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How To Be Right: … in a world gone wrong
How To Be Right: … in a world gone wrong | James O'Brien
3 posts | 1 read | 1 to read
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The secret of how to be right is to ask people to justify their views, which is what O'Brien does with his (usually right-wing) callers each morning on his radio show. Each chapter builds around transcripts of callers opining on right-wing hobby horses (Islam, gay people, feminism, Brexit, Trump, etc.), in which they fall apart when James asks them to explain themselves. Shooting fish in a barrel was never so easy, nor more necessary.

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"To fully understand Trump and his supporters you need, I think, to actually feel that your whole life is somehow somebody else's fault, that the status and respect you consider your due have somehow been denied you by gay people or black people or Mexicans or feminists."

Aimeesue Yep. Spot on. 5y
saresmoore I‘d say that sums up entitlement pretty well. 5y
AmyG Yep. Sigh 😪 5y
See All 8 Comments
Bookwomble @Aimeesue @saresmoore @amygWhile James does devote a chapter to Trump, and he does pop up in other chapters as a recurring villain, you may (or not) be relieved that the emphasis is upon British (which in this case really means English) idiots 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😜 Though James is characteristically kind in his consideration of the people phoning his radio show to make points they can't back up, but believe anyway. 5y
Bookwomble @AmyG I mangled your tag 😊 5y
GingerAntics Exactly!!! 5y
CarolynM I think a version of this sort of thinking also explains Brexiteers and the support for people like Pauline Hanson here in Australia. The world has changed so much in 2 or 3 decades that a lot of people are bewildered. The saddest thing is that they are directing their resulting anger at people who have done nothing to deserve it. 5y
Bookwomble @CarolynM Redirecting anger and scapegoating are the classic ploys by which entrenched privilege maintains its position. It's sad and frustrating to see it happen again 😕 5y
17 likes8 comments
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I love it when an author delights in their bad reviews ? A bad write-up from The S*n is a definite recommendation in my book!
Interesting that "smug" is used as an insult here, as it's also used by tabloid journalist Gary Bushell as an insult towards comedian Stewart Lee, gleefully printed on one of his DVDs. I guess smug equates to "somebody I disagree with, but whose position is backed up with facts and cogent arguments".

Aimeesue 😂😂😂 5y
CarolynM But Gary Lineker liked it. I think his opinion should carry more weight than the Sun's😂 (edited) 5y
Bookwomble @CarolynM Gary's opinion is definitely of greater value than that of The S*n! 😁 5y
18 likes3 comments