I have a coworker who is a traditional liberal now pretty conservative who is starting to really question things. He's talking a lot about how people seem to be getting stupid and Universities don't teach smart things anymore. He read a book called Coddling the American Mind. I looked into the book and it seems to scratch the surface.
In my opinion the problem at the end of the day is equality. Cultural Marxism aka Critical Theory pushes equality and these concepts have been brought into our education along with feminism which has created an education system no longer about promoting superiority in knowledge and expertise but in promoted equality which of course lowers the quality of everything. Are there any good books that highlight the promotion of equality as the problem with "dumbing down Americans" and how this view of equality has been pushed by the rulers of society for the last century leading to the situation we're in now. Could also tie into how wealth and abundance leads to these scenarios etc... any good books on the subject you'd recommend?
Forget cultural marxism, introduce your coworker to Thomas Sowell and give him a copy of Basic Economics. Until he gets a solid foundation on how economics works, he'll continue to think the "gender wage gap" is real and the government is some kind of benevolent god that only wants the Rich™ to pay their Fair Share™.
Once that book's finished, then you might address the cultural marxism with The Vision of the Anointed.
I was just going to comment on that and I'm glad people are already recommending him, Thomas Sowell is an excellent red pill on the way woke ideology affects economic thought among other things. For a more detailed look he should check out Mike Maloney's hidden secrets of money series on youtube. There's also Milton Friedman who has some clips where he openly talks about this sort of thing too.
My SO just got me a hardcover copy. Seen it recommended over and over. Looking forward to starting it this weekend.
If anyone reads the Gulag Archipelago and comes out the other end thinking communism is a good thing, they are beyond saving.
That wasn't Real Communism™.
"Culture of Critique" basically invented the reaction to it, no?
Prior to that, Cultural Marxism was being used a a positive thing -- as a goal -- by (((academics))).
I like to use their word equity, which is just a word for trying to force equality of outcomes. The conservative perspective (maybe cuckservative) is that there should be equality of opportunity. The reactionary perspective is "get these people out of my country."
I don't spend a lot of time thinking about equality (or whatever). I think the government should attempt to treat people equally. Even that is impossible. But it inspires faith in government when they try. And that's vital. Discrimination is a right not reserved under the Constitution and therefore left to the state and, further, the people.
The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt
The Marxification of Education: Paulo Freire's Critical Marxism and the Theft of Education by James Lindsay
Race Marxism: The Truth About Critical Race Theory and Praxis by James Lindsay
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
Inside American Education by Thomas Sowell
Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell
Intellectuals and Society: Revised and Expanded Edition by Thomas Sowell
I was going to say pretty much anything by sowell
Always a good choice.
Sounds like the Harrison Bergeron
Which is a great short story to have someone who is beginning to notice and then question read.
Or an interesting movie for those who would rather watch for an hour and 40 minutes rathe than read for 15.
https://youtu.be/G1LE-E_Yn_Q
There's a 26ish minute version as well called 2081
https://youtu.be/dEgOuZzjI8o
By Greg Lukianoff, one of the founders of FIRE (The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression).
FIRE is great. They are old school free speech absolutists. They support students and faculty members who fall afoul of wrongthink or saying something that offends snowflakes. One of the few activist organization I would support with donations.
and Haidt, the one who does all that psychology on liberals vs conservatives (and libertarians).
He's not that far right himself, but his research is widely cited and useful to the right.
Against Democracy and Equality by Tomislav Tunic adresses the problem of egalitarianism directly. Also, Revolt Against the Modern World by Julius Evola.
But, I must warn you, these books are based on european far right movements that are very different from american conservative tradition, maybe this will be too much for your ex-liberal friend.
Olavo de Carvalho is more sympathetic to americanism and he made a great book called The USA and The New World Order (easy to find on z-library), in wich he debates with russian ideologist Alexander Dugin and discuss many aspects of the influence cultural marxism in america. It is also great book because the debate happened 15 years before the invasion of Ukraine and both authors would become very relevant a decade later.
A lot of good suggestions in the thread so far. For one that is maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but fits the general theme, I would suggest Atlas Shrugged.
Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
Race Marxism: The Truth About Critical Race Theory and Praxis also by James Lindsay
Lindsay is his own kind of cuckoo, though. Spends more time friendly firing against imaginary Christian theocracy-fascists than he does worrying about the people that actually have institutional power. He definitely has some good understanding and explanation of some things, but I’d worry about using him as an authoritative figure for anyone who might go haring off into his “both sides but actually the right scares me more” mindset.
He shouldn't be (and likely wouldn't go) anywhere near a pulpit, but his understanding and explanations of Marxism and Gnosticism and the TTPs of their cultists are probably the best I've ever heard.
His understanding of modern Marxism is pretty much unparalleled. You can not like his anti-nationalist takes but he's dead on when it comes to commie fuckshit.
Pretending the the average person on the Left (or even the elite-tier) is driven by hyperintellectual Marxist critique rather than simply envy/stupidity/rage is its own form of mental illness.
You don't cut through the bullshit by buying into the bullshit and then constructing elaborate critiques of it. You are never going to convince someone with logical arguments who has an emotional attachment to a given set of ideas. In this sense James Lindsay is all about misdirecting centrists & people on the Right. No matter how elaborate or effective your critique Robin DiAngelo or Ibram X Kendi, or whichever shitforbrains Leftist, it's not going to help you politically outsmart a mob of functionally illiterate africans who want to steal your house/car/bankaccount.
What the fuck are you talking about? "Politically outsmart"? Words are not going to save you from that mob, for that you need something belt fed.
The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray