Springtime for Snowflakes: Social Justice and Its Postmodern Parentage
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- Author：Michael Rectenwald
- ISBN：1943003181
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Reviews
Will Mead
，
"Further， when markers of race， gender， gender fluidity， sexual orientation， ethnicity， religion and other factors are the only criteria considered in hiring or admissions， students are cheated， as are those chosen to meet diversity measures on the basis of identity alone。 Nothing is more essentialist or constraining than diversity understood strictly in terms of identity。 Such a notion of diversity reduces 'diverse' people to the status of token bearers of identity markers and relegates them to "Further， when markers of race， gender， gender fluidity， sexual orientation， ethnicity， religion and other factors are the only criteria considered in hiring or admissions， students are cheated， as are those chosen to meet diversity measures on the basis of identity alone。 Nothing is more essentialist or constraining than diversity understood strictly in terms of identity。 Such a notion of diversity reduces 'diverse' people to the status of token bearers of identity markers and relegates them to the status of token bearers of identity markers and relegates them to an impenetrable and largely inescapable identity chrysalis， implicitly eliding their individuality" （p。 104）。 。。。more
Susan
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Rather late entry into this field and it's not helped by his arrogance and lack of self-awareness。 Amusing at times。 Rather late entry into this field and it's not helped by his arrogance and lack of self-awareness。 Amusing at times。 。。。more
Barry Linetsky
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As an ex-Marxist， Rectenwald has a world of insights about the nature of the postmodernism movement and its ties to Marxist collectivism and antagonism against reason and individual rights。 It's also the story of what happened to the author when the postmodernists in academia came for him for criticizing their irrational and belligerent dogmatic hatred for those who oppose their political objectives。 As an ex-Marxist， Rectenwald has a world of insights about the nature of the postmodernism movement and its ties to Marxist collectivism and antagonism against reason and individual rights。 It's also the story of what happened to the author when the postmodernists in academia came for him for criticizing their irrational and belligerent dogmatic hatred for those who oppose their political objectives。 。。。more
Remi
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I would have preferred this book more dry / academic as opposed to having to learn about the author's life。 I would have preferred this book more dry / academic as opposed to having to learn about the author's life。 。。。more
Bob Bingham
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The author takes you through his personal journey into the halls of higher learning， with his advanced research in postmodernism and its offshoot Cultural Theory。 Overall it was interesting although there is plenty of esoteric terminology that makes the book somewhat above a popular level。 It does provide a very good overview of the religion of "social justice"， which sadly has taken center stage in politics， the university， and the media。 The author takes you through his personal journey into the halls of higher learning， with his advanced research in postmodernism and its offshoot Cultural Theory。 Overall it was interesting although there is plenty of esoteric terminology that makes the book somewhat above a popular level。 It does provide a very good overview of the religion of "social justice"， which sadly has taken center stage in politics， the university， and the media。 。。。more
Lindsey
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While I appreciated his experiences and agree with many of his conclusions， my respect for Michael waned as I got further and further into the book。 By the time I got to his describing how he accidentally replied to instead of forwarding an email regarding a colleague stealing his ideas and taking credit because she was a black female as opposed to him being a white male， I realized that a lot of the reasons he was being rejected and stifled were because he's just kind of an idiot。 A very intell While I appreciated his experiences and agree with many of his conclusions， my respect for Michael waned as I got further and further into the book。 By the time I got to his describing how he accidentally replied to instead of forwarding an email regarding a colleague stealing his ideas and taking credit because she was a black female as opposed to him being a white male， I realized that a lot of the reasons he was being rejected and stifled were because he's just kind of an idiot。 A very intelligent idiot。 I am all for pushing back against the rising tide of irrational social justice thinking， and Michael does lay out how this has come to be， but he took a long time to get to the point and I found myself shaking my head at his repeated poor decision making。 。。。more
jjonas
