The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity
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- Author：Douglas Murray
- ISBN：1472979575
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Summary
Douglas Murray examines the twenty-first century's most divisive issues: sexuality， gender， technology and race。 He reveals the astonishing new culture wars playing out in our workplaces， universities， schools and homes in the names of social justice， identity politics and intersectionality。
We are living through a postmodern era in which the grand narratives of religion and political ideology have collapsed。 In their place have emerged a crusading desire to right perceived wrongs and a weaponization of identity， both accelerated by the new forms of social and news media。 Narrow sets of interests now dominate the agenda as society becomes more and more tribal--and， as Murray shows， the casualties are mounting。
We are living through a postmodern era in which the grand narratives of religion and political ideology have collapsed。 In their place have emerged a crusading desire to right perceived wrongs and a weaponization of identity， both accelerated by the new forms of social and news media。 Narrow sets of interests now dominate the agenda as society becomes more and more tribal--and， as Murray shows， the casualties are mounting。
Reviews
Farhad Zaker
，
I could not get pass the first section。 It is full of stories told by the author to sway the reader by pure emotions to the point where it resembles fiction。 Little actual data is presented。 I picked up this book to get a grip of rational conservatism in the UK。 I was disappointed。
Ivo Siromahov
，
"Лудостта на тълпите" е забележителна книга за истериите на нашето време， маскирани като "борби за равенство"。 За онези хора， които крещят едновременно "Трябва да ме разберете！" и "Не можете да разберете！"， без да осъзнават， че противоречивите им искания няма как да бъдат удовлетворени。 "Лудостта на тълпите" е забележителна книга за истериите на нашето време， маскирани като "борби за равенство"。 За онези хора， които крещят едновременно "Трябва да ме разберете！" и "Не можете да разберете！"， без да осъзнават， че противоречивите им искания няма как да бъдат удовлетворени。 。。。more
Mukul Gupta
，
Written in a journalistic manner， this book hits clearly the Bulls eye on the issue 。 However， book spends 99% of its pages on problem statement and only 1% in trying to tackle them。 But realisation is a good first step。 Early enlightened supporters of these key issues might well be rolling over in their graves。 A clear value of tolerance ， forgiveness and self realisation is going to be needed in coming years if we don't want to get lost in boundries of conceptual notions。 A good ability to lis Written in a journalistic manner， this book hits clearly the Bulls eye on the issue 。 However， book spends 99% of its pages on problem statement and only 1% in trying to tackle them。 But realisation is a good first step。 Early enlightened supporters of these key issues might well be rolling over in their graves。 A clear value of tolerance ， forgiveness and self realisation is going to be needed in coming years if we don't want to get lost in boundries of conceptual notions。 A good ability to listen others and be able to dialogue vs debate remains the only way forward。 。。。more
Dhruv Mittal
，
A must read book for people who are fed up with the lunacies of the appalling identity politics。 In the name of equality and equity， the current "woke" culture has gone insane and this book exposes its hypocrisy， propaganda and inherent contradictions。 A must read book for people who are fed up with the lunacies of the appalling identity politics。 In the name of equality and equity， the current "woke" culture has gone insane and this book exposes its hypocrisy， propaganda and inherent contradictions。 。。。more
Aaron
，
I do not take joy in giving 1-star reviews， but， the entire book is a mixture of claims that are then "proven" by presenting loosely related incidents to show that various mixtures of 'identity groups' are crazy。 Many of his sources were videos （mostly Youtube but also Vimeo and others） as well as Twitter posts。 This of course wasn't the whole of the book， there were also discussions of interesting studies， but these exceptions do not allow it to escape a 1-star。 I do not take joy in giving 1-star reviews， but， the entire book is a mixture of claims that are then "proven" by presenting loosely related incidents to show that various mixtures of 'identity groups' are crazy。 Many of his sources were videos （mostly Youtube but also Vimeo and others） as well as Twitter posts。 This of course wasn't the whole of the book， there were also discussions of interesting studies， but these exceptions do not allow it to escape a 1-star。 。。。more
Mike Cheng
，
