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White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art
David Roediger ,
Patricia Williams ,
Nancy Burson ,
Wendy Ewald ,
Mike Kelley ,
William Kentridge ,
Barbara Kruger ,
Gary Simmons , and
Nayland Blake
Manufacturer: Center for Art and Visual Culture, UMBC
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White Lies: Race and the Myths of Whiteness
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ASIN: 1890761060
Release Date: 2003-11-02 |
Book Description
Over the past 20 years, the cultural and scholarly discourse around race has exploded to include the study of whiteness and white privilege, representing a radical shift in the way we think and talk about race in the United States. Since the advent of the modern civil rights movement, people of color have usually been responsible for leading the debate and discussion about race and racism, forced to evaluate the status of their race in relation to the prejudice they experience every day--while most white people, even the most liberal, are usually oblivious to the psychological and political weight of their own color. The study of whiteness asks all Americans--and especially white people--to take stock of the political, psychological, economic and cultural implication of white skin, white entitlement and white privilege. White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art, the first exhibition and book devoted to the subject, gives voice to 11 artists who explicitly address the issue of whiteness: Max Becher and Andrea Robbin, Nayland Blake, Nancy Burson, Wendy Ewald and Mike Kelley, William Kentridge, Barbara Kruger, Nikki S. Lee, Cindy Sherman, and Gary Simmons. David R. Roediger, Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Minnesota, contributes an essay on whiteness in the culture at large, and Patricia J. Williams, Professor of Law at Columbia University, writes about the social and legal implications of whiteness. Curator Maurice Berger, author of White Lies: Race and the Myths of Whiteness, provides an introductory text on whiteness and art as well as individual artist essays.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from C: International Contemporary Art, published by C The Visual Arts Foundation on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 835 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art.
Author: Leah Sandals
Publication:
C: International Contemporary Art (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: C The Visual Arts Foundation
Issue: 85
Page: 43(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Fascinating, fact-filled compendium defines over 10,000 words associated with wearing apparel and fashion. From bateau necklines to trilbys and vamps, individual terms are assembled alphabetically in groups according to dress parts, fabrics, and other style categories. Enhanced with over 750 clearly detailed illustrations, this comprehensive guide will be welcomed by writers, designers, and historians.
Customer Reviews:
Really Useful.......2007-05-20
I believe the book is very complete, not only because of the word definitions, but also because of the pictures which show how costumes were in each fashion trend and in which we can see diferences between time an place. I have just recieved the book and that is the impresion I have from a quick look.
not worth it.......2007-05-14
This text was required for my costume history course. I found it lacking -- many definitions do not have images to illustrate them, making learning difficult. Definitions are not very descriptive: if you're looking for a comprehensive fashion dictionary, this isn't it.
a great reference item!.......2006-07-08
I just received my copy today, and I am thrilled with it. It is exactly what I was hoping for, a useful, easy to pick up (it's lightweight and not so large that it's a difficult reference), simple to use reference material for our costume shop. Includes broader headings (sportswear), as well as specifics, the pictures are great (although more would be helpful), and there are fabric descriptions as well. Highly recommended as a reference, do not purchase as a reading book. Perfect for a work setting.
A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion.......2006-02-28
I found this book to be rather comprehensive in terminology and volume of terms. I would have liked to have seen some dates for items, at least approximately. Eg: It is important to know when the zipper was invented in order to make a historically correct dress. But all in all the book has been helpful with definitions and illustrations.
Excellent Reference.......2003-07-11
The previous reviewer, Michelle Willingham, does not seem familiar with the use of a dictionary. It is not intended to be read, but consulted when information is needed.
This is an excellent reference work, a classic in its field.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-04
Constantine gets himself in deep with some gangsters, when he pulls a mystical fast one to replace the dead son of a local crime lord.
Demon replacement, really not too bright. This leads to some considerable nastiness later on, when the demon wants its own offspring and rule.
