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The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage
From the irreverent star of Fox News’s Red Eye and The Five , hilarious observations on the manufactured outrage of an oversensitive, wussified culture.
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals uses the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on--replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
- The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
- The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
- The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
- How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
- The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
- As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals uses the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on--replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
- The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
- The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
- The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
- How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
- The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
- As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.
226 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2012
337 people are currently reading
1303 people want to read
About the author
Greg Gutfeld
14 books318 followersGreg Gutfeld has been called "outrageous and outspoken," neither of which he denies. A libertarian political satirist, humorist, magazine editor and blogger, he is perhaps best known as the host of the Fox News Channel program "Red Eye With Greg Gutfeld." Airing at 3 a.m. ET Tuesday through Saturday, the show covers a variety of topics, including news, entertainment, sports, and gossip. Gutfeld is also a host of FNC's "The Five," a weekday program at 5 p.m. ET.
The Weekly Standard calls him "the most dangerous man on television." According to the magazine, unlike other media darlings, "Gutfeld's stuff actually is subversive, a stink bomb hurled into every faculty lounge, mainstream newsroom, movie studio, and nonprofit boardroom in America."
Prior to joining Fox, Gutfeld was a staff writer at Prevention and editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine. He later became editor-in-chief of Stuff, where he increased circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million and created controversy month after month. He helmed Maxim magazine in the U.K., and was a contributor to the Huffington Post, where he became legendary for his "inspired, lunatic ridicule of his leftwing fellow Huffers." He's been published in countless magazines, has appeared in too many profiles to mention, and was only fingerprinted once.
He currently blogs on his own site, The Daily Gut, as well as Big Hollywood.com, where he writes about the news and pop culture of the day, from a conservative libertarian humorous slant. He's appeared on dozens of TV shows, as a regular on "The O'Reilly Factor," while also stopping by on Dennis Miller's radio show and spots on "Opie and Anthony."
The Weekly Standard calls him "the most dangerous man on television." According to the magazine, unlike other media darlings, "Gutfeld's stuff actually is subversive, a stink bomb hurled into every faculty lounge, mainstream newsroom, movie studio, and nonprofit boardroom in America."
Prior to joining Fox, Gutfeld was a staff writer at Prevention and editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine. He later became editor-in-chief of Stuff, where he increased circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million and created controversy month after month. He helmed Maxim magazine in the U.K., and was a contributor to the Huffington Post, where he became legendary for his "inspired, lunatic ridicule of his leftwing fellow Huffers." He's been published in countless magazines, has appeared in too many profiles to mention, and was only fingerprinted once.
He currently blogs on his own site, The Daily Gut, as well as Big Hollywood.com, where he writes about the news and pop culture of the day, from a conservative libertarian humorous slant. He's appeared on dozens of TV shows, as a regular on "The O'Reilly Factor," while also stopping by on Dennis Miller's radio show and spots on "Opie and Anthony."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
September 24, 2016
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
I don’t watch much TV, unless it’s a series that I can get hooked on or a movie. I generally stay away from talk shows, reality shows, comedies, and news/opinion shows. So I’ve never heard of Greg Gutfeld.
I’m so glad I came across Mike's review and gave him a chance.
His essays are proof positive that the left does not have a monopoly on intelligence, humor, or sarcasm.
Just last week, I was going to pull into a parking spot at Market Basket when this woman comes flying out from in between cars and beats me to the spot while fixing me with a nasty glare. Her shabby car was festooned with bumper stickers. After her appalling behavior, this was the one that stood out the most:
If she were truly tolerant, she would have let the old woman with the bad foot (and better car) take the spot closer to the entrance.
I’m sure Greg Gutfeld would have a good laugh over that one. I know I did. This is the kind of artificial tolerance that he talks about.
Though I tend to think these essays would be more appealing to those who lean to the right on the political spectrum, independent thinkers who don’t blindly accept one worldview and those who tolerate others with different views may get something out of it too.
I laughed even while he was dissing one of my favorite bands:
He covers immigration, climate change, birth control, religion, feminism, media bias, Occupy Wall Street, celebrities, second-hand smoke, parades, etc.
Some of my favorites were:
- My Big Fat Gay Muslim Bar
- A Really Bad Day at the Office
- To Obama, Borders Was Nothing But a Bookstore
- A Pack of Lies
- Stalin Grads
While I don’t agree with everything he says, reading these essays was fun, refreshing, thought-provoking, and a perfect way to spend time on the beach.
One of these days I’ll check out his show.
I don’t watch much TV, unless it’s a series that I can get hooked on or a movie. I generally stay away from talk shows, reality shows, comedies, and news/opinion shows. So I’ve never heard of Greg Gutfeld.
I’m so glad I came across Mike's review and gave him a chance.
His essays are proof positive that the left does not have a monopoly on intelligence, humor, or sarcasm.
Just last week, I was going to pull into a parking spot at Market Basket when this woman comes flying out from in between cars and beats me to the spot while fixing me with a nasty glare. Her shabby car was festooned with bumper stickers. After her appalling behavior, this was the one that stood out the most:
If she were truly tolerant, she would have let the old woman with the bad foot (and better car) take the spot closer to the entrance.
I’m sure Greg Gutfeld would have a good laugh over that one. I know I did. This is the kind of artificial tolerance that he talks about.
Though I tend to think these essays would be more appealing to those who lean to the right on the political spectrum, independent thinkers who don’t blindly accept one worldview and those who tolerate others with different views may get something out of it too.
I laughed even while he was dissing one of my favorite bands:
“The idea of tolerance – a seemingly innocuous concept – has now become something else entirely: a way to bludgeon people into shutting up, piping down, and apologizing, when the attacked are often the ones who hold the key to common sense. They speak an unspeakable truth, and they get clobbered by the Truncheon of Tolerance. Tolerance has turned normal people into sheep/parrot hybrids, followers in word and deed – bloating and squawking at everyone in a psychological torment not experienced since Dave Matthews picked up a guitar.”