Author Douglas Murray contends in the introduction of this book that identity politics has atomized society into different interest groups according to race， gender， and sexual preference / identification， and such have become the only relevant attributes of their holders - who are also now presumed to have a “heightened moral knowledge” that comes with being a member of that group。 Compelling questions （though perhaps uncomfortable to some） are presented in each substantive chapter， such as: （i Author Douglas Murray contends in the introduction of this book that identity politics has atomized society into different interest groups according to race， gender， and sexual preference / identification， and such have become the only relevant attributes of their holders - who are also now presumed to have a “heightened moral knowledge” that comes with being a member of that group。 Compelling questions （though perhaps uncomfortable to some） are presented in each substantive chapter， such as: （i） why it is unacceptable for someone like Rachel Dolezal to identify as a member of a particular race， while at the same time it is bigoted to call into question someone’s gender identification; （ii） why many who decry “institutional racism” turn a blind eye to Harvard University downgrading Asian-American applicants for their apparent lack of “good personality traits” despite not having interviews or actually meeting these applicants; or （iii） the disparate treatment / willingness to forgive based on political affiliation （e。g。， President Obama and his previous stance on gay marriage， Prime Minister Justin Trudeau， Governor Ralph Northam， or Jimmy Kimmel previously dressing up in Blackface， Peter Thiel lambasted as a homosexual Trump supporter， or Kanye， Candace Owens， and Senator Tim Scott as Black conservatives）。 In the conclusion Mr。 Murray essentially calls the social justice movement society’s new religion， with the SJWs advocating the need for “something” to happen - though it’s never really explained what this “something” is。 。。。more
Judy
，
Truth to the neo Marxist wokenessMurray， who I saw on Tucker Carlson， so interested me as having the only possible response to the personal experience of terrorism， such as to treat all encounters consistently not engaging with a defensive posture and ignoring any presumption of privaledge
Jonathan Halfhide
，
Every now and then I read a book that feels like a bath for my brain。 This book was that。 I don’t necessarily endorse everything Murray said， but his dedication to nuance is so refreshing and sorely lacking from society （certainly western society）。 This book tackles the biggest social justice causes of our time and asks forbidden questions （aka， does not accept everything at face value with no clarifications）。 I can see why this book is on the “intellectual dark web” book list。 This may not be t Every now and then I read a book that feels like a bath for my brain。 This book was that。 I don’t necessarily endorse everything Murray said， but his dedication to nuance is so refreshing and sorely lacking from society （certainly western society）。 This book tackles the biggest social justice causes of our time and asks forbidden questions （aka， does not accept everything at face value with no clarifications）。 I can see why this book is on the “intellectual dark web” book list。 This may not be the book everyone would like or want， but I think it is a necessity if you find yourself dogmatically clinging to ‘wokeism’。 At the very least， if your beliefs cannot stand up to a few qualifying questions without offending your existence， you may need to hear Murray’s message。 。。。more
Marick
，
Very well argued。 I realise that the focus here is the social justice movement， but it still would've been nice to at least acknowledge the mob mentality simultaneously taking place on the far right， as it's equally as dangerous and ridiculous as the new left。 Very well argued。 I realise that the focus here is the social justice movement， but it still would've been nice to at least acknowledge the mob mentality simultaneously taking place on the far right， as it's equally as dangerous and ridiculous as the new left。 。。。more
Barry Ickes
，
Douglas Murray gives the background of these movements and tackles their substance head-on。 Murray wipes the field by demonstrating the other irrationality of the madness of critical theory。
Roy Murry
，