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Not sure what I expected， but I guess it's fair to say I expected more than this。 His life story is interesting enough to read， but it doesn't deal too deeply with the subject matter。I first heard about Michael Rectenwald when his anonymous tweet campaign against "wokism" exploded （he was a "left communist" at the time， which I thought was notable）。 It was interesting enough to read the back story to that episode， in fact that was probably the most interesting part of the book and a big part of Not sure what I expected， but I guess it's fair to say I expected more than this。 His life story is interesting enough to read， but it doesn't deal too deeply with the subject matter。I first heard about Michael Rectenwald when his anonymous tweet campaign against "wokism" exploded （he was a "left communist" at the time， which I thought was notable）。 It was interesting enough to read the back story to that episode， in fact that was probably the most interesting part of the book and a big part of the rating I give it。But I found it hard to take a cultural and lit-crit Marxist's （which he turned out to be） rejection of Marxism very seriously。 I don't count myself a Marxist but I think the rejection of Marxism based on Frankfurt School style and later "Cultural Marxism" is just stupid。 He apparently hasn't been involved in any mass politics （like the trade union movement）; he just seems to have been a member of a small （and unnamed） communist sect， and that for only a brief period of time。It's a pity that even though he would appear to have the "insider" experience to talk about his rejection of （cultural lit-crit） Marxism in a deeper and more serious way， I don't find he he really does that。 On the other hand， he sounds somehow like "I was duped for many years but now the scales have fallen from my eyes！"， which gives one the impression that the theoretical dedication was quite superficial after all， nevermind the praise he quotes from his teachers about him having gotten what the approach is all about。But somehow this doesn't fit either。 I believe he would have been able to do better。 Maybe he was just lazy and was happy with a "I was an insider for many years， now I say it was crap， enough said" message。The title of the book is pretty stupid。 The "best" tweet and Facebook updates compilation at the end of the book is not worth reading; they're the typical 5 penny "witty" outbursts that are all over social media， just the kind that made me drop out from all of them years ago。 。。。more
Anthony
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Disappointing book which reads more like a rushed autobiography with very little dispassionate explanation of the postmodern antecedents of Critical Theory， the predominant epistemological approach in today’s universities。
Barry Ickes
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Springtime for Snowflakes addresses the origins of Social Justice and Its Postmodern Parentage， enabling us to better oppose this destructive movement。
Jeremy Mullins
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more memoir than history of postmodern thought but there are some gems in there。 Like this paragraph:"The social and linguistic constructivist claims of social justice ideologues amount to a form of philosophical and social idealism that is enforced with a moral absolutism。 ONCE BELIEFS ARE UNCONSTRAINED BY THE OBJECT WORLD AND PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY LIKE WITH IMPUNITY， THE POSSIBILITY FOR ASSUMING A PRETENSE OF INFALLIBILITY BECOMES ALMOST IRRESISTIBLE， especially when the requisite p more memoir than history of postmodern thought but there are some gems in there。 Like this paragraph:"The social and linguistic constructivist claims of social justice ideologues amount to a form of philosophical and social idealism that is enforced with a moral absolutism。 ONCE BELIEFS ARE UNCONSTRAINED BY THE OBJECT WORLD AND PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY LIKE WITH IMPUNITY， THE POSSIBILITY FOR ASSUMING A PRETENSE OF INFALLIBILITY BECOMES ALMOST IRRESISTIBLE， especially when the requisite power is available to support such idealism。 In fact， given it's willy-nilly determination of truth and reality on the basis of beliefs alone， philosophical and social idealism necessarily becomes dogmatic， authoritarian， anti-rational， and effectively religious。 SINCE IT SANCTIONS NO PUSH-BACK FROM THE OBJECT WORLD and regards it with indifference or disdain， IT NECESSARILY ENCOUNTERS PUSH-BACK FROM THE OBJECT WORLD AND MUST DOUBLE-DOWN。 Because it usually contains so much nonsense， the social and philosophical idealism of the social justice creed must be established by force， or the threat of force。" （emphasis mine） p。 108 。。。more
Frank
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Michael Rectenwald was a fairly typical Marxist professor who solidified his bona fides by going on national television to call George W。 Bush a war criminal。 He studied， “Marxisms， The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory， Feminisms， Semiotics， Poststructuralism （including Queer Theory）， Science Studies， and the Rhetoric of Science。” In his early years， he apprenticed under beat poet Alan Ginsburg。 As a Communist and a professor， Rectenwald contributed to shaping the culture that eventually came Michael Rectenwald was a fairly typical Marxist professor who solidified his bona fides by going on national television to call George W。 Bush a war criminal。 He studied， “Marxisms， The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory， Feminisms， Semiotics， Poststructuralism （including Queer Theory）， Science Studies， and the Rhetoric of Science。” In his early years， he apprenticed under beat poet Alan Ginsburg。 