He covers immigration, climate change, birth control, religion, feminism, media bias, Occupy Wall Street, celebrities, second-hand smoke, parades, etc.
Some of my favorites were:
- My Big Fat Gay Muslim Bar
- A Really Bad Day at the Office
- To Obama, Borders Was Nothing But a Bookstore
- A Pack of Lies
- Stalin Grads
While I don’t agree with everything he says, reading these essays was fun, refreshing, thought-provoking, and a perfect way to spend time on the beach.
One of these days I’ll check out his show.
January 10, 2013
I wish more Christians were as insightful as Gutfeld about the actual game that is being run on them. As a libertarian, he has the usual blind spots, but where he sees, he really sees.
November 24, 2015
So glad I read this in November just before Thanksgiving. Because it was definitely the funniest book of my 2015 reads and also puts me in a great mood for hosting the holiday.
And it also gave me a new word. One of the most exact with the shortest, succinct pronouncement. Tolerati! Oh do I know them. And if anything the true tolerati are even more humorless than the chapter of description here.
It loses a star in the trying too hard category. For puns, for constant media and celeb interface, for the "me" as the hero of retort too often in the middle sentence of a long paragraph. But that is also the main downside, IMHO, to most comedy and especially to stand up.
And I also think his decade time line progression is not completely accurate. But what absolutely was is his summation of what the ACTUAL 1960's was for most of us who lived it. Not hippies, not love children, not feckless.
This book is a bit dated. He follows the Occupy Wall Street escapades, down to the 30 tons of garbage they left in one location. He would have had a field day with the current college mixer in Missoula.
In other posts I have read that he doesn't analysis the Right as accurately as the Left. In this time period I did not find that true in this book at all. And he details the Tea Party "outrage" quite well too. In fact, I wish he would have done a much longer chapter on P.C. More than he did on corporate hate or Capitalism detesting. He needs to do an entire book on P.C. alone now. Not just in media, Academia, or celeb worlds either.
But the best parts of the entire book were his accurate definitions within each parsing of "outrage". What it used to mean; what it means now. What is included in that assumption now; what used to be the core of that term or word. But moreover, how the Left now sees their enemy as Republicans. Republicans are worse than terrorists, violent criminals, moochers, robbers, murderers and cheaters. Categories of criminality that for centuries were the scourges of working, productive, innovative, loving to their extended family and town, prosperous, loyal, industrious and totally law-abiding American citizens. Mental pretzel shaped gymnasts all around.
Sarcasm is not as high here as others seem to read into this book. He's often a great straight man with no mental gymnasts of redefinition needed, as well.
Sure hope he does another for the post 2011-12 period.
But tolerati is so exact. Can't wait to tell my daughter. She has a sister-in-law that fits its exactly.
And it also gave me a new word. One of the most exact with the shortest, succinct pronouncement. Tolerati! Oh do I know them. And if anything the true tolerati are even more humorless than the chapter of description here.
It loses a star in the trying too hard category. For puns, for constant media and celeb interface, for the "me" as the hero of retort too often in the middle sentence of a long paragraph. But that is also the main downside, IMHO, to most comedy and especially to stand up.
And I also think his decade time line progression is not completely accurate. But what absolutely was is his summation of what the ACTUAL 1960's was for most of us who lived it. Not hippies, not love children, not feckless.
This book is a bit dated. He follows the Occupy Wall Street escapades, down to the 30 tons of garbage they left in one location. He would have had a field day with the current college mixer in Missoula.
In other posts I have read that he doesn't analysis the Right as accurately as the Left. In this time period I did not find that true in this book at all. And he details the Tea Party "outrage" quite well too. In fact, I wish he would have done a much longer chapter on P.C. More than he did on corporate hate or Capitalism detesting. He needs to do an entire book on P.C. alone now. Not just in media, Academia, or celeb worlds either.
But the best parts of the entire book were his accurate definitions within each parsing of "outrage". What it used to mean; what it means now. What is included in that assumption now; what used to be the core of that term or word. But moreover, how the Left now sees their enemy as Republicans. Republicans are worse than terrorists, violent criminals, moochers, robbers, murderers and cheaters. Categories of criminality that for centuries were the scourges of working, productive, innovative, loving to their extended family and town, prosperous, loyal, industrious and totally law-abiding American citizens. Mental pretzel shaped gymnasts all around.
Sarcasm is not as high here as others seem to read into this book. He's often a great straight man with no mental gymnasts of redefinition needed, as well.
Sure hope he does another for the post 2011-12 period.
But tolerati is so exact. Can't wait to tell my daughter. She has a sister-in-law that fits its exactly.
September 7, 2013
Okay, how many here know who Greg Gutfeld is...hold up your hands.
That many...huh.
I've watched the author of this book on and off for a while now. He's on more programs lately than he used to be, so more folks have more chances to see and hear him. While I don't think he and I would ever agree on...leisure time activities or music (as a lot of what he calls music I call noise) or a lot of other, "stuff" we do agree on ideas, freedom and small government.
I also often find his humor funny (though not always). Here I will admit to some laughs, some thought provoking discussion and some blatant name dropping.
I wasn't that into the name dropping.
So as I often ask, even if your first reaction as a liberal, progressive, Democrat is to run the other way screaming...give it a chance. Try for an open minded look at what he says, really. Just think about it.
That many...huh.
I've watched the author of this book on and off for a while now. He's on more programs lately than he used to be, so more folks have more chances to see and hear him. While I don't think he and I would ever agree on...leisure time activities or music (as a lot of what he calls music I call noise) or a lot of other, "stuff" we do agree on ideas, freedom and small government.
I also often find his humor funny (though not always). Here I will admit to some laughs, some thought provoking discussion and some blatant name dropping.
I wasn't that into the name dropping.
So as I often ask, even if your first reaction as a liberal, progressive, Democrat is to run the other way screaming...give it a chance. Try for an open minded look at what he says, really. Just think about it.
November 15, 2012
This is an entertaining, breezy read on a relatively new phenomenon in America. Why is everyone so offended by everything? Gutfeld's answers that question by riffing on some 25 topics. You'll need an open mind, in the classical sense to enjoy the book. This is a political book in the sense that everything in our culture has become politicized. If you're not ready to question your opinions about topics like global warming, racism and obesity, skip this book. If you were waiting for Gutfeld to elaborate on some of his best work on Red Eye (late night show on Fox News), you'll enjoy this book.
December 7, 2012
amazon review:
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals use the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on- - replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals use the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on- - replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.
December 30, 2019
I ended my yearly reading challenge with this book!
Keywords: manufactured outrage, repressive tolerance, intolerance, tolerati, liberal, lefties, LBSS, BTBSD, identity politics, media bias, Breitbart.
Personally, this book is a better read than another book of Gutfeld that I recently read: How to be right: the art of being persuasively correct.
Gutfeld addressed a serious topic in this book which is "hate" in a truly Gutfeld's style, meaning you'll need to bypass his dry humour and/or exaggerations that got you thinking, hang on a minute, "is he being serious?" (if it's not according to your taste that is), because notwithstanding the essence of this book actually serious in nature and make you think things that you don't put serious thoughts on the subjects before.
My favourite quote on this book: Misconstrued should be the word that defines the modern era. So many things these days are misconstrued, only because tolerati have blanketed our culture with the potential for taking everything the wrong way. (p. 22)
p/s... there are some typos in this book. He needs a proof-reader.
Keywords: manufactured outrage, repressive tolerance, intolerance, tolerati, liberal, lefties, LBSS, BTBSD, identity politics, media bias, Breitbart.
Personally, this book is a better read than another book of Gutfeld that I recently read: How to be right: the art of being persuasively correct.
Gutfeld addressed a serious topic in this book which is "hate" in a truly Gutfeld's style, meaning you'll need to bypass his dry humour and/or exaggerations that got you thinking, hang on a minute, "is he being serious?" (if it's not according to your taste that is), because notwithstanding the essence of this book actually serious in nature and make you think things that you don't put serious thoughts on the subjects before.
My favourite quote on this book: Misconstrued should be the word that defines the modern era. So many things these days are misconstrued, only because tolerati have blanketed our culture with the potential for taking everything the wrong way. (p. 22)
p/s... there are some typos in this book. He needs a proof-reader.
July 18, 2018
While I do not agree with all stated in this book, I do agree that phony outrage has become the norm. Debate should be endorsed. Differences embraced. It is through discourse that change happens. Then again, you have every right to disagree with me.
September 12, 2018
I'm taking a break from Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World until my paper book gets here & I needed something to read. This was on my Kindle & had been on my to-read list. I have no idea who this guy is (That he's on Fox is worrisome.) but he struck a chord one day with whiners, phony outrage, & using tolerance as a shield for their own intolerance.
My cousin, a liberal reporter, is a perfect example. When she posted some fake news on FB, I pointed it out. Because I didn't completely support an extremist response, I was supposed to be intolerant. This is exactly the behavior that Gutfeld seems to be addressing in the introduction of his book. That much is great & fun. I hope the rest is as good.
I certainly don't agree with everything he's saying, but there are some good points. Getting called a racist, sexist, or whatever simply because we're male & white is really irritating. I often think someone is wrong or a jerk without knowing or considering their race/gender/religion. Disagreement & even a few jokes shouldn't be a crime. Insulting or possibly in bad taste, but I've been accused of that often enough even with & by other straight white men. People need to get over their own inferiority complexes.
I agree with him that I really don't care about a lot of issues so long as people don't rub my nose in it. His argument for putting the gay bar next to the Muslim temple by the bombed towers in NYC is a very good one & it did illustrate the intolerance of the supposedly tolerant. I remember quite a few liberals saying it was offensive. No worse than the temple itself IMO & I certainly found it amusing.
We certainly parted ways in other areas, though. His opinion of health insurance paying for birth control pills is one. He only tells part of the story & then in the most derogatory way. Our laws are secular & opting out of birth control should not be allowed including Georgetown's health clinic. The one resource we have in overabundance is people. Besides, birth control pills are used for medical conditions such as cramps & maintaining a proper period. That usage isn't nearly as limited as Gutfeld would lead us to expect. Also, if Viagra is covered there's a double standard unless men get their use signed for by their spouse.
There was a lot about celebrities that I didn't get since I don't recognize the names. He didn't emphasize enough that their opinion on anything outside their field of expertise isn't worth listening to nor did he put down public shaming enough - probably because that's what he does for a living. He condemns it in some instances, but not the concept of guilt by ignorant masses based on a headline.
His ranting could get old at times & his blind spot is evident, but all in all, it's an interesting read.
My cousin, a liberal reporter, is a perfect example. When she posted some fake news on FB, I pointed it out. Because I didn't completely support an extremist response, I was supposed to be intolerant. This is exactly the behavior that Gutfeld seems to be addressing in the introduction of his book. That much is great & fun. I hope the rest is as good.
I certainly don't agree with everything he's saying, but there are some good points. Getting called a racist, sexist, or whatever simply because we're male & white is really irritating. I often think someone is wrong or a jerk without knowing or considering their race/gender/religion. Disagreement & even a few jokes shouldn't be a crime. Insulting or possibly in bad taste, but I've been accused of that often enough even with & by other straight white men. People need to get over their own inferiority complexes.
I agree with him that I really don't care about a lot of issues so long as people don't rub my nose in it. His argument for putting the gay bar next to the Muslim temple by the bombed towers in NYC is a very good one & it did illustrate the intolerance of the supposedly tolerant. I remember quite a few liberals saying it was offensive. No worse than the temple itself IMO & I certainly found it amusing.
We certainly parted ways in other areas, though. His opinion of health insurance paying for birth control pills is one. He only tells part of the story & then in the most derogatory way. Our laws are secular & opting out of birth control should not be allowed including Georgetown's health clinic. The one resource we have in overabundance is people. Besides, birth control pills are used for medical conditions such as cramps & maintaining a proper period. That usage isn't nearly as limited as Gutfeld would lead us to expect. Also, if Viagra is covered there's a double standard unless men get their use signed for by their spouse.
There was a lot about celebrities that I didn't get since I don't recognize the names. He didn't emphasize enough that their opinion on anything outside their field of expertise isn't worth listening to nor did he put down public shaming enough - probably because that's what he does for a living. He condemns it in some instances, but not the concept of guilt by ignorant masses based on a headline.
His ranting could get old at times & his blind spot is evident, but all in all, it's an interesting read.
July 13, 2013
Oh how I loved this book! Greg Gutfeld is one of my favorite people whom I've never met. A conservative libertarian (like me!), he has a twisted and hilarious take on the world. After smartly pointing out hypocrisy among those he's christened The Tolorati, he doesn't advocate trying to FORCE them to look at another point of view, he advocates living life to it's fullest because that's what really matters. It seems a bit like he's throwing up his hands in defeat, but if he was he wouldn't have written a book about fake tolerance in the first place. Gutfeld just advocates giving the outrage people like him feel a proper place in the world rather than allowing it to consume them. So, if I love it so much, why only four stars? One reason is the book is often repetitive. The same points are hammered home many times. The second reason is it's loose organization. It's almost a stream of consciousness, and I'm unsure how I feel about that. Otherwise, I did love it and often found myself wishing my husband hadn't read it first so I could enjoy reading key passages aloud. Gutfeld is hilarious and very quotable.
January 1, 2022
Greg Gutfeld is a witty and smart man. If you have ever seen him on television you know this. But he is also a funny and engaging writer, and “The Joy of Hate” is proof of that! In this book Gutfeld takes on the fake idea of tolerance that seems to permeate our society. The structure of the text is simple; each chapter is a stand-alone essay on a topic. However, all of the chapters are linked by the idea of the phoniness of “tolerance” as it is practiced by some folks today. Gutfeld rightly takes to task those who scream tolerance at everyone, but don’t extend it to people who don’t think like them.
I actually laughed out loud at times while reading this text, and that does not happen often when reading a book of this nature. Gutfeld is really in his element here and his self-deprecating humor is used throughout the text. Here are just some of the notable highlights for me…first the chapter called “The Vagina Demagogues” is brilliant! Gutfeld takes the hypocrisies of people and unashamedly (and gleefully) puts them through the ringer. The chapter called “The Pirates of Penance” is a must read for every citizen. Although it is humorously presented, its point that we are a nation of wimps (on many levels) is a very important one. Also very enjoyable is Gutfeld’s defense of our military and his takedown of the hypocrisy of the academics who attack it is succinct and funny. Two things that most academics are not!
The conclusion to “The Joy of Hate” is spot on. I can’t say it better than the author, stop with the “fleeting emotional orgasm that is outrage” and just live you darn life. Pretty good medicine really, and I enjoyed taking it. I will invest in more of Mr. Gutfeld’s books.
I actually laughed out loud at times while reading this text, and that does not happen often when reading a book of this nature. Gutfeld is really in his element here and his self-deprecating humor is used throughout the text. Here are just some of the notable highlights for me…first the chapter called “The Vagina Demagogues” is brilliant! Gutfeld takes the hypocrisies of people and unashamedly (and gleefully) puts them through the ringer. The chapter called “The Pirates of Penance” is a must read for every citizen. Although it is humorously presented, its point that we are a nation of wimps (on many levels) is a very important one. Also very enjoyable is Gutfeld’s defense of our military and his takedown of the hypocrisy of the academics who attack it is succinct and funny. Two things that most academics are not!
The conclusion to “The Joy of Hate” is spot on. I can’t say it better than the author, stop with the “fleeting emotional orgasm that is outrage” and just live you darn life. Pretty good medicine really, and I enjoyed taking it. I will invest in more of Mr. Gutfeld’s books.
September 11, 2021
A 7 hour and ten minute unabridged audiobook.
This was largely dealing with contemporaneous events when published about a decade ago, so unfortunately hearing it now made it feel irrelevant in areas where it once was quite relevant.
I like Gutfeld, funny guy and makes a lot of good points. But on balance it was just okay- probably would have gotten 3 stars if i had come across it years ago.
This was largely dealing with contemporaneous events when published about a decade ago, so unfortunately hearing it now made it feel irrelevant in areas where it once was quite relevant.
I like Gutfeld, funny guy and makes a lot of good points. But on balance it was just okay- probably would have gotten 3 stars if i had come across it years ago.
January 18, 2013
I know a lot of people who would be offended by this book so do yourself a favor and read what it is about in the description before you decide to pick it up and then toss it down in disgust after a chapter or two!
That being said, I really enjoyed most of this. Greg Gutfeld is hilarious and I recently saw him on one of his shows (I think it was called The Five?) and I liked him even more after that. He is great at incorporating his sense of humor into his arguments.
My problems with it:
-There were a few points I disagreed with him on (not that they weren't valid points, just his stance on some of the issues he addresses are very different from mine...and HEY! THAT'S OK!) <-Look Greg, you taught me well...
-It was kind of repetitive (I recommend reading a few chapters a day rather than trying to do a marathon read over a day or two).
-A few times I felt like he was taking relatively isolated incidents and using them to make blanket statements to support his own view.
-I consider myself to be politically illiterate so there were references to people and events that went over my head. My fault, not his.
What I liked:
-He vocalized some of my very thoughts in an articulate and hilarious way (I laughed out loud multiple times).
-His chapters on Occupy Wall Street, birth control, and immigration control...brilliant.
-I actually learned a lot more about politics and the political climate
So if you want a good laugh and won't be offended by this, I definitely recommend it.
That being said, I really enjoyed most of this. Greg Gutfeld is hilarious and I recently saw him on one of his shows (I think it was called The Five?) and I liked him even more after that. He is great at incorporating his sense of humor into his arguments.
My problems with it:
-There were a few points I disagreed with him on (not that they weren't valid points, just his stance on some of the issues he addresses are very different from mine...and HEY! THAT'S OK!) <-Look Greg, you taught me well...
-It was kind of repetitive (I recommend reading a few chapters a day rather than trying to do a marathon read over a day or two).
-A few times I felt like he was taking relatively isolated incidents and using them to make blanket statements to support his own view.
-I consider myself to be politically illiterate so there were references to people and events that went over my head. My fault, not his.
What I liked:
-He vocalized some of my very thoughts in an articulate and hilarious way (I laughed out loud multiple times).
-His chapters on Occupy Wall Street, birth control, and immigration control...brilliant.
-I actually learned a lot more about politics and the political climate
So if you want a good laugh and won't be offended by this, I definitely recommend it.
January 1, 2013
Greg Gutfeld is one of the rising stars on Fox News channel, and one of my favorite TV personalities overall. His edgy and snarky humor will appeal to anyone who has grown up with South Park and similar forms of irreverent humor that takes on some relevant current issue. He manages to weave social commentary with irreverent statement that titter on the edge of what can be said on primetime television.
In “The Joy of Hate” Gutfeld takes on the notion that the ultimate arbiter of validity of one’s arguments is whether or not it offends any particular group. We’ve come a long way away from the society where we are indeed free to speak our mind, and even the political correctness of recent years is starting to seem mild in comparison to all the “anti hate” rhetoric that we have today. Gutfeld walks us through his own political and ideological transformation in his early youth and explains where he comes from. He is unapologetically libertarian, and many of his more conservative fans will find some of his statements almost as objectionable as do his critics on the let. Nonetheless, it is refreshing and indeed fun to read Gutfeld’s prose and his unabashed criticism of various sacred cows.
I watch Gutfeld often on The Five, and while reading this book I could totally hear his voice in my head. The book is a fun and easy to read, but it is mostly preaching to the choir. It is unlikely to convert anyone who is already committed to the narrative of “hate” and the ways that it supposedly needs to be curtailed.
In “The Joy of Hate” Gutfeld takes on the notion that the ultimate arbiter of validity of one’s arguments is whether or not it offends any particular group. We’ve come a long way away from the society where we are indeed free to speak our mind, and even the political correctness of recent years is starting to seem mild in comparison to all the “anti hate” rhetoric that we have today. Gutfeld walks us through his own political and ideological transformation in his early youth and explains where he comes from. He is unapologetically libertarian, and many of his more conservative fans will find some of his statements almost as objectionable as do his critics on the let. Nonetheless, it is refreshing and indeed fun to read Gutfeld’s prose and his unabashed criticism of various sacred cows.
I watch Gutfeld often on The Five, and while reading this book I could totally hear his voice in my head. The book is a fun and easy to read, but it is mostly preaching to the choir. It is unlikely to convert anyone who is already committed to the narrative of “hate” and the ways that it supposedly needs to be curtailed.
September 13, 2020
This is my second read of this book and the review below stands. Timely then 92017) and maybe even more timely today. It is worth your reading time.
Who knew social commentary could be so much fun!? The book is about many ideas and political topics that cause outrage in our society and times. Gutfeld calls it 'phony outrage" in this age of tolerance which is really intolerance below the surface. The tolerant and intolerant do seem to become confused and Gutfeld makes it simple and calls for tolerating what used to be called common sense. There does not seem to be a lot of that around these days. I read this book and had a great time with it...easy flow with the writing style. I laughed out loud or giggled quietly through a lot of the book. I totally enjoyed his "common sense." He emphasized that it is not necessary to tolerate the intolerant--what a refreshing concept. When I finished this book, I realized it was written 6 years ago! Prophetic! He wrote a tribute chapter to Andrew Breitbart which I loved. Breitbart was and remains a hero to me.
I recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid to laugh at themselves and ...dare I say it?... Others!
Who knew social commentary could be so much fun!? The book is about many ideas and political topics that cause outrage in our society and times. Gutfeld calls it 'phony outrage" in this age of tolerance which is really intolerance below the surface. The tolerant and intolerant do seem to become confused and Gutfeld makes it simple and calls for tolerating what used to be called common sense. There does not seem to be a lot of that around these days. I read this book and had a great time with it...easy flow with the writing style. I laughed out loud or giggled quietly through a lot of the book. I totally enjoyed his "common sense." He emphasized that it is not necessary to tolerate the intolerant--what a refreshing concept. When I finished this book, I realized it was written 6 years ago! Prophetic! He wrote a tribute chapter to Andrew Breitbart which I loved. Breitbart was and remains a hero to me.
I recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid to laugh at themselves and ...dare I say it?... Others!
May 25, 2013
Gutfeld sets up the overly sensitive liberal left and shoots them down with ease. They tolerate everything! Well, almost everything. They don't tolerate what they don't like. Or what they don't understand. In which case get out of their way because they're gunning for you and they have the backing of the media. Except for the Fox News Network, a beacon of light in the darkness. Well, maybe that's an overstatement but they do employ him so he's got to do a little sucking up to his bosses.
Gutfeld makes a good argument for his conservative point of view and backs up his statements with facts. I didn't expect him to cut liberals any slack (and he didn't) but I'm gonna have to call him on his glossing over the involvment of the fat cat bankers in the real estate debacle. Sure they weren't the only ones to blame for the mess that was made, but their greed is what exacerbated it.
As for his writing style, I guess I can tolerate it. But Gutfeld just tries too hard to be funny. His Woody Allen like quips too often fall flat.
Gutfeld makes a good argument for his conservative point of view and backs up his statements with facts. I didn't expect him to cut liberals any slack (and he didn't) but I'm gonna have to call him on his glossing over the involvment of the fat cat bankers in the real estate debacle. Sure they weren't the only ones to blame for the mess that was made, but their greed is what exacerbated it.
As for his writing style, I guess I can tolerate it. But Gutfeld just tries too hard to be funny. His Woody Allen like quips too often fall flat.
