We Need New Stories
The Myths That Subvert Freedom
New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 2021.
Format: Book
Edition: First American edition.
Description: 218 pages ; 22 cm
"A rigorous examination of six political myths used to deflect and discredit demands for social justice. In 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump declared: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct." Reeling from his victory, Democrats blamed the corrosive effect of "identity politics." When banned from Twitter for inciting violence, Trump and his supporters claimed that the measure was an assault on "free speech." In We Need New Stories, Nesrine Malik explains that all of these arguments are political myths-variations on the lie that American values are under assault. Exploring how these and other common political myths function, she breaks down how they are employed to subvert calls for equality from historically disenfranchised groups. Interweaving reportage with an incendiary analysis of American history and politics, she offers a compelling account of how calls to preserve "free speech" are used against the vulnerable; how a fixation with "wokeness," "political correctness," and "cancel culture" is in fact an organized and well-funded campaign by elites; and how the fear of racial minorities and their "identity politics" obscures the biggest threat of all-white terrorism. What emerges is a radical framework for understanding the crises roiling American contemporary politics"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
The myth of the reliable narrator -- The myth of a political correctness crisis -- The myth of the free speech crisis -- The myth of harmful identity politics -- The myth of national exceptionalism -- The myth of gender equality.
Subjects:
Social values -- United States.
Social justice -- United States.
Political culture -- United States.
Democracy -- United States.
United States -- Social conditions -- 21st century.
United States -- Politics and government -- 21st century.
Social values -- United States.
Social justice -- United States.
Political culture -- United States.
Democracy -- United States.
United States -- Social conditions -- 21st century.
United States -- Politics and government -- 21st century.
ISBN:
9781324007296
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
SOCIAL SCI Mal | St. Andrews Indoors | Nonfiction | In |
Originally published in Great Britain in 2019.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-218).
Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-218).