I told Marty I would put some thoughts down on paper about his book ”Dumbocracy Adventures with the Loony Left, the Rabid Right and other American Idiots” After all, he went to the trouble of getting his people to send it to me. (Not signed though, gee thanks Marty.) It’s not a review, just my take on his book. You can see some of the reviews on the Beckerman post I did last month here. http://hstbooks.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/marty-beckermans-dumbocracy/

The first thing I did was flick quickly through it, pick a page at random and see what happens, my first thoughts were “this thing has teeth,” and “oh shit.” When you look at the picture of Marty on the cover you could be forgiven for thinking, yeah this guy seems normal enough, shirt, tie, confused look on his face, how bad can it be?

From the first sentence of the introduction you know this book is going to make you wince and laugh. It’s like watching a man getting kicked in the nuts, you want to look away but you can’t, it’s funny to see but not so funny if it’s happening to you. Christian Lander got it in one, “If you can read this entire book without being offended, then there is a good chance you are illiterate. If you can read the entire book and not enjoy it, then there’s a good chance you take yourself too seriously.”

Marty spent a number of years in the company of extreme activists, exposing himself to a world that I for one would prefer to avoid. It’s not that I fear such folk, it’s more that I find it irritating to be in the presence of people who lack the ability to see all points of view.  That’s reason in itself (for me anyway) to enjoy this book, I can watch them get what’s coming to them and not leave the house.

There is only one way to challenge the extreme left or extreme right activist and that’s to be as offensive as possible to the ridiculous, narrow minded loonies that roam this earth, be they politicians or civilians. Marty has done this in spades with a rarely seen honesty and shocking bluntness.

I was going to say that Marty walks a fine line between the right and left view, but that would suggest he gives a shit about what either side thinks, it is clear though that he doesn’t. He does however give both sides an equal crack of the whip, and treats all involved with equal derision. I’m not sure how someone becomes an activist of the sort in this book, some are born into it and know nothing else, but for anyone that ever harboured thoughts of getting involved in the “Loony Left” or the “Rabid Right”, read this book, it will put you off for life. Marty exposes the extremists impaired thinking and their shortcomings in logic.

All in all a funny read with a serious message and unforgiving repartee. It’s like Marty set fire to the face of extremist America and tried to put it out with a pitchfork.