sound ridiculous. Yes, gas today is cheaper by the gallon than ice cream (one of his favorite points) but no one is buying 30 gallons of ice cream at a time and no one dep...more
I checked this out from the library. It was in the new books section and had an intriguing title. A few days afterwards I was flicking channels and saw the author on a talk show. He acted like a jerk.
I flipped through the book and did not intend to read it. Instead it turned out to be interesting. He took many popular myths and beliefs and attempted to explode them with evidence and statistics.
I don't agree with many of his opinions, but the book made for some thought ...more
I flipped through the book and did not intend to read it. Instead it turned out to be interesting. He took many popular myths and beliefs and attempted to explode them with evidence and statistics.
I don't agree with many of his opinions, but the book made for some thought ...more
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The famous 20/20 anchor takes on a large number of commonly held beliefs and discusses whether or not they are true. I learned quite a bit about a broad range of subjects, and Stossel's straightforward writing style is immensely readable. However, I have a feeling that if I was a die-hard believer in any of the myths covered here I would have left unconvinced and unimpressed. The trouble with this book is that there are too many topics discussed with not enough depth. Most of the myths are cover...more
Wow, that title sounds like I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning doesn't it? Actually, it's the title of the morning book I've been reading for the past week and a half or so. It's by John Stossel, the co-anchor of ABC News' 20/20 fame, and the full title of the book is Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel - Why Everything You Know is Wrong. It's an interesting title and how I came to read this book is interesting in itself. You see, my college-enrolled daughter...more
Topics that everyone should understand. My favorite section is about public schools. A full recap of the school section can be found here. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story...
Here is part:
School-Choice Proponents Meet Resistance
When the Sanford family moved from Charleston to Columbia, S.C., the family had a big concern: Where would the kids go to school? In most places, you must attend the public school in the zone where you live, but the middle school near the Sanfor...more
Here is part:
School-Choice Proponents Meet Resistance
When the Sanford family moved from Charleston to Columbia, S.C., the family had a big concern: Where would the kids go to school? In most places, you must attend the public school in the zone where you live, but the middle school near the Sanfor...more
Okay, so I can see how some people angrily disagree with this book, claiming that he is misleading the reader with sweeping generalizations about things like the wives of polygamists not hating their arrangement. True, it's hard to prove certain things without going very in-depth, but how exactly are you going to go about that? Are you going to trot the globe and interview every single wife of every single polygamist? Would that be enough? What about polygamists of the past? Can there EVER ...more
Kenny
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Recommends it for:
clear-eyed pragmatists
Shelves:
current-events
"A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged" is a saying I subscribe to. Stossel's book is a good example of how much we want to believe many incorrect things, despite their untruthfulness, because it makes us feel good to believe them. But "A life based on falsehood is not a life, but merely a shadow thereof" is also true, and facing facts is crucial. And Stossel uses facts to debunk squishy feelings, as he should.
I didn't know anything about this author or book, so I went into this one with no expectations. It was like watching a marathon series of 10-minute senationalist news stories aimed at "revealing the truth". Take the most complicated issues and reduce them to an interview where four or five statements are used to prove your point, and set everyone straight. The most salient feature of Stossel's thinking is that "government" is this big bad monster trying to ruin our way of lif...more
I realize that everything in this book needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The issues are explored through Stossel's glasses and the arguments are very, very compelling and enlightening. I learned loads about how the media places spin on stories (and exaggerate the truth), how politicians are catering to the lobbyists and how slimy many lawyers can be. Stossel attacks teacher's unions, school vouchers, Title IX (if a lawyer wins a civil rights lawsuit (such as Title IX) in many states, they ...more
Note: I listened to the book-on-cd version, read by the illustrious author himself. He has a sing-songy, can-you-believe-people-actually-believe-this-stuff? voice.
The cover shows a bullshit-detecting John Stossel holding a shovel, his weapon of choice. The shovel becomes a motif throghout the tome, appearing most frequently in the catchphrase he uses for chastising the bullshit-mongers: "Get the shovel!" By the twentieth time he says it, one can envision his legions of loya...more
The cover shows a bullshit-detecting John Stossel holding a shovel, his weapon of choice. The shovel becomes a motif throghout the tome, appearing most frequently in the catchphrase he uses for chastising the bullshit-mongers: "Get the shovel!" By the twentieth time he says it, one can envision his legions of loya...more
While it contains a lot of debunking of urban legends (e.g., cold temperatures cause, or make one more likely to catch, colds), it does far better in highlighting so many areas where the government infringes individual rights to our detriment. Some examples include consumer "protection", licensure of lawyers (violent prevention of competition), the ADA, FDA, EPA, global warming, and farming subsidies. It makes me sick when I realize the state uses its violent monopoly to stop people fr...more
What a wonderfully fun, humorous and inviting primer for any person wanting to know more about Libertarianism. While the content isn't deep, it is chock-full of great information across many, many subjects (100+) that collectively provide insight into Libertarian justifications. If you're a fan of the Uncle John Bathroom Readers like myself, you'll be very comfortable with the book's format. Stossel was even able to expand on some small details I had learned briefly from the Freakonomics serie...more
I really like John Stossel, although sometimes he's so libertarian he makes even me a bit uncomfortable. A lot of the things he had to stay were kind of shocking, and I had some resistance them to them at first: "That can't be right, everybody knows that!" But then I had to stop and go "why do I know X is true instead of Y? I know Y because 'everybody' knows, but who is 'everybody'? And have you met 'everybody'? The vast majority of the 'everybody' is dumb as a sack of rocks."...more
This book was not as economically focused as I thought it was going to be but it did cover a broad range of topics. Stossel makes some (emphasis SOME) good points but most of his economic positions are extremely flawed and just irritating. That is a very infuriating part of the book though (that and his views on women).