As a Communist and a professor， Rectenwald contributed to shaping the culture that eventually came for him; he admits to stacking syllabi and using the power of his position to promote a radical left-wing ideology。 But there came a point when Rectenwald reached his limit with the tyranny inherent to politically correct groupthink。 Bravely， he began punching back at the intolerant iron fists of the social justice warriors， critical theory cultists， postmodern nihilists and regressive Marxists。 The so-called “Snowflakes” might melt-down easily， but they’re hardly gentle and delicate。 We’re talking about bullies， and it’s a beautiful thing to see this rebel professor standing up to bullies。 Rectenwald stood alone and naked against a juggernaut。 He was viciously slandered and attacked， but he broke free， emancipating himself from his intellectual/ideological chains and turning his insider’s knowledge and sense of humor against his oppressors， pivoting to the right side of history in the process。 One interesting aspect of the book is the author’s expose of “Science Studies，” which is anything but scientific。 Rectenwald describes Science Studies as， “an interdisciplinary field that draws mostly from the humanities and social sciences and includes postmodern theorists who have attempted to debunk the epistemological and institutional status of science in order to assimilate it to other ordinary human activities。” Postmodern versions of Science Studies attack empiricism as being racist， sexist， transphobic and white-supremacist。 Undermining public trust in science is one of their objectives。 Some of the critics that Rectenwald cites accuse Science Studies of being， “as but the latest in a series of assaults on reason in higher education。” Others claim that “…the anti-science academic left posed a greater threat to science than any rightwing climate or evolutionary science deniers。” Rectenwald failed to convince me of his assertation that postmodernism is separate from cultural Marxism。 If anything， his book showed just how much overlap and commonality exist between the two。 I guess an academic might parse the differences， but a holistic understanding requires looking at both together。 This book is full of disobedient blasphemy - the type of stuff that makes faculty heads explode and student snowflakes melt。 The appendix is a compilation of the author’s truth bomb tweets。 A few examples: “Since gender is eminently mutable， and potentially decoupled from sex entirely， why would Hormone Replacement Therapy or Gender Reassignment Surgery procedures ever be necessary or advisable？” “Today’s Left is an agent of the state。”“Communism merely consolidates capital in the hands of an oligarchy。 Whether this oligarchy consists of bureaucrats or capitalists， matters little to the workers， although the former are worse to work for because they don’t know what they are doing。” “As diversity extends its reign， everything becomes the same。”“I deplore all forms of totalitarianism。 But Left totalitarianism has killed many more millions than any other kind。”“Romantic utopianism is the opiate of the leftists。”“Hurry up and call someone a racist， lest you be called one！” “The Left believes in sacrificing individuals for the good of the collective， even if they have to kill all the individuals to do so。” “The contemporary LEFT has more in common with fascism than the contemporary right。” “Gender is not a social construction。 The social construction is the idea that gender is a social construction。”"The shaming techniques that the Left engages in - callout culture， self-criticism， privilege checking， etc。 - all have Maoism as their provenance。""Playing the victim cloaks a surreptitious will to power。" 。。。more
Leila Chandler
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Ah Michael， where were you when I was doing an MA at the University of Alberta？ Everything he says is 100% true。
Randy Corn
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I was given this eBook by Barry Simpson because he wanted to discuss it with me。 Barry is fascinated by the way that culture is shifting and political correctness is beginning to rule。 This book has to do with Rectenwald’s experience as a NYU professor and how ridiculous many of the advocates of postmodernism are becoming。 He writes about people who style themselves “Social Justice Warriors” who will shout down a speaker they disagree with in the name of free speech！I came away from this book wi I was given this eBook by Barry Simpson because he wanted to discuss it with me。 Barry is fascinated by the way that culture is shifting and political correctness is beginning to rule。 This book has to do with Rectenwald’s experience as a NYU professor and how ridiculous many of the advocates of postmodernism are becoming。 He writes about people who style themselves “Social Justice Warriors” who will shout down a speaker they disagree with in the name of free speech！I came away from this book with a couple of observations。 First， there are far more people who take this stuff seriously than I ever imagined。 Second， they are determined to make their idea of what is right the only way that things are allowed。 It is truly remarkable to me that the SJW’s are ready to name anyone they disagree with as a Nazi and yet they are employing the very tactics the Nazis used！This is an important book。 I have already begun recommending it to friends。 。。。more
