Responding to the Right: Brief Replies to 25 Conservative Arguments
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- Create Date：2022-08-23 19:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Nathan J. Robinson
- ISBN：1250777747
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Summary
The editor of Current Affairs artfully and efficiently debunks a series of common right-wing arguments。
Are taxes theft？ Is abortion murder？ Does regulation destroy jobs？ Is white privilege a lie？ Conservative talking points are everywhere， and through well-funded media like Fox News， Breitbart， and YouTube’s "Prager University，" the right has an impressive record of packaging its views for a general audience。 Clearly， the left needs to do a better job of fighting back。
Luckily， Current Affairs editor Nathan J。 Robinson has developed a reputation as a meticulous slayer of irrational and bigoted arguments。 He has tangled with the likes of Ben Shapiro， Jordan Peterson， and Charles Murray， exposing their flimsy logic and distorted facts with forensic thoroughness and savage wit。 In Responding to the Right， Robinson blasts right-wing nonsense with devastating intellectual weaponry， revealing how everyone from Ann Coulter to National Review uses fear and lies to manipulate the public。 He gives a detailed explanation of how conservative arguments work and why we need to resist them， then goes through twenty-five separate talking points， showing precisely why each one fails。
This essential handbook is a stimulating source of issues to debate and a comprehensive challenge to dozens of dominant orthodoxies。 It sets a new standard for leftist critique， and would be an invaluable addition to the arsenals of the millions of progressives fighting the political battles of our age。
Are taxes theft？ Is abortion murder？ Does regulation destroy jobs？ Is white privilege a lie？ Conservative talking points are everywhere， and through well-funded media like Fox News， Breitbart， and YouTube’s "Prager University，" the right has an impressive record of packaging its views for a general audience。 Clearly， the left needs to do a better job of fighting back。
Luckily， Current Affairs editor Nathan J。 Robinson has developed a reputation as a meticulous slayer of irrational and bigoted arguments。 He has tangled with the likes of Ben Shapiro， Jordan Peterson， and Charles Murray， exposing their flimsy logic and distorted facts with forensic thoroughness and savage wit。 In Responding to the Right， Robinson blasts right-wing nonsense with devastating intellectual weaponry， revealing how everyone from Ann Coulter to National Review uses fear and lies to manipulate the public。 He gives a detailed explanation of how conservative arguments work and why we need to resist them， then goes through twenty-five separate talking points， showing precisely why each one fails。
This essential handbook is a stimulating source of issues to debate and a comprehensive challenge to dozens of dominant orthodoxies。 It sets a new standard for leftist critique， and would be an invaluable addition to the arsenals of the millions of progressives fighting the political battles of our age。
Reviews
Deb
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First， I will say that I’m am tired of the extremism of Right or Left in America today。 This book creates more bias and separation and is not a light， conversational piece。 It reads like a boring college lecture from one person’s perspective with insufficient research。ARC was provided by St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Expected Pub Date: 14 Feb 2023 First， I will say that I’m am tired of the extremism of Right or Left in America today。 This book creates more bias and separation and is not a light， conversational piece。 It reads like a boring college lecture from one person’s perspective with insufficient research。ARC was provided by St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Expected Pub Date: 14 Feb 2023 。。。more
Janelle C
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Wow！！！ This book is a whopper。 The talking points fit perfect for the times。 I can utilize most all of these rebuttals and information to help me in my local elected official position。 The book is LONG。 That would be my only criticism。 But， I also enjoyed the history lessons and explanations given。 Right-wing talking heads seem to have the corner on many different people all saying the same thing， slightly differently。 So， I understand that it was important to provide much much detail。 If you ar Wow！！！ This book is a whopper。 The talking points fit perfect for the times。 I can utilize most all of these rebuttals and information to help me in my local elected official position。 The book is LONG。 That would be my only criticism。 But， I also enjoyed the history lessons and explanations given。 Right-wing talking heads seem to have the corner on many different people all saying the same thing， slightly differently。 So， I understand that it was important to provide much much detail。 If you are not prepared for that， it is easy to become confused and if that happens they will just talk you in circles。 I appreciate the work that went into writing this encyclopedia of talking points。 I will refer to this manual often！ 。。。more
LaShanda Chamberlain
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This book was quite insightful to me。 I so wish for days of yesteryears in this country。 Our politics & political views have put us at odds with each other。 We need to find ways to get past these divides。 This book helped me understand many of the views from the right。 Instead of trying to change the views of our opponents。 we need to find ways to meet in the middle。 Reading this book can definitely help in that endeavor。
Caroline