THE MADNESS OF CROWDSDOUGLAS MURRAYReview by Author Roy Murry"Disagreement is not oppression。 Argument is not assault。 Words - even provocative or repugnant ones - are not violence。 The answer to speech we do not like is more speech。" is a quote Mr。 Douglas Murray uses in his dissertation on Gay， Women， Race， and Trans' evolution。 This rational analysis opened my eyes using historical information and events unknown to me。Mr。 Murray's insightful conservative conclusions dissect the grievances THE MADNESS OF CROWDSDOUGLAS MURRAYReview by Author Roy Murry"Disagreement is not oppression。 Argument is not assault。 Words - even provocative or repugnant ones - are not violence。 The answer to speech we do not like is more speech。" is a quote Mr。 Douglas Murray uses in his dissertation on Gay， Women， Race， and Trans' evolution。 This rational analysis opened my eyes using historical information and events unknown to me。Mr。 Murray's insightful conservative conclusions dissect the grievances of many who are too Woke to the point that they would call this book propaganda。 On the other hand， I call his A-to-Z explanations: the mores of the mob dominating our social media and affecting young minds。The new world metaphysics and intersectionality have a battle on their hands against facts， science， logic， and the truth。 Mr。 Murray brings this all to light in his long and detailed debates of the issues mentioned above。The writing is an intelligent and thought-provoking read。 "The Madness of Crowds is A BOOK FOR THE INQUISITIVE MIND， ala Murry's Readers Are Leaders。 。。。more
Manoske
，
Entertaining， brilliant， and should be read by everyone。 An intelligent and articulate look at the viper's nest that is identity politics。 Entertaining， brilliant， and should be read by everyone。 An intelligent and articulate look at the viper's nest that is identity politics。 。。。more
Michelle Nimusiima
，
My aim was to read a book that challenged a lot of my opinions， this was hard （hence why it took me a lot longer than usual）。 I cannot quantify the amount of eye-rolling， frustrated sighs I exhibited whilst reading this book。 I understand that this book is meant to be thought-provoking， and whilst I did agree with a FEW points， I believe some of his claims are unfounded。 This white mans privilege JUMPED out。
John Kuvakas
，
A well-written， well-documented， objective look at the controversies and divisions emerging from the current culture。 This should be required reading for everyone who struggles with the self-contradictions in the culture today。 The language is strong and shocking in some cases。 But， it issues primarily from quotes and excerpts that need to be heard in their contexts。
Fletcher Neal
，
Meh。 Maybe Meh+。
Jim
，
A very clear discussion of a number of issues that are topical at the moment。The key message is that dealing with such issues requires dialog。 The madness of canceling people who might have tweeted something 5 years ago or simply disagree with a certain point， will lead to a human society that will become unstable。I'm not bothered by anyone's gender， race or identity。 People are free to be who they want to be。What I find difficult to understand is the unwillingness of people to listen to each ot A very clear discussion of a number of issues that are topical at the moment。The key message is that dealing with such issues requires dialog。 The madness of canceling people who might have tweeted something 5 years ago or simply disagree with a certain point， will lead to a human society that will become unstable。I'm not bothered by anyone's gender， race or identity。 People are free to be who they want to be。What I find difficult to understand is the unwillingness of people to listen to each other， and accept that it is OK to disagree。Recommended reading。 。。。more
Stef
，
Good book summarizing the current madnesses we have to deal with。 I wish he would have covered at least a bit of the extremism on the right as well。 While I'm conservative and appreciate all the data and documentation on the crazy left， a cautionary note on how not to fall into the same traps would have been in order。 Most important part was the one on FORGIVENESS。 I wasn't expecting to see that in this book and I'm glad he wrote about it。 Good book summarizing the current madnesses we have to deal with。 I wish he would have covered at least a bit of the extremism on the right as well。 While I'm conservative and appreciate all the data and documentation on the crazy left， a cautionary note on how not to fall into the same traps would have been in order。 Most important part was the one on FORGIVENESS。 I wasn't expecting to see that in this book and I'm glad he wrote about it。 。。。more
SHR
，
DNF
Jack Webb
，
I *think* that Douglas Murray's thesis of THE MADNESS OF CROWDS is that shifting cultural norms must be accompanied by plenty of time and space for debate and discussion， because otherwise the laws， policies， values， and practices that come out of the new norms will be incoherent， contradictory， and half-baked， to the detriment of many people's health， sanity， careers， feelings， and relationships。 I say that I *think* this is the thesis because Murray's writing style is so all over the place tha I *think* that Douglas Murray's thesis of THE MADNESS OF CROWDS is that shifting cultural norms must be accompanied by plenty of time and space for debate and discussion， because otherwise the laws， policies， values， and practices that come out of the new norms will be incoherent， contradictory， and half-baked， to the detriment of many people's health， sanity， careers， feelings， and relationships。 