"Son of Man" a pretty good read.......2007-03-28
As far as the trade editions of "Hellblazer" go, "Son of Man" is a reasonably strong entry. As always, everyone has their own preferences as to the best writers in the series, but Garth Ennis usually ranks pretty high in general regard. This may not be his strongest entry in the series, but he still manages to write, and with John Higgins' artwork, conjure up some pretty disturbing imagery. Perhaps not quite as strong story-wise as Ennis' work in the Hellblazer trades "Fear and Loathing", "Tainted Love", "Damnation's Flame" or "Rake at the Gates of Hell", especially if you really like the way that Ennis and artist Steve Dillon work together (and, if you do, you should really check out the "Preacher" series by these two. There isn't a bad one in the bunch, and it equals or surpasses their work in "Hellblazer")but a pretty good read, nonetheless.
Warning too good to put down.......2007-01-04
Ready many stories and buying comics and graphic novels in bulk makes it hard to pick exactly what to read, but once you open this one you cannot put it down till your done.
the real constantine...........2006-04-01
this book is what the movie could've been nasty and gory and most definitely not for kids
Color me one disappointed Ennis fan..........2006-01-16
Not to get personal or anything, but I sincerely have to wonder about some of the people who thought that this was such a great book. I'm an Ennis fan--read all of Preacher and all of Ennis' collected Hellblazer work to date--and so I was especially disappointed at this dreadful bit of work, which reads like bad fan fiction written by someone who is trying to emulate Ennis but really can't write. In fact, I would be relieved (although still peeved about buying this book sight unseen without reading it first) if it turned out that it was ghosted by someone else and published under Ennis' name.
Amazon.com
Few comics can match the cross-generational appeal of Bill Cosby--and even fewer can top the Jell-O man when it comes to his effortless rapport with the wee ones. First with Fat Albert and Junior Barnes, and later with the little Huxtables, "Cos" has always had a knack for getting kids to say... well, the darndest things. Perhaps he puts it best: "When talking to kids, you've got to pretend that you don't know much--and a few seconds later, you realize you're not pretending."
Who better than Bill Cosby, then, to host Kids Say the Darndest Things, a cute-kid TV show in the spirit of Art Linkletter's House Party. This slim book collects Cosby's (and Linkletter's) most brilliant, wonderful conversations on the program, interspersed with trademark Cosby comic patter. Sections include religion ("Do you know what happened to Adam and Eve?" "They ate the apple and went to hell and their parents went to Los Angeles."); family life ("I want my lunch." "Well, how do you ask for it?" "Like this: I want my lunch."); sex ("As for birth control, I'm against it for humans but for it against insects."); and history ("Who was Paul Revere?" "False."). --Paul Hughes
Book Description
Bill Cosby is classically funny. Now, as the star of CBS-TV's "Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things" he again has the perfect platform to bring out the best in all people through the hilariously honest, witty and touching statements of all kinds of children. Now, this sure-fire combination will take to the printed page in the must-have book of the season.
Customer Reviews:
Kids Say the Darndest Things.......2005-09-10
Not as good as I expected, but I also have the one by Art Linkletter and I do look forward to reading that one.
Hilarious!.......1998-09-29
This is a great look at some of the kids that Bill Cosby has come in contact with on his tv show. It is an excellent way to while away a few hours!
Book Description
Almost 50 years since its first printing, this famous collection of children 's wisdom and witticisms is now back in print in a facsimile edition to entertain a whole new generation. KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS! includes the best of the unconsciously funny, everyday thoughts and reactions kids shared with kid-at-heart Art Linkletter on his long-running radio and television series House Party .Gems include tips for conjuring up a sibling: "Give Mommy a lot of real sweet food so she'll get fat —that 's how you get a baby ";and hysterical observations: "Our pussycat has got some kittens and I didn't even know she was married. "Illustrated with cartoons by Charles Schulz (yes, that Charles Schulz) and with a new introduction by Bill Cosby, KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS! will prove as popular with the readers of today as it was when it first was published five decades ago.
Customer Reviews:
Blast from the past.......2007-08-18
This book was the first laugh out loud book I ever read. I was 12 years old and found the book on my grandparents coffee table. I have read it at least every couple years since then. Art Linkletter did a very good job capturing what is in the minds of children. The things they say are by turns hilarious and thought provoking. Children perceive the world with new and unjaded eyes and the way they process information is very unique!
