First published 2018
Heather Mac Donald examines what she sees as a cultural crisis spreading from American universities into the broader workplace. The author of The War on Cops argues that toxic ideologies have corrupted higher education, leading professors to reject classical literature like Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton as oppressive. She contends that grammar correction and merit based hiring are now labeled racist or sexist. Mac Donald traces these problems to beliefs about America's systemic racism and sexism, which have created what she calls a growing diversity bureaucracy. This system, she argues, abandons meritocratic standards, enforces hiring quotas, and teaches people to see themselves as perpetual victims. The book examines phenomena from #MeToo movements to implicit bias training, arguing these create grievance minded citizens who damage America's competitive position. Mac Donald offers hope through classical liberal values of open inquiry and expression, drawing on decades of her research to advocate for rediscovering shared humanity through great works of literature, music, and art.
Genres: american, political-science, contemporary, social-issues, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
268 pages · Kindle Edition · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: racism, sexism