some of his other 'social' views and his personal consumer stories are fairly sensical but the flaw with the entire book is lack of support (or credible support). A lo...more
some of his other 'social' views and his personal consumer stories are fairly sensical but the flaw with the entire book is lack of support (or credible support). A lo...more
I was already a fan of John Stossel's TV segments, now I can say the same about his writing. This is pretty much a collection of stories he's done for television. Well researched and put together as his work always is, and quite honest when revealing how he blindly fell for many of the thoughts and ideas exposed in the book.
A word of caution... if you are in love with your ideals and way of thinking about many items in today's culture, don't read this book. He just might challenge...more
A word of caution... if you are in love with your ideals and way of thinking about many items in today's culture, don't read this book. He just might challenge...more
"I believe that the best thing about America is free people exercising the unalienable rights that the Founding Fathers affirmed: having families, forming communities, and working together..." - John Stossel
I found this book to be very interesting and eye-opening. Stossel is capable of switching from one topic to another at appropriate times, and he never seems to get bogged down in making a tirade about an issue that he sees to be obvious. Overall a worthwhile read.
I found this book to be very interesting and eye-opening. Stossel is capable of switching from one topic to another at appropriate times, and he never seems to get bogged down in making a tirade about an issue that he sees to be obvious. Overall a worthwhile read.
Interesting book. It frustrated me to hear of the corruption and waste by government even thought I know it happens all the time. But to hear so many examples and to read of politicians who just don't seem to get it makes me wonder how so many people (voters) can get it so wrong! Also, the chapter on lawyers was unsettling. However, there was a small blurb about polygamy where Stossel got some of his information wrong or was careless in his statements. That made me wonder where else he may h...more
Based on input from others, I expected NOT to like this book, but that wasn't the case. I can't say everything Stossel talked about was new and earthshaking, or that I bought into everything he said, but there was more than enough I did agree with. For example, I'm not a bottled water drinker, so when he says that tap water is every bit as good, if not better, than bottled water, it's no news to me. And I believe the Country is lawsuit crazy, so when he talks about how medical liability cases...more
Overall it was a good read. The topics were each dealt with in a page or two which made it interesting and the way Stossel organized the topics was interesting. I thought some of his conclusions were thought provoking but I'm not sure I agreed with everything. He would often make a blanket statement then support it with one specific example but that doesn't mean his initial statement was correct. Much of this was a result of the brevity of the topics presented which as I mentioned made it more r...more
John Stossel has presented a collection of reports on the things most people believe and put them to the test. I agreed with most of his conclusions about how things really are. His treatment of the usual outcome of government's intervention verses the free market was excellent! The book was easy to read and straightforward. I would recommend it. Everyone should read it at least once.
Interesting and very thought-provoking text. While there are certainly faults in some of Stossel's logic, I do find myself more often than not agreeing with his "libertarian" perspectives. I especially enjoyed reading the chapters on big government, education, and gender differences. This is our next book club selection, and I'm sure discussion will be lively at the least.
Didn't get very far into this book. What I did read, I can sum up in two words: smug negativity. The negativity I could put up with--it is, after all, various examples of "downright stupidity." It was the smugness that turned me off. Sorry, Mr. Stossel, smugness is neither attractive nor appealing--and it lies just a little too close to "hypocrisy" on the character scale for me.
"Too many topics, way too little focus" is how I would sum up this one. Stossel appeals to my libertarian sensitivities, but he's not going to convince anyone who doesn't already think as he does; he doesn't delve into any one "myth" deep enough to properly explore each side. Oh, well. At least it was an easy read.
Excellent book that challenges many commonly held beliefs. Two examples: 1) Did you know that 20% of the world's married population are cousins? 2) Teachers are not underpaid. They make more per hour than almost any job out there.
Fun book that makes me want to point out stupidity when I see it.
Fun book that makes me want to point out stupidity when I see it.
Good Read for those who believe there are two sides to everything, that conventional wisdom may not be that wise, government makes for poor management and fails in every social program at your expense, that most people don't bother to challenge the "norm" or think for themselves.
Looove Stossel... I might not agree with everything he said, but I am a big fan of his style and method. He might be provoking but he's never hateful or one-sided. He only provokes us to THINK; to not generalize people, not easily follow the crowds and provoked by media. And that's my values!
Not as good as his first book. Some of the myths he 'debunks' he merely replaces with another myth that seems more convincing to him. But fortunately, he lets you know where he gets his data and conclusions, so you can just ignore the mediocre sections.
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