My copy or rather my grandparents copy is very tattered and falling apart. I was so excited to be able to purchase a new copy. My children are grown now and I have shared this book with them. My husband and I just laugh over the anecdotes in this book. We quote them to each other quite often. We just reread the book out loud to each other and often we would have tears rolling down our faces from laughing so hard. It also would remind us of some of the funny things our own kids would say when they were growing up. Overall I would say this is just a fun book that will brighten your day. It is admittedly silly, but couldn't we all use a little laughter in our day?
Charming.......2007-01-04
This is the first book by Art Linkletter that I've ever read. It won't be the last. The "Kids" are the stars, of course. The stories are charming and such a pleasure to read. I didn't want to put the book down.
It is one of the funniest books I have ever read........1998-07-11
when I was 10 years old, I found this gem in a large pile of books at my Grandma's house. I laughed out loud when I first read this book, and each time since. It is hilarious.
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Kids Say the Darndest Things
Art Linkletter
Manufacturer: pocket books inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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with creator of peanuts
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Kids Say the Darndest Things
Manufacturer: Prentice - Hall Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HB129K |
Book Description
Critics the world over have often loudly lamented that the movie musical is a dead art form. However, while it is true that the musical no longer occupies the cherished place of prominence in American cinema that it once did, the old razzle-dazzle has had a comeback. Author and film expert John Kenneth Muir faces the music in Singing a New Tune, a rollicking study that traces the rebirth of the film musical from the dark days of the early 1990s - when all the musical numbers were cut from the film I'll Do Anything due to preview audience hostility - to the current heyday of Moulin Rouge, Chicago (Academy Award winner for Best Picture 2002), and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Examining over a dozen musical films from the last decade, Muir explains how first-class artists have marshaled everything from spectacle (Evita) to humor (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut); tragedy (Dancer in the Dark) to Shakespeare (Love's Labour's Lost); and even psychology and sexuality.
Customer Reviews:
A New Tune Indeed.......2005-11-10
As the author says in the book, this isn't your father's study of musicals. This book focuses on the movie musical in the last ten year or so, and looks at how it has changed from the Golden Age. I'm a fan of all things Buffy, which is why I bought this book, and there's a great interview with Joss Whedon here, where he talks about his musical story on the TV Show, "Once More With Feeling" and his love of musicals. But what I really enjoyed most about the book were two things. Firstly, the author went right to the horses' mouth to talk with the people, mostly directors, who are making musicals today (like Alan "Evita" Parker and John Cameron "Hedwig" Mitchell). Secondly, he didn't just accept pre-conceived notions and so-called accepted-wisdom about the movie musical (a fact that always bothers me) from past scholars. On the contrary, he finds room and reasons here to applaud recent efforts like Moulin Rouge and Dancer in the Dark, and makes a strong case why these different musicals are still good films. As a fan of the movie musical, but not necessarily Broadway musicals, I found the film-centric approach a worthwhile one.
Lots of errors and too little understanding of musicals.......2005-10-27
This author has written several books about films, so I'm guessing he knows about film. Unfortunately, he knows virtually nothing about musicals, and so this book is full of errors of fact, misunderstandings, etc. He routinely gets song titles, plot points, and musical terms wrong throughout the book, and he doesn't seem to have any respect for musicals as an art form. On top of that, this guy thinks Meat Loaf wrote the score for "Rocky Horror" (Richard O'Brien did). He thinks "Hopelessly Devoted to You" is from the stage version of "Grease" (it's not). He confuses the lead character's name with the actor who played him in "Strictly Ballroom" and gets them both wrong (Mercurio is the ACTOR). That kind of thing is all over this book.
There is some useful information here and there, but how can a reader trust that info when there are so many mistakes throughout the book?
A Recent History of Musicals and Hollywood.......2005-09-16
I'm not so sure that the musical as a genre of movie ever really died. But like anything else in Hollywood they go through cycles. There will be a truly great, award winning, lots of money making movie; then the copycats will start making movies that are worse and worse until the idea goes around that this genre gets a bad reputation.
