Left, Right and Center : Voices from Across the Political Spectrum

by Robert Atwan

• ISBN13: 9780312102005
• ISBN10: 0312102003
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1996-01-15
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

This issue-centered thematic reader presents a range of provocative and politically balanced readings from the left, the right, and the center of the current political spectrum by journalists, activists, theorists, academics, and policy makers. Accompanying questions and writing assignments teach students to think and write critically about the selections and the issues they represent.

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
Introduction: Current Controversy and Public Discourse	xxi
The Multicultural Challenge: Ethnicity, Diversity, Disunity	1	(64)
The Disuniting of America	3	(8)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
What Is Afrocentrism?	11	(6)
Molefi Kete Asante
Demystifying Multiculturalism	17	(7)
Linda Chavez
Multiculturalism and Individualism	24	(10)
Michael Walzer
Illiberal Education	34	(12)
Dinesh D'Souza
Diverse New World	46	(6)
Cornel West
A World View of Cultural Diversity	52	(13)
Thomas Sowell
The American Dilemma: Racism, Fairness, Opportunity	65	(78)
Race and Racism: Inferiority vs. Equality	67	(13)
Andrew Hacker
Back to Black: Ending Internalized Racism	80	(9)
bell hooks
Seeing More than Black and White	89	(9)
Elizabeth Martinez
The Phony War	98	(7)
Randall Kennedy
Race and Crime: An International Dilemma	105	(10)
J. Philippe Rushton
The Tyranny of the Majority	115	(13)
Lani Guinier
Black Dignity and the Common Good	128	(15)
Glenn C. Loury
The New Class Struggle: Poverty, Power, Prestige	143	(94)
The Unmentionable Five-Letter Word	145	(5)
Noam Chomsky
On Being Black and Middle Class	150	(11)
Shelby Steele
Cycles of Deprivation and the Ghetto Underclass Debate	161	(19)
William Julius Wilson
To Have and Have Not	180	(15)
Michael Lind
The Revolt of the Elites	195	(13)
Christopher Lasch
A Response to Christopher Lasch
Class Anxieties	208	(3)
Robert B. Reich
``People Don't Know Right from Wrong Anymore'': Working-Class Families in the 1990s	211	(18)
Lillian B. Rubin
Class Conflict and Environmental Reform	229	(8)
William Greider
The Gender Debate: Roles, Rights, Reaction	237	(88)
Feminism at the Crossroads	239	(6)
Katha Pollitt
Gender	245	(24)
James Q. Wilson
Are Opinions Male?	269	(11)
Naomi Wolf
``Put Down that Paper and Talk to Me!'': Rapport-talk and Report-talk	280	(17)
Deborah Tannen
Blame It on Feminism	297	(10)
Susan Faludi
Feminism's Identity Crisis	307	(18)
Wendy Kaminer
The Politics of Sexuality: Identity, Bigotry, Violence	325	(92)
A New Politics of Sexuality	328	(5)
June Jordan
The Politics of Homosexuality	333	(18)
Andrew Sullivan
A Comment on Discrimination
Fighting Gay and Lesbian Discrimination	351	(4)
Barney Frank
Sex Crime: Rape	355	(13)
Camille Paglia
The Politics of Displacement	368	(15)
Jean Bethke Elshtain
To Ogle or Not to Ogle	383	(7)
Rush H. Limbaugh
Violence against Women: It Breaks the Heart, Also the Bones	390	(11)
Andrea Dworkin
Noble Lies	401	(16)
Christina Hoff Sommers
American Speech: Freedom, Censorship, Correctness	417	(70)
The Word Police	420	(5)
Michiko Kakutani
Crimes against Humanity	425	(9)
Ward Churchill
Hate Radio	434	(8)
Patricia J. Williams
A Comment on Hate Speech
``Words Have Consequences'': In the Wake of Oklahoma City	442	(2)
William J. Clinton
In Defense of Prejudice	444	(12)
Jonathan Rauch
Shouting ``Fire!''	456	(6)
Alan M. Dershowitz
Sexual Speech and the Law	462	(10)
Nadine Strossen
What to Do about the First Amendment	472	(15)
Robert H. Bork
Social Values: Religion, Family, Responsibility	487	(108)
Dan Quayle Was Right	490	(34)
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead
Defining Deviancy Down	524	(14)
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Defining Deviancy Up	538	(11)
Charles Krauthammer
Contracting with America	549	(10)
Newt Gingrich
Revolt against God: America's Spiritual Despair	559	(12)
William J. Bennett
Family Values	571	(7)
Barbara Ehrenreich
A Warning to Hollywood
Nightmares of Depravity: A Warning to Hollywood	578	(3)
Robert Dole
A Response to Robert Dole
``Pathways for Trash'': A Response to Dole	581	(1)
Bill Bradley
A New Moral, Social, Public Order	582	(13)
Amitai Etzioni
Appendix
The Constitution of the United States of America	595	(19)
The Bill of Rights	614	(5)
Index of Authors and Titles	619