September 8, 2013
A genuinely funny and insightful treatment of a very pertinent topic: artificial outrage. Gutfeld is a gifted writer with a sense of humor far superior to that of any other television host currently working for Fox News (wait...has Dennis Miller been given his own show yet?). I particularly appreciate his skewering of the American Left's obnoxious posturing in the name of "tolerance." Back in college, I realized that, since our modern understanding of "tolerance" doesn't include tolerating the intolerant, the whole notion becomes rather silly--as everyone is guilty of being intolerant of something, and rightly so. In this book, Gutfeld brilliantly illustrates the hypocrisy of the American Left, in that they are perfectly willing to embrace intolerance whenever it comes to promoting their own worldview, but they are rabidly intolerant of anyone who truly desires to think for themselves.
August 23, 2015
Actually, 3.5 stars.
This book is better read in short spurts (just a chapter or two at a time) over the course of a few weeks than in large chunks in just a few days, as I did. It gets pretty repetitive, so spacing it out would help that. Still, it's an easy read, and pretty funny. (He seems to have a thing for unicorns.)
If you don't know anything about Gutfeld, you should go ahead and read some excerpts to see if it's your cup of tea before diving in.
This book is better read in short spurts (just a chapter or two at a time) over the course of a few weeks than in large chunks in just a few days, as I did. It gets pretty repetitive, so spacing it out would help that. Still, it's an easy read, and pretty funny. (He seems to have a thing for unicorns.)
If you don't know anything about Gutfeld, you should go ahead and read some excerpts to see if it's your cup of tea before diving in.
January 18, 2013
The message Gutfeld was attempting to relay in this book was watered down by all the one-liners. I'm all for using humor to get a point across, but he went overboard, with a laugh line in nearly every paragraph. But Gutfeld is right when he says we, as a society, need to lighten up and save our outrage for things that truly deserve it. I thought he chapter on the military was particularly noteworthy.
December 2, 2012
Greg humorously disarms the "tolerate" and the "entitles" class of America, i.e., the people who want to give away other people's stuff. If you enjoy Greg on The Five, you'll love The Joy of Hate.
December 17, 2012
“How To Triumph Over Whiners In The Age Of Phony Outrage”
“From the irreverent star of Fox News’s Red Eye and The Five, hilarious observations on the manufactured outrage of an oversensitive, wussified culture.
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals uses the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on--replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
- The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
- The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
- The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
- How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
- The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
- As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.” (From the Crown Publishing Group Website).
About the Author: Greg Gutfeld is the host of Red Eye on the Fox News Channel. He is also one of five co-hosts/panelists on Fox News political talk-show The Five. He blogs at The Daily Gut and is author of The Bible of Unspeakable Truths.
My Thoughts About the Book: Hate is never funny and neither is intolerance – that is the kind of intolerance that is a really ignorant and mean-spirited vitriolic intolerance. But TV show host and author Greg Gutfeld and his book is not about that kind of hurtful “hate” that devastates people emotionally and ruins their lives. No his book is an absolutely hilarious look at just how far we have gone away as people living in our society from good old fashioned common sense in the name of tolerance and political correctness. So, he has written and book about it and he has a clearly stated goal in mind for doing so. He writes in his book, “My goal, then, is to help you fight against these tolerant/intolerant masses and their surplus of manufactured outrage, by supplying you with buckets of joyful intolerance.”
Reading the 1st Chapter of his book, “The Tolerant Tadpole”, to the last chapter titled, “The End of Hate,” his book is one huge non-stop humor-laugh-fest that will almost have you down on the floor rolling in laughter at times. But with the pages of funny material in his book there are also kernels of truth sort of snuck in to catch you unawares at first and then they creep up on you and grab you and you stop and say to yourself something like, “you know he’s right. I never thought about that issue or problem quite like that before.” And though author Gutfeld’s book does provide for hours of laughter it also will cause you to stop and think from time to time what the truth of what he is sharing in his book. The truth I believe he wants us to get as the readers of his book through his use of humor, and I could be wrong - (contact my PR manager if you feel I am); is we need to realize that there really is no value or true joy in hate and hatemongering.
The Joy of Hate is a no-holds barred everybody gets their opportunity in the book’s spotlight as author Gutfeld writes about issues such as Race, Religion, Politics, Panda’s, Sexual Orientation, Parades, (yes even parades are not left out), certain people and a little bit of everything else in between. His book is loaded with way too funny make you laugh until you almost pee your pants one-liners that would be great material for a stand up comedian (and if anyone takes me up on my idea and does steal any of your material Mr. Gutfeld I know a few good attorney’s personally). The book just oozes with humor. And I for one always enjoy a good laugh but not at the expense of another person’s real feelings. So everyone of just about every persuasion should feel pretty happy about his book because there’s not much he left out by way of topics or people.
In conclusion, “and author Gutfeld himself writes, “He hates book conclusions,” he writes, “The most obvious advice for everyone involved would be to lighten up. Get a thick skin.” Then he writes if someone says something that offends you, “step back for a moment, and go through a mental checklist. He then gives us the checklist. I like what he writes at the end of his book about what is the “bottom line” to all of this “Joy of Hating” that is going on in our society today, “Bottom line: 98 percent of the crap floating around in this world is not worth your time. What’s worth your time? Your family, your friends, your work, my books” – LOL! “Sadly the world wide web has robbed major time from our lives, preventing us from actual conversation with people-actual people! Instead we allow perverse comments on a blog to cloud our minds, as if they actually mean something (and they don’t, ever).” He goes on and writes, “So, forget about it. All of it. You are on this planet, if you are lucky (or blessed – my words, not his), for seventy to ninety years. You won’t be on your death bed remembering those things Maher said about whomever. They certainly won’t be thinking of you when they start walking toward that bright light. Nope, you remember only the experiences with real people, (not the fleeting emotional orgasm that is momentary outrage. You won’t be lying there, thinking, “If only I crafted a better comment on that HotAir blog about Alec Baldwin. I really let myself down. No, you’ll be thinking of your kids. Your grandkids. My chiseled abs. So there is no joy in hate. It’s not worth it. Get out of the outrage pool, and into the party. It’s more fun, and you won’t get an infection.” And I could not have put it any better myself.