But that's a nit. Mr. Muir has done a great job talking about musicals from the 1920's to now. About a quarter of the book is a general history to get us up to through the 1980's. The remainder is broken down into decades. From the 80's and into the early 90's musicals languished. Not a solid hit among the bunch. Then came 1996. Madonna did 'Evita.' Then came 'Chicago' with a bunch of Oscars. Finally the book ends in 2004 with 'The Phantom of the Opera.'
The musical has changed over time and the book talks about these changes in a literate and understanding manner. Very interesting reading from a very knowledgable author.
Average customer rating:
- Somewhat entertaining, somewhat annoying
- Good... but still waiting for a definitive bio
- Entertaining
- Still love the music
- Entertaining and revealing story
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Merle Haggard's My House of Memories : For the Record
Merle Haggard , and
Tom Carter
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
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ASIN: 0060193085
Release Date: 1999-09-22 |
Amazon.com
Somewhere in the middle of this blunt autobiography, Merle Haggard talks about the "art called country music" and describes it astutely as "emotion set to rhythm." "A song was an excuse," he writes, "to sing some of the sentimental things." Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that when Haggard attempts the unsung word he's oddly terse, dry, and emotionless--despite his roaring successes and multiple misfortunes. Haggard is nothing if not frank, although his candid storytelling often becomes sensationalistic. For example, his five-year coke orgy during the late '70s and early '80s warrants the opening chapter of an otherwise chronological tale. The death of his father when Haggard was 9 is clearly the defining moment of his life, yet we have to get past his wet T-shirt phase before we hear about it.
Haggard spends well more than half the book recounting his early-life travails--revolving-door stays in institutions, halls, reform schools, jails, and prisons of every sort. His misspent-youth stories are enthralling in a certain way, but he seems to tell them from the perspective of either a child who doesn't understand what's happening or an elder who has the benefit of experience--never from the perspective of a man going through these horrors at the time. He even writes on a number of occasions that he looks at his younger self as a completely different person, which may explain why his accounts often lack emotional depth. He recalls (often crudely) his numerous fights, drunken escapades, sexual conquests (stories about wanting to "get into her pants"), and many other sordid details (must we hear the story about his steel player farting during a show?) to the point that what gets short shrift, unfortunately, is his brilliant music. In a way, though, a memoir like this makes perfect sense because Haggard has never pulled any punches. And while the book doesn't offer many of his own insights, it certainly presents a clear picture of his remarkable life, which allows readers to draw their own conclusions about his personality and his music. Perhaps we should be thankful Haggard saves his emotions for his songs--they always make for thrilling listening. --Marc Greilsamer
Book Description
Country music's award-winning and best-selling recording artist, Merle Haggard, brings us his long-awaited new autobiography, Merle Haggard's My House of Memories--a riveting account of Haggard's extremely turbulent and successful life. Picking up where his 1982 autobiography, Sing Me Back Home, left off, Haggard recounts his earliest childhood memories, revealing previously untold stories about his birth and troubled upbringing in a converted railroad boxcar. He recalls the innocence of the 1950s, when a boy could safely ride the rails with hobos and share their transient camps. He talks about his father's death when Merle was nine and how his childish disobedience soon erupted into full-blown delinquency.
In a thrilling narrative, he takes us on several high speed getaways from the California law and straight inside the state's homes for the criminally delinquent. On his nineteenth birthday, we follow him inside San Quentin and read a chilling account about a cellmate who begs Merle to join him in an escape that ultimately ends with the man's death. Haggard also recalls his befriending of Caryl Chessman, the notorious 1950s serial rapist, and the time they shared before Chessman's execution.
Having lived a life marked by violence, gambling, and drugs, Merle shares the lessons he learned and how he continues to pay for decades of reckless living. He discloses that after earning more than a hundred million dollars, he's virtually broke. Merle reflects on how he felt at that bittersweet hour seven years ago, as he stood at his wife's bedside during the delivery of their son--and was served bankruptcy papers. And he recalls his family's move into a house so decayed that cattle literally roamed inside. He still lives there, amid improvements, today.
Haggard relives the painful memory of the death of his mother, who a year earlier, unbeknownst to him, had written her life story in longhand. He reveals his astonishment at learning of her 1906 covered-wagon journey at age four, from Arkansas to Oklahoma, and of how she had to live underground in an earthen dugout. Merle had never known of his mother's life in the Southwest and the fears and hardships she faced.