I say that I *think* this is the thesis because Murray's writing style is so all over the place that I honestly had trouble following certain details of his points。Murray's （slightly sensationalist？） journalist roots clearly show in this work。 His pacing in his arguments is erratic and full of spackled-over holes， in favor of long， juicy， cherry-picked special cases to illustrate his points that are calculatedly chosen and written to illicit outrage in favor of his position （instead of logical agreement）， to the point where I found that I often got swept up in one of these anecdotes （"Yeah！ Yeah！ That person is an idiot！"） and forgot whatever argument Murray had supposedly employed this example in service of。Murray is excellent at shoring up pathos （from the point of view of a reader biased to agree with him already）， but lousy at maintaining a logical through line for the length of the whole book。 As a whole， it feels cobbled together。 If it had been split apart and pared down into shorter opinion pieces with no pretense of having a through line or multi-layered argument， I think I would have enjoyed it better。In fact， I know that I would have enjoyed the book better if it only consisted of its three "Interludes"， sections between his four longer （and more incoherent） chapters that skip the long anecdotes and focus more on history and argument。 I found his first interlude alone， in which he argues that the roots of social justice ideology can be found in Marxism， to be the most compelling explanation for this school of thought that I've read so far， and I think it would make for a great piece of reading to discuss in a college classroom。I'd rate "The Marxist Foundations" interlude alone 5 stars if I could; all together， I'd rate all three interludes 4 stars。 But the book as a whole really did not satisfy me。 。。。more
Carol Ghattas
，
After having just read Murray's earlier book， "The Strange Death of Europe，" I found this book just as interesting and insightful。 Writing that within half a century "our grand narratives have collapsed，" Murray reveals how postmodern worldviews have led to skepticism in all narratives。 This book focuses on three main areas: Social Justice， Identity Politics， and Intersectionality， and the harm they've caused specifically to western culture and to the world in general。 A very interesting quote t After having just read Murray's earlier book， "The Strange Death of Europe，" I found this book just as interesting and insightful。 Writing that within half a century "our grand narratives have collapsed，" Murray reveals how postmodern worldviews have led to skepticism in all narratives。 This book focuses on three main areas: Social Justice， Identity Politics， and Intersectionality， and the harm they've caused specifically to western culture and to the world in general。 A very interesting quote that struck me is: "In a world where God is dead， there is no redemption， no forgiveness， only shame。" It's very clear， as he describes the background in these areas， how this is our new reality。 Though I may not agree with every premise in the book， I do think he has a very solid reading on the current state of affairs today。 A recommended read。 。。。more
Alvaro Fuentes
，
Murray hace un buen trabajo en demostrar lo absurdo， regresivo y falaz de la nueva religión de occidente: la justicia social。 Aborda los 4 frentes principales de esta nueva guerra cultural: feminismo， homosexualismo， raza y lo trans。 Los soldados de esta guerra， profesionales de la ofensa y moralmente superiores a todos nosotros， luchan heroica e incansablemente desde sus teclados con hastags， re-tuits， posts， etc。。。 todos somos el enemigo。Buen libro para no dejarse llevar por éstas tendencias。 Murray hace un buen trabajo en demostrar lo absurdo， regresivo y falaz de la nueva religión de occidente: la justicia social。 Aborda los 4 frentes principales de esta nueva guerra cultural: feminismo， homosexualismo， raza y lo trans。 Los soldados de esta guerra， profesionales de la ofensa y moralmente superiores a todos nosotros， luchan heroica e incansablemente desde sus teclados con hastags， re-tuits， posts， etc。。。 todos somos el enemigo。Buen libro para no dejarse llevar por éstas tendencias。 El gran punto débil es que Murray utiliza la misma retórica catastrófica que （acertadamente） critica: luego de dar un ejemplo de alguien "cancelado" debido a las acciones de su padre dice: "hemos creado un mundo en el que el perdón se ha convertido en algo poco menos que imposible y en el que los hijos pagan por los pecados de sus padres" lo cuál es obviamente tan exagerado como decir que occidente es una "cultura de la violación"。 。。。more
Rita Malcata
，
Today， Everyone should read this book。 Some parts not the easiest read， but the logical arguments are spot on and will make think， before your next protest in the named of the oppressed。
Sergio Redondo
，
