This book is comprised of four chapters: Gay, Women, Race, and Trans and discusses the current state of society with respect to each as well as what the social justice movement demands. But for me, the gems of the book were found in the interludes which address Marxism, Technology, and Forgiveness.

I'm really not one for reading political books because they are always biased, and I believe it isn't hard to build a case for anything to support your own beliefs. What I liked about this book is that the tone is very even handed, laced with some wit. It made me think about these issues, but to be honest, there's a lot of anecdote, and for me, anecdote, even when bundled all together, is interesting, but somehow I always think that I could collect a slew of anecdotes that make the opposite point. Here, most of these anecdotes were well covered in the media, so they didn't really illuminate much that I didn't already know.

Where Murray makes some great observations is the role of technology and the lack of forgiveness in today's culture and how both of those are a game changer. I almost think the whole book is worth reading for those two chapters.

But the solutions? Well, they are limited because our world is inherently politicized to the point of ridiculous. It's really unhealthy, and I do believe the only way to really enjoy one's life is to embrace other things (art, reading, sports, family, pets) and stop catastrophizing. But so long as power can be obtained through the use of fear, the politicization of society will not stop. And now, we have the giant megaphone of the internet to blast every idea, good or bad, to all. As Murray says in the end:

"But of all the ways in which people can find meaning in their lives, politics - let alone politics on such a scale - is one of the unhappiest. . .because finding purpose in politics laces politics with a passion - including a rage - that perverts the whole enterprise." ( )

A very thought provoking book on the origins, complexities and possible consequences of some of today's social justice movements. ( )

The author is a conservative thinker. The thesis of this book is many of the "woke" notions about homosexuality, feminism, race and gender are problematic. These notions have very little factual support, but have been elevated to such a high moral pedestal that challenging their viability is immediately deemed as evil. The author sees this phenomenon as a "madness of crowds." He believes this madness is generated because social activists who activated for equality of gender/race/sexuality did not find the good/redeeming social outcome they expected, so they needed to identify new goals and new injustice to activate against so as to have a renewed hope for a good/redeeming social outcome.

He pointed out many injustices experienced by thinkers who expressed questions or viewpoints opposed to the current notions on gender and race. Why are people who questions whether sexuality is something you're born with and cannot be changed berated and demonized, when the answer to the question is basically still unknown? Why are people who questions whether gender identity is something you're born with and will never change berated and demonized, when the answer to this question is also basically still unknown? Why is it acceptable or even ethical for women to expect people not to interact with them in a sexualized manner no matter how sexualized the women's own behavior is? Why are conservative Black people regarded by the woke crowd as not really Black -- relying on a person's ideology to define his/her race? Why is it unethical/evil/hateful to point out statistically observed differences between populations of various race? There are many scholars and intellectuals thrown under the bus in this madness.

The author encourages readers to celebrate and affirm the social progress humanity as made for rights of women, people of color, and gays and lesbians, rather than letting social activists looking for a new dogma and purpose to convince you that the condition and status of the marginalized is worse than ever before. The author encourages readers to depart from identity politics and recognize that mankind's individuality and value is not defined by race, gender or sexual preference.

( )

A very entertaining romp through the hypocrisies of identity politics. As such, it is much more a work of criticism than construction, but that too is badly needed. This is probably the best place to start for someone who has a naive acceptance of leftist ideas. ( )

This is likely the single most important recent book that explains the descent into insanity of the modern universities. Essential reading if you want to understand what is happening to British and American higher education. ( )