Bryce Eickholt
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A guy that literally designed courses and taught the stuff exposes post-modern theory and social justice for what it is。 He has a very artful writing style。 Normally i dont like wordy books but this guy is good。 The "fluff" is worthwhile。 That said， it's pretty short and sweet。 The last quarter or so is a bunch of tweets and facebook posts， which are good too。 A guy that literally designed courses and taught the stuff exposes post-modern theory and social justice for what it is。 He has a very artful writing style。 Normally i dont like wordy books but this guy is good。 The "fluff" is worthwhile。 That said， it's pretty short and sweet。 The last quarter or so is a bunch of tweets and facebook posts， which are good too。 。。。more
Charles Thorpe
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What is especially important about this book is Rectenwald's argument that the distorted conception of 'social justice' embedded in identity politics is 'practical postmodernism'。 It is a depoliticizing politics， focused on personal identity， intolerant， narcissistic， self-seeking， reducing all questions to the level of the personal。 I was also particularly struck by the parallels that Rectenwald points out between between the call-out culture of the social justice warriors and Maoist 'criticism What is especially important about this book is Rectenwald's argument that the distorted conception of 'social justice' embedded in identity politics is 'practical postmodernism'。 It is a depoliticizing politics， focused on personal identity， intolerant， narcissistic， self-seeking， reducing all questions to the level of the personal。 I was also particularly struck by the parallels that Rectenwald points out between between the call-out culture of the social justice warriors and Maoist 'criticism and self-criticism'。 These social justice warriors are unhinged and destructive。 Their function is to destroy the kinds of solidarity that would make revolution or any effective resistance to capitalism and the state possible。 It's all 'me， me， me' and at the end of the day that's perfect for capitalism。 They're a bunch of fakes， their claims to radicalism are ridiculous。 They are cultivated by upper middle-class Clinton-Obama Democrat academics who have advanced their careers by advancing the same identitarian strategies。 。。。more
Noah Mickel
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Half-Memoir， Half-Primer on the Frankfurt School and Postmodernism。Not the cleanest read， as the transitions between postmodern theory sections and memoir sections can be a bit erratic， but unbelievably fun through the whole book。 In particular， I appreciated how Rectenwald notes the differences between Marxism， the Frankfurt School， and the postmodernists， as most modern discourse lumps them together as “POSTMODERN NEOMARXISM。”All in all， a very readable intro to these schools of thought with t Half-Memoir， Half-Primer on the Frankfurt School and Postmodernism。Not the cleanest read， as the transitions between postmodern theory sections and memoir sections can be a bit erratic， but unbelievably fun through the whole book。 In particular， I appreciated how Rectenwald notes the differences between Marxism， the Frankfurt School， and the postmodernists， as most modern discourse lumps them together as “POSTMODERN NEOMARXISM。”All in all， a very readable intro to these schools of thought with the story of the “Deplorable NYU Prof” as a backdrop。 。。。more
Vagabond of Letters， DLitt
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Both 4/10 and 7/10。The subtitle of this book （that appears only on the cover） is the description: 'an academic's memoir'。 In this respect the book is interesting。 As a critique of postmodernism and Social Justice， it is wanting， though there are a few bright spots。 Nothing like Bradley and Manning， Bawler， or Vox Day， though。 Both 4/10 and 7/10。The subtitle of this book （that appears only on the cover） is the description: 'an academic's memoir'。 In this respect the book is interesting。 As a critique of postmodernism and Social Justice， it is wanting， though there are a few bright spots。 Nothing like Bradley and Manning， Bawler， or Vox Day， though。 。。。more
Donald Krug
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Great perspective of academia。The author has come a long way， left to right extremes。 Enjoyed the personal viewpoint of someone right in the middle of campus insanity。
Thomas
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The bummer with this book is that the people who need to read （and comprehend） it， won't。 Rechtenwald lays bare a lot of the current problems in our daily discourse coming from a professor driven out of his job by so called political correctness。 He discusses the loss of intellectual discourse and his belief th at it will lead to extreme violence。 Rechtenwald was a professor and a published Communist， and was persecuted for thinking outside the box- at the University - imagine。 Really good， a bi The bummer with this book is that the people who need to read （and comprehend） it， won't。 Rechtenwald lays bare a lot of the current problems in our daily discourse coming from a professor driven out of his job by so called political correctness。 He discusses the loss of intellectual discourse and his belief th at it will lead to extreme violence。 Rechtenwald was a professor and a published Communist， and was persecuted for thinking outside the box- at the University - imagine。 Really good， a bit sad， and he offers some good ideas to bring thinking back。 Check it out。 。。。more
