Rating:  Summary: The end of Racism Review: Upon the completion of this book I became more confused on Dinesh D'Souza's definition of racism and the plans that he proposes will bring about the end of racism. This book seemed to shed a little light on what the facts surrounding racism actually were, and some aspects continued to make me wonder the actual truth. This book claims it will provide the keys to happiness in a multiracial society among everyone, even though not every aspect is covered. It appears to me that the author Dinesh D'Souza has done some research on the topic of racism, but at other times it appears as though he is offering up his personal opinions. One argument that D'Souza offers up the argument that Blacks were a burden upon the white man in the past and also that blacks acted certain ways due to there nature and the functions of there cultural pathologies. This all may be true but he never answers the question on what seperates whites and blacks as human beings. D'Souza also comments that America is a racist society as a whole and that each member feeds off each other. I feels as though the author never really provides any information that dissproves any of his claims, but then again why would he? D'Souza also suggest argument that proposes why we have such thing as welfare dependancy and how to relate it to our culture today. He also tries to make a point on how some citizens may be better than other based on how self sufficent they are in society. D'Souza also provides compelling evidence that all racial differences and similarities are genetic, but little evidence is given to support this statement. A lot of book was devoted to the research of black culture and the problems that are associated with African Americans and their lives. Since D'Souza is of Indian origin it seems as though he is offering evidence from a third person perspective since he neither white nor black. Crimes commited and the ways society views these criminals also effects the way racism is spread. One part i did favor was D'Souza's information on how we in our own families can end racism by the examples we set for our children, or how we can keep racism alive by teaching it to others. D'Souza offers many arguments saying that because blacks are faced one certain problem, then that causes them to do another thing in return, or so the cause and effect equation. All in all i felt as though this book gave me personally some insight on what the problems in the world were really like and it made me realize factors in racism that I had never once considered. It seems as though the author offers that the reason this whole country is in an up roar is all due to racial factors. Some sections of this book the author says special treatment should be given to those who are victims of racism, that which I do not agree with. One argument offered up by D'Souza that was highly supported was that the argument that even if racism disappeared today the black culture would still be facing problems, and also that racism is not as bad as it was many years ago. I believe that a lot of time and effort was put into this book to some how help the uninformed reader to gain some sence of knowledge on the subject at hand. Many good points are made while many more are misleading and difficult to understand while at the same time being unsupported. I would say this book is worth reading but you must form you own opinion and evalute D'Souza information for yourself. This book will evoke different emotions in everyone who reads it, and it all depends on how you interpret what you read.
Rating:  Summary: Ready to change the way you think Review: Living in America, as in any country, means that a person has to deal with certain social problems, no matter what they may be. I was born and proudly raised in the USA, so I know one of the biggest social problems facing our country today is racism. This term is recognized by everyone, because at some point or another everyone has run into the issue. Whether it is on the street, at school, on television, or in your own home, you have seen racism or at least someone's version of racism. Blacks claim they can't get ahead in life because of it, whites say they can't get any respect and are sometimes scared of minorities, and cops are very often put in no-win situations...all because of a four letter word - race. Dinesh D'Souza chooses to dig deeper in this book to take an objectionable look at the subject of racism. Being a minority himself, this almost seems impossible. However, I believe he did an impeccable job challenging everything the average citizen thinks that he or she knows about racism, and showing "both sides of the fence." D'Souza both intrigues and possible intimidates a reader by stating very early into the book that everything you know, or think you know about racism, should be questioned. He goes out of the box to challenge very specific premises, all of which he rejects. To give a few examples, he rejects that racism is just a product of ignorance and fear. He doesn't believe that slavery was a racist institution, or that segregation was meant to oppress blacks. He refuses to accept that affirmative action assures equal opportunity