I am so tired of politics, political ads, and political books, that the thought of reading yet another political book, this time Matt Taibbi's The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire, made me very sad.
But, Taibbi gave a great interview on the Jon Stewart show, so I determined to give it a try. And, damn him, I couldn't stop until I read the whole thing.
It's deeply disturbing, I'm not going to lie to you. Tired of political reporting himself, Taibbi heads off to Texas to join Pastor Hagee's infamous (and huge) Cornerstone Church to see what the whole Religious Right has going on. As an atheist, he finds that it's quite the scene, but also a lot easier to fit in than the originally thought it might be (you can never throw too many "Gods" in your sentences, he finds, even though it might feel like you are). After a weekend church retreat, where he and the others spend at least part of the time vomiting their demons into paper bags, this is what Taibbi concludes:
"By the end of the weekend I realized how quaint was the mere suggestion that Christians of this type should learn to 'be rational' or 'set aside your religion' about such things as the Iraq war or other policy matters. Once you've made a journey like this--once you've gone this far--you are beyond suggestible. It's not merely the informational indoctrination, the constant belittling of homosexuals and atheists and Muslims and pacifists, etc., that's the issue. It's that once you've gotten to this place, you've left behind the mental process that a person would need to form an independent opinion about such things. You make this journey precisely to experience the ecstasy of beating to the same big gristly heart with a roomful of like-minded folks. Once you reach that place with them, you're thinking with muscles, not neurons." (p. 87.)
Wow. That's quite a statement. And it's not the only one. Taibbi's got lots of scary stories about government, the press, the 9/11 Truth Movement, and much more.
So no, I didn't enjoy it. But I enjoyed Taibbi's voice. I don't think the guy's got a dissembling bone in his body. I haven't read something I simultaneously didn't enjoy but loved all the same since John Bowe's Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy.
It would give the people Tabibbi met apoplexy, but they sound like a bunch of screaming Red Guards from Maoist China.
I'm not sure I am ready for this book, ideological fervor makes me sad.
Posted by: Tripp | 07 August 2008 at 11:29 AM
That's the thing, Tripp, you HAVE to read it to find out the secret: there is no ideology. Taibbi is very clear on that point when he relates how everyone tunes out during the part of the sermon about Iran, Israel, and other current events. The key is the roomful of beating hearts of like-minded people, all sharing their miseries and prayer requests.
That, for me, was an "AH-HA!" moment, just like when John Bowe (in "Nobodies") pointed out that the mistake everyone makes about the global economics system is that it's broken. It's not broken, Bowe points out, it's working EXACTLY THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO--for the rich people who set it up.
I don't know if that "oh, everybody really just wants commiseration and connection" point makes it more spooky or less, but damn, it is quite the book.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 07 August 2008 at 11:53 AM
He was also on Colbert back in January, complete with a Johnny Depp reference. Read his bio on Wikipedia. He seems like an interesting guy, more interesting than his famous father.
Posted by: M | 07 August 2008 at 07:26 PM
How right you are, M, and here it is:
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=147285
Off to read Wikipedia now, thanks!
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 07 August 2008 at 08:00 PM
Your reviews of mostly non-fiction has opened up doors to new books for me. I am an avid reader and therefore always looking for a reviewer close to my views. Not that I am closed mined but sometimes one just wants to sink into a book and not feel like throwing it across the floor. I took the liberty of puttin you on my new blog -- I hope this is Ok with you -- I just want people to have a spot to go to with great reviews.
Posted by: BARBARA | 07 August 2008 at 08:14 PM
Barbara,
Thanks for dropping in, I'm always happy to meet more readers. Yeah, I was going to try to branch out more to fiction, but I find NF is my comfort reading, even when it's not very comforting. And it's always nice to find a kindred spirit.
Thank you for the link on your blog! I've enjoyed your reviews too (for everyone else, try this new blog: http://kindredhome.blogspot.com/).
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 08 August 2008 at 11:59 AM
Ok, I've never heard of this book, but...excuse why I go buy this one ASAP. Nice review and thanks for the heads up.
Posted by: J.S. Peyton | 20 August 2008 at 03:26 PM