How to be a P.I.G.

In this case P.I.G. stands for Politically Incorrect Guide. & what they are is a series of books that is published by Regnery Publishing, Inc. & their purpose?, well, I'll let the publisher tell you: "Regnery Publishing created the bestselling Politically Incorrect Guide™ (P.I.G.) series to tackle a variety of topics in our society—issues that have been hijacked by politically correct historians, academia, and media. Inside every P.I.G. you’ll find politically correct myths busted and an abundance of cold, hard facts. Reach for a P.I.G. when you want to cut through the bull and get to the real truth—in all its politically incorrect glory!"

Why do I bring this series up? Simple, I was out at the local mall the other day at the bookstore & discovered that they had just added a new book to the series, The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Western Civilization. With this book the series is up to 14 books with more to come.

I have read or scanned several of the books in this series. & I am familiar with some of the authors (Thomas E. Woods Jr. & Robert Spencer) as well. The series covers a wide variety of subjects from the Middle East to American History, the Constitution to Feminism, English Lit & Science.

None of them are written to be an in depth, all exhaustive look at the subject. Rather, there are ment to look at the subject without giving into the PC mindlock that seems to have its grip on so much of education, news reporting, politics & esp science today. There in lies 1 of their strengths. & for me, at times, their weakness. There are times when I would love more detail on a specific point that the author is discussing. I know that it isn't possible given the format. The books do give resources for further reading, some better than others.

I have found the books I've looked at easy to read, without talking down to the reader. Rather, unlike a lot of the PC garbage out there, the authors respect the intelligence of the reader. They assume the reader can think for himself, take the facts & evaluate them honestly.

There is an overall format for the series. The cover has a series of provocative statements designed to grab your interest as well as throw down the guantlet. At the start of each chapter there is a series of Guess What? statements that give an overview of the chapter. Throughout the book there are sideboxes that serve a variety of purposes. Sometimes the box talks about A Book You're Not Supposed to Read. These are books recomended for you to read that go into depth on the topic being discussed. & support what the authorm is saying. 1 of my favorite recommendations is found in the Western Civilization book. The author recommends reading Pope Leo XIII"s encyclical Rerum Novarum. Why?, to learn what the Catholic Church's social teaching really is, not what the PC bunch twist it arround to say.

At other times the boxes share quotes from someone who supports the point the author is refuting. Other times they quote authors that support their point. & sometimes they have a quote from both sides.

Many times the author will take on a PC Myth. They will look at the myth, discuss what it is & then refute it.

The main thing the books aim to do, is to question what is often unquestioningly accepted as true, give you some facts to consider, thus getting you to think. & they succeed at that. I will admit that I don't always agree 100% with their opinions or conclusions. Sometimes after reading their defense of the point I come to agree wholy or partially. But even when I don't fully agree, I still respect the opinion & have to admit that the defense presented is usually well done.

& in the end, that is what makes the books in the series that I have looked at a success. They raise questions, got me to think about why I agree when I do & why I disagree when I don't. What is most important to me is not that I agree or don't agree. What is most important is that these books are restoring a needed dialog that in this PC world is too often silenced.

Anyone who wants to operate under a "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts!" mindset will definite not want to read these books (As an aside, I've seen this in both liberals & conservatives & even libertarians.) But if you want to be challenged to think for yourself, then any of the books (depending on your interests) is well worth reading.

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I have to add a comment or 2 about the way the articles on Wikipedia about the series & some of the individual books are handled. It is clear that much of what was written was coming from what would be considered a liberal, if not PC slant. That was made clear by the fact that the author of the overview of the series article said they "generally present a conservative viewpoint on the subject at hand." While that may be somewhat true, more often than not they present a middle of the road or even a libertarian point of view. I've noticed that it is usually true for many "liberals" that they see their view as moderate, even when it may be to the left of Karl Marx.

Some of the articles on the individual books remain neutral. But a few show their bias, either by only quoting the liberal criticism ( The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History) or by making reference to those who praise the book while quoting the critics verbatim (The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science). The 1 on Islam does quote a positive review, but gives 3 times as much space to its critics.