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This is a very well written book。 My mixed feelings about it are mostly not due to the book itself。It is validating to have cogent detailed explanations provided to support the opinions I have。 However， I don't believe those explanations are going to be of any use in trying to talk to a right wing person。 They are NOT actually concise， they run for several pages per issue。 They won't see any reason why your statistics are any better than theirs and won't stand still to listen to you tell them wh This is a very well written book。 My mixed feelings about it are mostly not due to the book itself。It is validating to have cogent detailed explanations provided to support the opinions I have。 However， I don't believe those explanations are going to be of any use in trying to talk to a right wing person。 They are NOT actually concise， they run for several pages per issue。 They won't see any reason why your statistics are any better than theirs and won't stand still to listen to you tell them why theirs are wrong/misrepresented。 They will care nothing for the hundreds of carefully footnoted studies and sources。 They will be actively insulted by the idea that we should care how much better the things that bother us here are handled in other countries。 In fact， reading the right-wing blowhards whose work is excerpted at the beginning of each chapter is actually depressing - how is it going to be possible to reach the people who really believe these things？The idea that comes through over and over again and can probably be useful is to just ASK THEM QUESTIONS。 Ask them how cherrypicked statistic X means the thing they say it means。 Ask them more about the study they are citing。 Ask they why they think action Y leads to result Z。 Just keep relentlessly asking questions following the logic of their argument。 Eventually you will come to the point that they are unable to answer， or else they will break off the conversation and bring you relief。 It's surprising how many right-wing talking points， when questioned down to their heart， actually reflect either a very nasty and negative view of people， or else the opposite of the liberty that's touted。 But we know that。 And honestly I don't think I have the fortitude to actually respond to the right， even with these arguments in hand。 As Robinson points out， the best way to change someone's mind is to actually build a personal relationship with them and understand where they are coming from and what their life is like， and trying to argue with someone on social media isn't going to do that。 It's going to come down to personal relationships one on one over coffee， where maybe each one of us can reach one。Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read a prerelease copy of this book。 。。。more
Diane S ☔
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I was excited when I was approved for this book。 Hoping for plausible but easy responses to many of the claims made by the right， or should I say their beliefs。 The author did go through many of these so called claims， explain how they seem to think， and he went through them point by point。 It did help with my understanding， and while I appreciated his thorough responses and even agree with many of them， they were in my opinion， much too lengthy if one was trying to counter a person with the alt I was excited when I was approved for this book。 Hoping for plausible but easy responses to many of the claims made by the right， or should I say their beliefs。 The author did go through many of these so called claims， explain how they seem to think， and he went through them point by point。 It did help with my understanding， and while I appreciated his thorough responses and even agree with many of them， they were in my opinion， much too lengthy if one was trying to counter a person with the alternate belief。 So mixed for me and I guess I was looking for something simpler， easier。 Interesting read though and well worth reading if only to understand how these belief systems， political leanings have evolved。ARC from edelweiss。 。。。more
Carey’s Reviews
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2 Stars！ DNF。 I was looking forward to this because I love to view politics from all sides， as I’m more an independent than democrat or republican and I don’t trust and dislike politicians on all sides equally。 This book fell flat though。 It read like someone’s notes they plan to add when they write a book。 A lot of ramblings that just go on and on and really could/should be cut back or out altogether。 I did like all the articles， polls and notes at the end of the book though I do question the e 2 Stars！ DNF。 I was looking forward to this because I love to view politics from all sides， as I’m more an independent than democrat or republican and I don’t trust and dislike politicians on all sides equally。 This book fell flat though。 It read like someone’s notes they plan to add when they write a book。 A lot of ramblings that just go on and on and really could/should be cut back or out altogether。 I did like all the articles， polls and notes at the end of the book though I do question the evidence of those articles/polls/quotes/etc。， because I believe most of the media nowadays is wrong or fake 99。9 percent of the time。 I don’t feel like the authors “arguments” actually debunked or changed my mind on any political points I have that align more conservative。*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review。* 。。。more
Holland Stasi
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I have so many mixed feelings on this。 To start， it read like a well researched paper rather than a book laying out arguments。 I enjoy that style， but it can be limiting as many readers don’t。 At one point， the author says that one argument is so easy to see through that it should just be “laughed at。” That isn’t the kind of response I expected in a book like this， but it is only one of them。 I appreciated how well cited everything was， but it made the delivery fall flat as it became just paragr I have so many mixed feelings on this。 To start， it read like a well researched paper rather than a book laying out arguments。 I enjoy that style， but it can be limiting as many readers don’t。 At one point， the author says that one argument is so easy to see through that it should just be “laughed at。” That isn’t the kind of response I expected in a book like this， but it is only one of them。 I appreciated how well cited everything was， but it made the delivery fall flat as it became just paragraphs of quotes and previously made arguments。 Sometimes they worked， but other parts were tedious。 The long and short is that I wish this was more accessible。 It has a clear purpose， but I don’t believe it fits the bill for what it is attempting to achieve as it comes across as purely academic。 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
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