for minorities. He doesn't put a lot of hope into multiculturalism. But he does firmly believe that all races can be racist, not just whites, and that racism is not to blame for black problems as it is known quite widely for. Reading this book requires that one keep an open mind, especially since it states quite frankly, that everyone in some way or another, is racist, whether they know it or not. I think that D'Souza did an exceptional job with his research, leaving very slim holes to doubt his reasoning, even though I found it nearly impossible to read the book and agree with everything he says. On the other hand, I think that his point for the book was to only expand one's mind to the possibility that what we may know is wrong, not for everyone reading it to agree without question his ideas. In his words, racism is a problem, but not the problem we make it out to be. He states that blacks and some minorities are just made inferior naturally, that the "lighter" races have nothing to do with holding them back in education, or life. But I think anyone who has ever went from an inner-city school district and then to a private school can see both the changes in education and race ratios. And life experiences have taught me that being white does allow you a certain underlying privilege in this country, not to mention many foreign countries. I sometimes thought that he gave history too much credit. He almost tries to say, at times, that blacks and other minorities were better off before we placed in public policies to help them. Granted, most of the policies implemented after the civil right movements and whatnot have become something completely distorted from what they once were designed for or are policies that just needed to be thrown out because they weren't good for anyone except the politicians at the time. He suggests that hate crimes are merely one race building up frustration with another until something happens that will give them an excuse to retaliate. For example, the LA riots or even the more recent Cincinnati riots in 2001. D'Souza goes against mainstream America to present some of these ideas and for that, I think it makes him one of the better authors of today. I also think that while many readers can argue against a few of his ideas, there is ultimately one idea every reader can probably agree with, that being that racism is nowhere near over. While we have progressed in some areas, the problem is here to stay, at least for a while. If you have ever been interested or even curious about race relations in America, this is the book to read with D'Souza saying, "Virtually all contemporary liberal assumptions about the origin of racism, its historical significance, its contemporary effects, and what to do about it are wrong."
Rating:  Summary: It took a lot of guts to write this book! Review: If you are the type of person who subscribes to the standard liberal line on race and politics, this book is not for you. If you are willing to take a clear-headed, scholarly, unsentimental look at those issues that the media and literati have come to accept as axiomatic, this despite empirical and historical evidence to the contrary, The End of Racism will enthrall you. It took a lot of guts to write this book. Race is the 3d rail of politics in America and unless you accept, without question and without reservation, the basic tenets of the Civil Rights movement, you are considered "insensitive," or, at worst, a "racist." Mr. D'Souza systematically, and with erudition, challenges this worldview head on. This book is chock-full of thought-provoking perspectives, not the least of which is the distinction between racism and ethnocentrism. Relying on the abudant historical record, D'Souza buttresses his assertion, which winds up striking at the heart of the Civil Rights-Leftist-Multiculturalis canard that racism was responsible for slavery, ergo, reparations are in order. D'Souza is not without his critics, who run the gamut from the scholary, to the demagogic. Still, don't let this scare you from reading this book. D'Souza is no race-baiter by any means. His look at race and culture in America is unsentimental and clear-headed. He comes across as genuinely concerned about the state of race relations in this country, and his book offers a refreshing alternative to the tired, shop-worn, pap from the Left.
Rating:  Summary: Definitely worth reading Review: D'Souza is an exceptionally talented writer and researcher. This book is a comprehensive review of race relations in America. D'Souza pushes aside political correctness and illuminates where we are at, how we got here, and where we need to go. You are sure to learn a few things from this book; I know I did.
Rating:  Summary: An excellent book Review: This book is a thorough examination of race relations in America. The book gives a detailed look at our history and offers insights about how we progressed (and sometimes regressed) in the area of race relations. It breaks though some of the political correctness that has stifled honest discussion. It is very illuminating. The book is very well researched and thoroughly documented. Mr. D'Souza has written a scholarly book, and he adds a lot to the discussion.