As one of the industry's most respected artists, Merle Haggard still makes music for music's sake and does it with the enthusiasm of an apprentice. He plays several hours a day, every day, on and off the stage and speaks of the emotional salvation the eight notes of the music scale afford him.
My House of Memories captures the triumph of the human spirit through the power of persistence, through the power of love he finally discovered during his fifth marriage, and through the unsurpassed the joy of reentering fatherhood at age fifty-four. It is an exciting and moving account of the tumultuous life of a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and arranger whose words have earned him international renown as the poet of the common man.
Customer Reviews:
Somewhat entertaining, somewhat annoying.......2007-03-17
Merle Haggard admits in the preface that prose is not his strong suit; based on this book, the same can be said of professional writer Tom Carter. Yet leaving grammar and flow aside, this book tells some interesting and occasionally funny stories about one of the greatest singers and writers of country songs, and is worth reading for any fan.
The "annoying" part is of course subjective, but here is an example where Hag explains in two short paragraphs his decision to home school his children:
"Some folks contend that I'll be shielding my kids from the real world with home schooling. Nonsense. My kids have all their adult lives for the real world. They'll prepare for it in a controlled world--a world controlled by love.
"And Theresa and I love to see their personalities unfold without the influence of other youngsters. My kids have their own identities, not some other child's. The fall of 1999 will mark Ben's entry into first grade, Jenessa's into fourth."
You be the judge.
Good... but still waiting for a definitive bio.......2006-04-01
If you're a fan, of course you have to read this. It's great fun. But you'll be highly aware throughout that there's a crying need for a really thorough and thoughtful Haggard biography, and that maybe Hag is not the greatest analyist of his own life, at least in book form.
One book you may be interested in is "Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music," published just a few months ago. There is an extensive interview with Haggard in there about his political beliefs and attitudes, which have of course tended to seem all over the map over the years. He gets off some real zingers. The last chapter is all about Haggard and Cash, trying to figure both of their conflicted personas out. The book also gets into the Dixie Chicks vs. Toby Keith, the development of outlaw country and alt-country, the history of anti-protester protest songs (like "Fightin' Side of Me"), and so on, with interviews with most of today's top country stars and a few key old-timers.
Entertaining.......2005-01-26
If you are a fan of Merle Haggard, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
Still love the music.......2002-08-29
This is possibly the worst book Ive ever read. The book is done in seventh grade grammer about a not too bright person. It has very little to say about anything other than His rambling thru life from one scrape to another due to inmaturity and bad judgement. Merle mentions He was taken advantage of by Managers, friends, record producers, etc; Well......... I think He was taken for another ride by the author of this book! But.... still love the music !
Entertaining and revealing story.......2002-06-13
I enjoyed reading this book about a singer whose music I've always loved. Tom Carter did a good job with the chatty style, and I liked Merle's humor and honesty and humility. I highly recommend the book.
Customer Reviews:
Second Sight delivers a ton of mystical abilities for any World of Darkness game........2006-09-14
Second Sight gives World of Darkness fans the opportunity to play characters in the same vein as The Dead Zone, The 4400, the lower key mystics of early Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, and other similar entertainment. A lengthy list of psychic and magical abilities, along with traditions and general plot hooks with a horror bent, are presented. Due to the high cost of many of these abilities this results in a system that is good for characters that are mundane folk except for one or two supernatural tricks.
In addition to psionics and magical traditions the book focuses on horrors beyond space and time similar to those mentioned in various H.P.Lovecraft publications. Such horrors get a lengthy discussion, and rules for the cultists serving them are presented.
While the book states these abilities are not meant to be mixed with other types of supernaturals, such as vampires or werewolves, there's nothing here to prevent a buyer from doing just that. Whether you're looking for new powers to tack onto your Mages or a tool that will let you run a cabal of mystics dedicated to taking down the corrupt mayor of their town this product has a lot to offer.
I love this book!.......2006-07-07
Second Sight is a great book to use with any WOD setting. It has some really nice rules for psychic abilities and "low magic" that is nowhere near what a true WOD Mage can do.