Timothy
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This is a peculiar book。 It is also a delightful book。 The subtitle suggests a scholarly treatment of the subject， but the title adequately scuttles that expectation， and we get a memoir of ideological development and conflict， with a sketch of the bizarre noösphere that is postmodernist social justice。Michael Rectenwald hails from the left。 The far left。 We read of his apprenticeship with American poet Allen Ginsburg， his introduction into the world of postmodern philosophy and literary theory， This is a peculiar book。 It is also a delightful book。 The subtitle suggests a scholarly treatment of the subject， but the title adequately scuttles that expectation， and we get a memoir of ideological development and conflict， with a sketch of the bizarre noösphere that is postmodernist social justice。Michael Rectenwald hails from the left。 The far left。 We read of his apprenticeship with American poet Allen Ginsburg， his introduction into the world of postmodern philosophy and literary theory， his travails as a teacher and husband and divorcé and suitor， his work as an academic consultant on TV news as well as his work in writing scholarly articles and books， and， most importantly， his meteoric transit at his college and in the general culture as Twitter’s “Deplorable NYU Prof。” For many， that may be the sole delight this book provides， darting through the Twitterstorm and the following academic scandal that he initiated by daring to criticize the social justice cult。 It is the first book I have read with an appendix of Tweets。But I most enjoyed his concise explanations of the difference between Marxism， cultural Marxism， post-structuralism， post-modernism， Deconstruction and， yes， that strange cult， “social justice。” And his conclusion is interesting， too: he says we must treat social justice as a religion， and dethrone it from setting any policy — drive it from university administrations， where it now dominates — but not from its intellectual place in the Academy。 Probably reasonable。 But disappointingly modest。 For social justice and the postmodernism it hails from are worse than mere cults， they constitute an insurrectionist cadre that demands more than the just a Cultural Revolution of virtue signalling and callouts （and doxxing）。 As far as I can tell， the crazed cult really does want to do what Barack Hussein Obama said he wanted to do: radically transform America。I want freedom， not totalitarianism， whether mob-based or statist。 So if we rush towards any form of radicalism， I suggest another direction。But this book might be helpful in changing course。 For， after all， the author himself has changed his whole perspective — he was almost forced to， he explains， by the betrayals of nearly all of his colleagues and friends 。 。 。 and comrades。 He is no longer a communist or socialist or advocate of that mirage， social justice。 He wants freedom and individual rights， now， too。If a one-time Marxist/postmodernist can undergo such a metamorphosis， may not a whole culture， as well？N。B。 Blogged at wirkman。com。 。。。more
Rudy
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This is a view of Social Justice from someone who would be deemed a liberal writer。 However， he questioned the bounds of the liberal thinking， and the world changed。 Suddenly， his thinking was questioned， he was no longer sited for his wisdom or wit。 Michael Rectenwald documents his "rise and fall" and documents， to include footnotes and a biolography of references and sources used。 He also includes comments made by others in e-mails， tweets， etc。 to include threats and， in some cases， the media This is a view of Social Justice from someone who would be deemed a liberal writer。 However， he questioned the bounds of the liberal thinking， and the world changed。 Suddenly， his thinking was questioned， he was no longer sited for his wisdom or wit。 Michael Rectenwald documents his "rise and fall" and documents， to include footnotes and a biolography of references and sources used。 He also includes comments made by others in e-mails， tweets， etc。 to include threats and， in some cases， the media attack by someone who will make you roll your eyes wondering， "Are they that misinformed （stupid）？"If politically， you lean to the left， get ready to see the worst of those who share your believes。 I hope that you are willing to keep an open mind as to hearing other views， even those you might not agree with。 。。。more
JW
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Surprisingly educational， this trip through one academic's journey into （and eventual banishment out of） the social justice milieu provides a reader with enough background to understand that The Left and The Right are dealing with completely different definitions for even the most basic of words， leading one to a frightening but inevitable conclusion:Both The Left and The Right are absolutely out of their fucking minds。 Surprisingly educational， this trip through one academic's journey into （and eventual banishment out of） the social justice milieu provides a reader with enough background to understand that The Left and The Right are dealing with completely different definitions for even the most basic of words， leading one to a frightening but inevitable conclusion:Both The Left and The Right are absolutely out of their fucking minds。 。。。more
