The madness of crowds : gender, race and identity

The madness of crowds Gender, race and identity

Douglas Murray, 1979-

Book - 2019

In the long-awaited follow-up to his 2016 best-seller The Strange Death of Europe, Douglas Murray interrogates the vicious new culture wars playing out in our media, universities, homes and perhaps the most violent place of all: online. The Madness of Crowds is a must-read polemic-a vociferous demand for a return to free speech in an age of mass hysteria and political correctness. The global conversations around sexuality, race, mental health and gender are heavily policed by the loud and frequently anonymous voices on social media and in the press. Once conceived as forums for open speech, social media and online networks have emboldened the mob and exacerbated groupthink-self-censorship and public shaming have become rife. As a result, Mu...rray argues, we have become paralyzed by the fear of being criticized and have unlearned the ability to speak frankly about some of the most important issues affecting society. Murray walks against the tide of censorship. He asks us to think more openly about what we're afraid to say; to think outside of the mob and the psychology of the crowd.

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Subjects
Freedom of speech.
Censorship.
Internet governance.
Internet > Political aspects.
Social media > Political aspects.
Online social networks > Political aspects.
Political correctness.
Social movements.
Collective behavior.
Published
London : Bloomsbury Continuum 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
Douglas Murray, 1979- (author)
Physical Description
280 pages ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781635579987
9781472959973
  • Introduction
  • 1. Gay
  • Interlude - The Marxist Foundations
  • 2. Women
  • Interlude - The Impact of Tech
  • 3. Race
  • Interlude - On Forgiveness
  • 4. Trans
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by Choice Review

In this bold and timely work, Murray (a prolific political columnist and debater based in the UK) exposes the madness in current social justice movements and the power of that madness in public discourse. Murray is no reactionary: he celebrates the extension of rights to women, the GLBTQ population, and racial minorities. He is a modern liberal who is satisfied with recent gains in equality. What bewilders and troubles him is the unrelenting push for more--for going from what he frames as equal to better. He criticizes the new and dense minefields of public discourse, which prevent critical, complex thought and self-reflection. Innocent comments can send one begging for mercy before the crowd. After documenting the excesses, contradictions, and unforgiving nastiness of these movements, he concludes that this madness is an instrument for a project of destruction, both societal and personal. Murray's account suggests the beginnings of a sort of Orwellian dystopia, one led by tech giants, hysterical college students, weak college administrators and faculty, and the Twitterati. Following Hannah Arendt, Murray advocates the rediscovery of forgiveness. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Stephen Wolfe, Louisiana State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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