Me ha encantado。 Y he de reconocer que me costó entrar en el texto porque， de primeras， el tono del autor me parecía un poco agresivo， pero conforme vas avanzando en la lectura comprendes que ese tono —inicial— es necesario。Murray expone de una manera magnífica la locura en la que se ha convertido todo lo relacionado con las políticas de identidad y el identitarismo， este último convertido en una suerte de nueva religión， más orientado a dogmatizar en torno a una serie de prejuicios que a buscar Me ha encantado。 Y he de reconocer que me costó entrar en el texto porque， de primeras， el tono del autor me parecía un poco agresivo， pero conforme vas avanzando en la lectura comprendes que ese tono —inicial— es necesario。Murray expone de una manera magnífica la locura en la que se ha convertido todo lo relacionado con las políticas de identidad y el identitarismo， este último convertido en una suerte de nueva religión， más orientado a dogmatizar en torno a una serie de prejuicios que a buscar soluciones verdaderas a los problemas que denuncia。Para mí， la clave del libro está en la parte en la que el autor， trayendo una discusión entre un profesor de universidad y sus alumnos， establece la diferencia entre el debate y la dialéctica。 El primero tan solo busca ganar al otro， mientras que la segunda lo que busca es la verdad。 Llama mucho la atención cómo Murray expone las contradicciones de ciertos comportamientos y demuestra que la exclusión y la censura también existen dentro de movimientos autoproclamados como tolerantes。Y es importante indicar que el autor en ningún momento pone en duda la legitimidad de las luchas civiles y por los derechos de los distintos colectivos que analiza。 Murray no critica el 'moto' de estos movimientos， sino el 'modo' de hacer las cosas。A todo lo anterior se suma un capítulo final a modo de conclusión que me parece indispensable。Creo que es una lectura muy necesaria en estos tiempos que vivimos， aunque dudo que sea del gusto de todos。 Hay que afrontar esta lectura sabiendo que algunas cosas que vas a encontrar en ella， al menos de primeras， no te van a gustar。Creo que un buen resumen del libro es el siguiente pasaje:«[。。。] las personas altamente politizadas tienen predisposición a leer los comentarios de su propia tribu política —aun los más incendiarios— con un espíritu de generosidad e indulgencia que se trueca en tanta negatividad y hostilidad como sea posible cuando interpretan las palabras del oponente。»100% recomendable。 。。。more
Brent
，
Overall， the book was well-done。 I could have done without the explicit and disgusting details in the gay chapter。 It is also unfortunate that Murray and others （Lindsay） give trannies and gays a pass， as if their cause is automatically just and right。 （Note: Murray is gay。）
Pascal Loose
，
Does this book tackle issues that are affecting our society， such as cancel culture and the undermining of freedom of speech？ Yes。 Is it well researched？ Absolutely not。 The author takes extreme cases and positions them as the norm， which is a dangerous thing to do， plus his resources are magazines， and social media posts。 And sometimes he adds his own theory into the mix， which are completely absurd， see “why straight men are unnerved by gay men”。 It also doesn’t help that he’s terribly patroni Does this book tackle issues that are affecting our society， such as cancel culture and the undermining of freedom of speech？ Yes。 Is it well researched？ Absolutely not。 The author takes extreme cases and positions them as the norm， which is a dangerous thing to do， plus his resources are magazines， and social media posts。 And sometimes he adds his own theory into the mix， which are completely absurd， see “why straight men are unnerved by gay men”。 It also doesn’t help that he’s terribly patronising。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
2。5 stars。 This book wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be， but had some really awesome points。 My favorite being that finding meaning in our lives through politics is a sad life indeed。 The fact that we as a society can’t agree to disagree OR to be forgiving of others’ viewpoints is a bigger problem than the “problems” that we hyper-focus on。
Erika Siabatto
，
A breath of fresh air！ A very comprehensive dive into the current madness of the mob。 Fantastic read
Landon Coleman
，
Interesting book written from an interesting perspective。 Murray is a gay man from the UK。 You would expect him to be on the critical theory bandwagon， but Murray is highly critical of the mindset and agenda behind critical theory。 At points Murray tends to ramble about specific examples， but his overall critique of critical theory is sound。 At the end， he has no positive vision to offer in place of critical theory， and he has no compelling strategy for combating critical theory。
Scott Bradfield
，
The most eloquently articulated critique of modern intersectionality available。 It exacting in the preciseness of its arguments and proficiency of its logic。
Jai Jethwa
，