So if you are looking for a way to de-stress from your distress in life and you just need a good laughathon that in the end will remind of you of who and what really matters most in life, then The Joy of Hate is the book for you. And who knows, maybe you might just read it and rather than living to experience and enjoy the “Joy of Hate,” you might have a good change of mind and heart and actually start living for the joy of love, life and just for the pure joy of itself and that would be an awesome thing.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book at no cost from the Crown Publishing Group for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
“From the irreverent star of Fox News’s Red Eye and The Five, hilarious observations on the manufactured outrage of an oversensitive, wussified culture.
Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals uses the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.
The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on--replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:
- The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it.
- The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters.
- The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)
- How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists.
- The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to).
- As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses.
Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.” (From the Crown Publishing Group Website).
About the Author: Greg Gutfeld is the host of Red Eye on the Fox News Channel. He is also one of five co-hosts/panelists on Fox News political talk-show The Five. He blogs at The Daily Gut and is author of The Bible of Unspeakable Truths.
My Thoughts About the Book: Hate is never funny and neither is intolerance – that is the kind of intolerance that is a really ignorant and mean-spirited vitriolic intolerance. But TV show host and author Greg Gutfeld and his book is not about that kind of hurtful “hate” that devastates people emotionally and ruins their lives. No his book is an absolutely hilarious look at just how far we have gone away as people living in our society from good old fashioned common sense in the name of tolerance and political correctness. So, he has written and book about it and he has a clearly stated goal in mind for doing so. He writes in his book, “My goal, then, is to help you fight against these tolerant/intolerant masses and their surplus of manufactured outrage, by supplying you with buckets of joyful intolerance.”
Reading the 1st Chapter of his book, “The Tolerant Tadpole”, to the last chapter titled, “The End of Hate,” his book is one huge non-stop humor-laugh-fest that will almost have you down on the floor rolling in laughter at times. But with the pages of funny material in his book there are also kernels of truth sort of snuck in to catch you unawares at first and then they creep up on you and grab you and you stop and say to yourself something like, “you know he’s right. I never thought about that issue or problem quite like that before.” And though author Gutfeld’s book does provide for hours of laughter it also will cause you to stop and think from time to time what the truth of what he is sharing in his book. The truth I believe he wants us to get as the readers of his book through his use of humor, and I could be wrong - (contact my PR manager if you feel I am); is we need to realize that there really is no value or true joy in hate and hatemongering.
The Joy of Hate is a no-holds barred everybody gets their opportunity in the book’s spotlight as author Gutfeld writes about issues such as Race, Religion, Politics, Panda’s, Sexual Orientation, Parades, (yes even parades are not left out), certain people and a little bit of everything else in between. His book is loaded with way too funny make you laugh until you almost pee your pants one-liners that would be great material for a stand up comedian (and if anyone takes me up on my idea and does steal any of your material Mr. Gutfeld I know a few good attorney’s personally). The book just oozes with humor. And I for one always enjoy a good laugh but not at the expense of another person’s real feelings. So everyone of just about every persuasion should feel pretty happy about his book because there’s not much he left out by way of topics or people.
In conclusion, “and author Gutfeld himself writes, “He hates book conclusions,” he writes, “The most obvious advice for everyone involved would be to lighten up. Get a thick skin.” Then he writes if someone says something that offends you, “step back for a moment, and go through a mental checklist. He then gives us the checklist. I like what he writes at the end of his book about what is the “bottom line” to all of this “Joy of Hating” that is going on in our society today, “Bottom line: 98 percent of the crap floating around in this world is not worth your time. What’s worth your time? Your family, your friends, your work, my books” – LOL! “Sadly the world wide web has robbed major time from our lives, preventing us from actual conversation with people-actual people! Instead we allow perverse comments on a blog to cloud our minds, as if they actually mean something (and they don’t, ever).” He goes on and writes, “So, forget about it. All of it. You are on this planet, if you are lucky (or blessed – my words, not his), for seventy to ninety years. You won’t be on your death bed remembering those things Maher said about whomever. They certainly won’t be thinking of you when they start walking toward that bright light. Nope, you remember only the experiences with real people, (not the fleeting emotional orgasm that is momentary outrage. You won’t be lying there, thinking, “If only I crafted a better comment on that HotAir blog about Alec Baldwin. I really let myself down. No, you’ll be thinking of your kids. Your grandkids. My chiseled abs. So there is no joy in hate. It’s not worth it. Get out of the outrage pool, and into the party. It’s more fun, and you won’t get an infection.” And I could not have put it any better myself.
So if you are looking for a way to de-stress from your distress in life and you just need a good laughathon that in the end will remind of you of who and what really matters most in life, then The Joy of Hate is the book for you. And who knows, maybe you might just read it and rather than living to experience and enjoy the “Joy of Hate,” you might have a good change of mind and heart and actually start living for the joy of love, life and just for the pure joy of itself and that would be an awesome thing.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book at no cost from the Crown Publishing Group for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
March 20, 2017
I enjoy Gutfeld from seeing him on Fox News and was given this book by a family member. If you enjoy his commentary on The Five and the Gutfeld Show then you will enjoy this book. This was the first non-fiction book I read in awhile and I almost never read anything political. Gutfeld keeps it pretty light for a political book by inserting humor and keeping his chapters on each topic to less than 10 pages each. He continually points out the hypocrisy of the "tolerant" left on a range of topics.
The main thing I took away from the book was that it was published in 2012 but it is even more relevant now. The same hypocrisies, phony outrage, and emphasis on "tolerance" is far worse today than in 2012. Political correctness has run amok. Gutfeld could easily write a sequel to this book commenting on safe spaces, transgender bathrooms, BLM, the anti-Trump protestors, the travel ban, etc.