Ronald J。
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I heard the author interviewed on the Tom Woods Show， was intrigued and decided to read the book。 NYU professor Michael Rectenwalk was a committed leftist， steeped in English， postmodern theory and cultural studies。 On September 12， 2016 he created an anonymous Twitter account “Deplorable NYU Prof （@antipcnyuprof）。 He certainly wasn’t a right-winger， and self-identified as a left or libertarian communist， or “academic Marxist。” He studied poetry under Allen Ginsberg。This book is his story， and r I heard the author interviewed on the Tom Woods Show， was intrigued and decided to read the book。 NYU professor Michael Rectenwalk was a committed leftist， steeped in English， postmodern theory and cultural studies。 On September 12， 2016 he created an anonymous Twitter account “Deplorable NYU Prof （@antipcnyuprof）。 He certainly wasn’t a right-winger， and self-identified as a left or libertarian communist， or “academic Marxist。” He studied poetry under Allen Ginsberg。This book is his story， and rhymes with that of David Horowitz in his writings （especially Radical Son）。 There’s an interesting historical lesson on postmodern theory， which he says is definitely not Marxist。 In fact， it is the philosophical response to the failure of Marxism， in the student uprising of 1968。 He writes that social justice debuted in higher education in the fall of 2016 to avenge the death of its monster-mother， postmodern theory。 Self-criticism and privilege-checking are the vestiges of “autocritique” and “struggle sessions，” purification methods of the Cultural Revolution。 While the University of Chicago may not have safe spaces trigger warnings， but like 230 other colleges it has a bias reporting hotline， turning everyone into “sentinels of surveillance。” Social justice ideologues are authoritarian and anti-intellectual。 Universities have abandoned the legacy of open and free inquiry。He takes on transgender theory （began to rise in the late 1990s）， and tells the story from the Fall of 2016 when the University of Michigan instituted a policy of pronoun preference opportunity。 One student chose “His Majesty” as his pronoun， proving humor can ridicule lunacy out of existence。 But he asks if gender has nothing to do with biology， why would Hormone Replacement Therapy or Gender Reassignment Surgery procedures ever be necessary or advisable？ Good question。 Why change the secondary characteristics of sex？ He argues transgenderism is reminiscent of Lysenkoism。 Besides， sexual difference does exist in human beings， otherwise how could we reproduce？Interesting read from another intellect who turned away from the left because of its anti-intellectualism。 I do believe David Horowitz does a more thorough job of explaining the left， its tactics and strategies， but still， this was a good story from a brave professor turning against the academic tide。 Here are some provocative lines from his Twitter/Facebook feeds:Cultural appropriation is an utterly inane notion。 No one “owns” culture。 Thus， no one can appropriate it。Social Justice Warriors， SJWs = Stalin， Just Weider。Diversity is a code word for uniformity of thought。The leftist denial of the mass murders of communist regimes is comparable to Holocaust denialism。Romantic utopianism is the opiate of the leftists。Not even God has been thought able to judge people in groups。 Social justice is impossible， a contradiction。Gender is not a social construction。 The social construction is the idea that gender is a social construction。 。。。more
Ben Turner
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Part memoir part descriptor of the times and whyI really enjoyed this book because the personal details of the authors life were interesting enough to keep me turning pages while I learned about the philosophical roots of what we are experiencing today in the culture wars。 He shows the ideas that birthed why everyone white is a racist and privileged even if they don’t know it and gender is based on feeling and not science。 The conclusion: we live in a postmodern age which is like someone trying Part memoir part descriptor of the times and whyI really enjoyed this book because the personal details of the authors life were interesting enough to keep me turning pages while I learned about the philosophical roots of what we are experiencing today in the culture wars。 He shows the ideas that birthed why everyone white is a racist and privileged even if they don’t know it and gender is based on feeling and not science。 The conclusion: we live in a postmodern age which is like someone trying to milk a tree because a tree to you could be a cow in my reality。 He makes more sense of it。 I do wish he gave more than just a descriptive analysis。 I would have liked some prescriptive advice to talk with those who support these ideologies。 But from all the hoopla， I’m not sure you can dialogue with them because before you start your ideas are discredited as racist and bigoted socially constructed by the patriarchy。 Too bad they are unaware that they are living in the socially constructed matrix and outworkings of postmodern philosophy。 。。。more