Both systems are very simple and very well designed. The following is a bit of technobable, and if you're not a WOD gamer, it may not make much sense. There is a new Trait called "Supernatural Advantage" which takes the place of Blood Potency, Gnosis, or Primal Urge. The characters will some times add this to dice pools and use it to combat the supernatural equivalents of the other gaming systems.
After that, the psychic abilities and magical powers are all merits. In the psychic camp, there are four main categories: ESP, mediumism, psychokinesis, and telepathy. There are plenty of powers under each category.
Low Magic allows you to play a Thamaturge (not a Mage), and it is broken down into multiple traditions: ceremonial magician, hedge witch, shaman, taoist alchemist, and vodoun. Again, all the individual powers are merits, and again there are plenty of them.
The only drawback is that there isn't a very big section of baddies in the back. I'm fine with that, but if you include one at all, make it thorough. A nice section on artifacts and items would have been a plus.
This is truly a five star book for WOD. It's as thorough as Armory is (and far, far more packed with abilites than the weak Ghouls book is). If you're planning on including a psychic or a mundane magician in your games, this is a great book. And at Amazon's price, it can't be beat!
Book Description
Ole!
If you think you smell something at work, there's probably good reason--"bull" has become the official language of business. Every day, we get bombarded by an endless stream of filtered, antiseptic, jargon-filled corporate speak, all of which makes it harder to get heard, harder to be authentic, and definitely harder to have fun.
But it doesn't have to be that way. The team that brought you the Clio Award-winning Bullfighter software is back with an entertaining, bare-knuckled guide to talking straight--for those who want to climb the corporate ladder, but refuse to check their personality at the door.
Why Business People Speak Like Idiots exposes four traps that transform us from funny, honest and engaging weekend people into boring business stiffs:
• The Obscurity Trap: "After extensive analysis of the economic factors facing our industry, we have concluded that a restructuring is essential to maintaining competitive position. A task force has been assembled..." These are the empty calories of business communication. And, unfortunately, they're the rule. The Obscurity Trap catches idiots desperate to sound smart or prove their purpose, and lures them with message-killers like jargon, long-windedness, acronyms, and evasiveness.
• The Anonymity Trap: Businesses love clones--easy to hire, easy to manage, easy to train, easy to replace--and almost everyone is all too happy to oblige. We outsource our voice through templates, speechwriters and email, and cave in to conventions that aren't really even rules.
• The Hard-Sell Trap: Legions of business people fall prey to the Hard-Sell Trap. We overpromise. We accentuate the positive and pretend the negative doesn't exist. This may work for those pushing Ginsu knives and miracle Abdominizers, but it's dead wrong for persuading business people to listen.
• The Tedium Trap: Everyone you work with thinks about sex, tells stories, gets caught up in life's amazing details, and judges everyone else by the way they look and act. We live to be entertained. We all learned that in Psychology 101, except for the business idiots who must have skipped that semester. They tattoo their long executive-sounding titles on their foreheads, dump pre-packaged numbers on their audience, and virtually guarantee that we want nothing to do with them.
This is your wake-up call. Personality, humanity and candor are being sucked out of the workplace. Let the wonks send their empty messages. Yours are going to connect.
Fast Company magazine named Why Business People Speak Like Idiots one of the ideas and trends that will change how we work and live in 2005.
So grab your cape and sharpen your sword. It's time to fight the bull!