My only complaint about the book is it gets slightly repetitive. This is hard to avoid as his comments on a range of issues still fall under the same theme.
The main thing I took away from the book was that it was published in 2012 but it is even more relevant now. The same hypocrisies, phony outrage, and emphasis on "tolerance" is far worse today than in 2012. Political correctness has run amok. Gutfeld could easily write a sequel to this book commenting on safe spaces, transgender bathrooms, BLM, the anti-Trump protestors, the travel ban, etc.
My only complaint about the book is it gets slightly repetitive. This is hard to avoid as his comments on a range of issues still fall under the same theme.
December 2, 2017
Loved it. He's just bawdy, irreverent, and a bodacious city boy and I'm happy that he's gaining popularity in a tough liberal-leaning city. It's not often that I finish a novel then reread some of the chapters, but, heck, I just wanted to savor them again. I will surely read his other writings and check in on his show now and then.
November 22, 2013
Since this book is political, I'll just go with a average 3 stars. I'll do the same with left leaning books like Christopher Hitchens.
Gutfeld is a pretty snarky humorist and unlike many comedians, his targets are all on the left. He is the Jon Stewart of the conservative movement. I think he does a descent job in that roll.
Now, if you take out the whole right, left, center thing and just focus on his rants, you'll see that he is, indeed, poking fun at hypocrisy in the form of "manufactured hate". "Manufactured hate" is his phrase and it rings true. Greg strings together a series of antidotes that demonstrates the political duplicity which arises on the left. It makes one wonder, could similar examples be pointed out in stories about the right.
The examples he illustrates would be hard to condemn as typical right wing rhetoric, as they do have substance. One example would be the sanctimonious treatment of republican women by the left. It would appear that political ideology trumps feminism in most cases -- think Sarah Palin.
At points his digressions go a little far afield, like his condemnation of people who condemn smokers. But, overall it is a fun and interesting read. Bottom line, don't hate, just look at mean people as lame and go on with your life.
dgp
December 21, 2012
What can I say I love Greg Gutfeld I think he's arguably one of the funniest people on the current talking head shows. Although as a conservative Gutfeld doesn't shy away from taking shots at most people's sacred cows all the while recognizing his bias. Like Greg I'm a conservative who loves Punk rock, metal and doesn't care where you place your genitals, but also recognize that there are cultural implications within those things. If I had any complaints about this book as a daily watcher of Red Eye and a frequent (more then a couple times a week) watcher of the Five most of the material doesn't break any new ground. I think the book had potential to be more then just preaching to the converted (really preaching to fans of Gutfeld which is a little different), I'm also thinking he might've edited out some material that would be of more interest to Red Eye fans but do fit in the template (e.g. Liberals who come onto his show and attack him or attack a conservative panelist). Also, the book is probably the right length, but I find Gutfeld so engaging both as a writer and a humorist I pretty much blazed through and could probably read another 50 or 100 pages.
February 11, 2013
Litany of what subjects have become intolerant in America. The book points out how those claiming tolerance (translation = progressives/liberals) are, in fact, the extremely intolerant. These souls are tolerant only as long one agrees with them and their narrow view of how things should be viewed and handled. The book has kind of a central theme of "lighten up". In full disclosure, the author is an admitted conservative and makes no secret of that. But I think readers would be surprised as to opennesss to thought really accompanies that. Reactions to this review may also show which of my friends/acquaintances prove the theme of the book. This piece is presented in a very fair format, makes excellent observations, and is actually very funny. Recommended.
August 6, 2013
Gutfeld is the jester who cleverly mocks our celebrity-obsessed culture and slanted 24-hour media cycle, cheekily exposing the hypocrisies rampant in modern political coverage, which naturally extends to a slavish yet widespread devotion to unexamined, misguided group-think - the fallout of which is so readily and sadly apparent in our educational system. Aptly and amusingly contrasting reporting on the Tea Party and Occupy movements, exposing blatant and intentional inaccuracies from once-trusted news sources, Gutfeld ultimately proves that, indeed, it's typically the constantly offended and self-appointed "morally enlightened" who demand tolerance from others, yet strangely prove to be the most intolerant. Hilarious, if only it wasn't so disturbing.
November 18, 2012
I think I needed to read this after the election. Gutfeld is very funny but also very astute. The whole idea of phony and selective outrage is so prevalent in our society that its nice for someone to actually acknowledge it in a humorous way. I'm sure there will be people who will be outraged by Gutfeld's book; although, those same people are probably not outraged by a similar tone from Bill Maher, Chris Rock, and a myriad of social comedians/commentators on the left. Somehow conservatives who do the same thing are bigots while liberals are heroes.
All in all its a funny book that will make you think. I loved it!
All in all its a funny book that will make you think. I loved it!
November 20, 2012
First of all, if you swing left of center politically, this book will either infuriate you or save you. Gutfeld writes from his conservative libertarian point of view, which leaves little positive to be said about true left wing liberals.
His comedy is vulgar at times, so again, be forewarned that if you offend easily, this may not be the book for you.
However, if you are an open-minded individual who is at least right of center, you might just love this.
I have never truly understood Gutfeld, but I think I am getting closer. You'll gain insight into his transformation into who he is today based on this book.
Enjoy!
His comedy is vulgar at times, so again, be forewarned that if you offend easily, this may not be the book for you.
However, if you are an open-minded individual who is at least right of center, you might just love this.
I have never truly understood Gutfeld, but I think I am getting closer. You'll gain insight into his transformation into who he is today based on this book.
Enjoy!
November 29, 2012
In this fabulous read, the liberals will find much to whine about, expressing all kinds of (phony) outrage at being called out for many of the ways that they do go on today in our hyper-politically correct world. Greg Gutfeld does this with wit and precision - and restraint - the liberals should be thankful - their crimes are much more numerous than those highlighted in these pages so delightfully! And this book has something else that will send liberals crying to their local government assistance representative... a happy ending! I love that!
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