dejah_thoris
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I saw an interview with the author， so I had different expectations about his memoir than what it actually is。 I wanted more detail on how his social media persona as an outspoken conservative was handled by NYU。 I also wanted some more background on his interpersonal relations with coworkers， students， administration， etc。After a few chapters of discussing his social media outing， the bulk of this "academic memoir" is an explanation of how social justice was created from other postmodern concep I saw an interview with the author， so I had different expectations about his memoir than what it actually is。 I wanted more detail on how his social media persona as an outspoken conservative was handled by NYU。 I also wanted some more background on his interpersonal relations with coworkers， students， administration， etc。After a few chapters of discussing his social media outing， the bulk of this "academic memoir" is an explanation of how social justice was created from other postmodern concepts。 If you haven't spent time studying the liberal arts， I imagine this explanation would be extremely helpful。 Unfortunately， my undergraduate degree in women's studies exposed me to Foucault so many times I'd cry when I'd have to read another one of his essays。 （Don't read Foucault。 It's as dense as Nietzsche。） So， yes， everything the author mentions is applicable and accurate， but I wanted more of a story and less of an analysis。 。。。more
Ira Therebel
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The current events worry me。 Society is going into a very troubling direction。 i can see it outside of campuses but universities is where it all started。This book gives us a good view on how it began。 Michael Rectenwald gives us a look at his career and how the current social justice snowflake movement events were already experienced by him before they have fully blown up and became visible to everyone。 I was actually surprised because I thought it just began 5 years ago。 when I was in universit The current events worry me。 Society is going into a very troubling direction。 i can see it outside of campuses but universities is where it all started。This book gives us a good view on how it began。 Michael Rectenwald gives us a look at his career and how the current social justice snowflake movement events were already experienced by him before they have fully blown up and became visible to everyone。 I was actually surprised because I thought it just began 5 years ago。 when I was in university as an undergraduate in the 00s I felt it was all reasonable。 I was also for social justice but I didn't expect it to turn into something so unreasonable like for example today's trans movement where one is a woman just by saying so and as violent as it is now because the leftists feel it is justified to attack everyone who disagrees with them because they are all nazis， racists， misogynists， bigots and whatever other terms they like to throw around。I also really liked him explaining of postmodernism and it's roots。 Gives a good perspective。 Although now i am worried more because what first seemed to me as a temporary social insanity outburst actually is something that kept on gradually developing and I wonder where it will go from here。I also like how he compared it to Stalinism。 this was something I felt it reminded me of as well。 Accuse people of something that society sees as wrong， no evidence needed， exaggerate and twist around some facts and this can let you destroy that person with an angry mob around chanting。 。。。more
Jonny Andres
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A look at social policing and injustice through the eyes of a Libertarian Marxist。 There is nothing truly groundbreaking here。 This is basically a short anecdote of the author's experiences with speaking out against injustice and being ostracized by his peers and people whom he thought were friends。 To be politically correct for the sake of being politically correct is just plain ignorant。 On some California University campuses， we now have availability of separated dorms for black students。。。so A look at social policing and injustice through the eyes of a Libertarian Marxist。 There is nothing truly groundbreaking here。 This is basically a short anecdote of the author's experiences with speaking out against injustice and being ostracized by his peers and people whom he thought were friends。 To be politically correct for the sake of being politically correct is just plain ignorant。 On some California University campuses， we now have availability of separated dorms for black students。。。so they can basically segregate themselves。 What's next。。。separate restrooms， cafeterias， classes。。。 Drinking fountains？ The only thing this does is effectively assist in a great divide of our great nation。 。。。more
Adam Daniels
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Lots of unnecessary personal anecdotes， but he gives a good look into his personal journey into postmodern philosophy and how that philosophy developed over time。 He also does a good job of connecting social justice to postmodernism by way of it being deconstruction applied。
Jim Hunter
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Let’s just say academia is pretty screwed up。 And leave it at that。。。
Tedward
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