Rating:  Summary: The End of Racism is an idea whose time has not yet come Review: Mr.D'Souza obviously came to America when African Americans and other caste members were not being publically lynched for sport and routinely denied even the most fundamental civil rights. Although he makes many valid points in his book it is important to understand that the End of Racism is an idea whose time has not yet come. Therefore those with black, brown, red or yellow skin and poor whites should at least(including Mr.D'Souza) be thankful for the CRA of '64 and for other provisions that make life tolerable in America. MW
Rating:  Summary: THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE! Review: I've seen Dinesh D'Souza a bunch of times on tv on C-SPAN and on shows like "Politically Incorrect" and he's never said anything that made sense to me. THE END OF RACISM is the same old pseudointellectual nonsense D'Souza used to make a name for himself in the 1990s, and proves that he has a limited understanding of race, and of racism. But the amazing thing is that even though he rambles endlessly on tv and in THE END OF RACISM, he keeps showing up on tv, and now people are raving about this book, which just goes to show PT Barnum was right when he said, "THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE!" Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING
Rating:  Summary: Wow, what an eye opener! Review: I found this book in a bargain pile at an outlet book store. The title intrigued me, especially since I had an intense interest in race relations following the LA riots. My outlook at the time was about in the middle left of center and I held to be true all the current day dictums of today's "civil rights leaders." However I am also an engineer who appreciates facts and data and have no problem in changing my views when someone can prove them wrong. And Dinesh S'Souza proved them wrong. Boy did he prove them wrong! And I thank him for that! If you value the TRUTH at all, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'm not talking about "religious truth" that the religious right continuously spouts, or even the "truth because we say it is" truth the so easily flows from left of center politicians and the media . I'm talking about 1+1=2 kind of truth. It's all there, presented in non-partisan, agendaless, naked clarity. I'm sure Mr. D'Souza would have no problem endorsing radical policies like reparations, quotas, leniency for crimes etc. if his research showed that they would actually work (i.e. benefit the people they are so supposed to benefit). As this book clearly shows, they don't work. In fact, most if not all policies designed to help minorities actually hurt them. This is very important piece of work. I highly recommend it.
Rating:  Summary: Explaining How Brilliant People Embraced Stupid, Bad Ideas Review: Prior to September 11, a large number of brillliant people argued that there was no such thing as a superior or inferior culture. All cultures were, despite all evidence to the contrary, equal. Some people ate with forks; others with chopsticks. Some cultures had elections, provided universal public education, and used hi-tech computers. Others persecuted women, celebrated brutal dictators, and praised murder in the name of some religion. All were equal. There was no difference between the backward, primative Afghanistan and modern, democratic United States. How did this nonsensical, ultra-romantic idea become so widespread - almost unquestioned - "truth" in academic circles? The End of Racism helps answer this puzzling question. First, anthropoligists expand the word "culture" to include all and any behavior. Cannabalism is one culture; shopping at the malls is another cultural activity. In the aftermath of WWII and the Nazi's glorification of Aryans as a superior people, the newly created UNESCO declares that all civilizations/cultures are equal. This diplomatic ideal becomes the foundation for multicultural education across the United States a few decades later. This thick tome deserves to be read - or at least skimmed - by everyone interested in the terrible legacy of racism. Educators, administrators, and social activists will find D'Souza's discussion of Booker T. Washington and W.B.DuBois to be illuminating. Washington emphasized the need for individuals to become educated, skilled, and moral while W.B.DuBois emphasized the need to change laws, customs, and social structures. While they could have ideally complemented each other, these two men became fierce antagonists. D'Souza tracks the statements - and consequences -of each man's philosophy. Needless to say, W.B.DuBois the Pan Africanist Marxist - despite his brilliant achievements as a writer and activist - provided far more false answers than real responses to the acute suffering of his people. There are dozens of fascinating snapshots of intellectual debates, over several centuries, in this comprehensive work. The endnotes are an education in themselves. After celebrating differences between civilizations for three decades in academia, perhaps people are ready to hear some hard, cold, and uncomfortable truths. We can only hope that the distinction between moral and immoral, rational and irrational, just and unjust, modern and primative, will again be considered relevant.
Rating:  Summary: Brilliantly Deceptive Book Title Review: D'Souza loves to toss around terms like multi-culturalism, balkanization, cultural relativism, relative balkanism, cultural multilateralism, etc.. to get across his muddle-headed ideas of balkan cultural multivism or whatever. And conservatives love it, because they think they've got another Buckley on their side, yammering away in some incomprehensible Yale-ite jargon that no man can ever refute. And such a clever title - "the end of racism, principals for a multi-cultural society" - sounds like something that might have been written by Gandhi or Martin Luther King, maybe about how all the races need to show compassion for each other and learn to live with each other as equals or something like that, right? Really, this title is the most intelligent thing about the book. So intelligent in it's deviousness. A more accurate title would have been something like "How I love the White Race: Principals for Minority Cultures to Behave More Like The White Race That I Love so Much", but that probably would have had a negative sales impact. The irony here is that D'Souza himself is a dark-skin minority. You know, it's always a pleasure to see dark-skinned minorities taking the extreme conservative side on race-related issues. Oh yeah, that's always a delight. But anyway, if you want to read a conservative viewpoint on the race issue in America, than I would highly recommend this book.
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