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"Ole! If you think you smell something at work, there's probably good reason--""bull"" has become the official language of business. Every day, we get bombarded by an endless stream of filtered, antiseptic, jargon-filled corporate speak, all of which makes it harder to get heard, harder to be authentic, and definitely harder to have fun. But it doesn't have to be that way. The team that brought you the Clio Award-winning Bullfighter software is back with an entertaining, bare-knuckled guide to talking straight--for those who want to climb the corporate ladder, but refuse to check their personality at the door. Why Business People Speak Like Idiots exposes four traps that transform us from funny, honest and engaging weekend people into boring business stiffs: . The Obscurity Trap: ""After extensive analysis of the economic factors facing our industry, we have concluded that a restructuring is essential to maintaining competitive position. A task force has been assembled..."" These are the empty calories of business communication. And, unfortunately, they're the rule. The Obscurity Trap catches idiots desperate to sound smart or prove their purpose, and lures them with message-killers like jargon, long-windedness, acronyms, and evasiveness. . The Anonymity Trap: Businesses love clones--easy to hire, easy to manage, easy to train, easy to replace--and almost everyone is all too happy to oblige. We outsource our voice through templates, speechwriters and email, and cave in to conventions that aren't really even rules. . The Hard-Sell Trap: Legions of business people fall prey to the Hard-Sell Trap. We overpromise. We accentuate the positive and pretend the negative doesn't exist. This may work for those pushing Ginsu knives and miracle Abdominizers, but it's dead wrong for persuading business people to listen. . The Tedium Trap: Everyone you work with thinks about sex, tells stories, gets caught up in life's amazing details, and judges everyone else by the way they look and act. We live to be entertained. We all learned that in Psychology 101, except for the business idiots who must have skipped that semester. They tattoo their long executive-sounding titles on their foreheads, dump pre-packaged numbers on their audience, and virtually guarantee that we want nothing to do with them. This is your wake-up call. Personality, humanity and candor are being sucked out of the workplace. Let the wonks send their empty messages. Yours are going to connect. Fast Company magazine named Why Business People Speak Like Idiots one of the ideas and trends that will change how we work and live in 2005. So grab your cape and sharpen your sword. It's time to fight the bull! "
Customer Reviews:
So what? Tell your readers the HOW.......2007-09-25
Does it really matter why business speakers give poor presentations? Get to the action quickly and the why is irrelevant. Persuasion is most effective when the speaker focuses on the new way of doing things and avoids any comparison to the old way. Readers searching for better presentation skills will remember new and better presentation techniques by learning them, not by having the bad old ways rehashed again and again.
Please read books with actual action steps, not theory, and you'll be a business speaker who doesn't speak like an idiot.
Fun and compelling, but will the business idiots ever read this?.......2007-08-15
This is a joy to read for those of us who have always been bothered by obfuscatory business jargon. Its ridicule of corporate bull is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but it's unlikely to incite a revolution among the business idiots themselves.
Annoyingly, this book doesn't offer a novel explanation for why businesspeople DO speak like idiots. Maybe they're trying to look smarter, maybe they're trying to avoid commitments; all the usual reasons are given. And yet the case against business idiocy is so strong, it leaves me wondering how the world turned out this way.
Most of the arguments here for clear and simple language are anecdotal, clearly selected to entertain. Examples range from the Gettysburg Address to the O.J. Simpson trial to annual corporate reports, with plenty of Dilbert-esque mocking of corporate banality and pointlessness along the way. The authors may not offer decisive scientific proof of their beliefs, but there is more than enough fodder to compel readers to think twice about what we are trying to say. The book also digresses to cover general presentation tips from image selection, to use of humor, to the importance of originality.
All in all, it's an amusing and helpful romp through the sometimes surreal world of business communication.
Enough material for a good article.......2007-04-18
I wanted to like this book, but:
It's a very simplistic idea - Speak like a human not a jargon-addled automaton and people will like you and understand you better. Basically, if you read the first chapter, you've read the book.
I had hoped that there would be some actual research or references to research that supports a lot of the opinions the authors put forward. I was disappointed. Their own research sounds really thin and designed to prove a foregone conclusion rather than really shed light on the subject. And there was little in terms of linking to meaningful, objective research.
The examples they gave of what they consider good communication versus idiotic business-speak weren't very clear, fair or convincing.
I also felt like the tone of the writing and the read were pretty vindictive and self-righteous rather than helpful. I actually started to feel sorry for the "idiots" they are ripping on.
Conclusion: "truthy" ramblings galore, but no real news here.
Only Got halfway through.......2007-02-26
I only got halfway through this disk. It made its point early on and kept going on and on about it. It tried too hard to convince and had too little on solutions. I know some people proactively seek synergies and other stuff like that. I was hoping for a more practical applicable solution.
Irreverant text makes many good points.......2007-01-13
Fugere, Hardaway, and Warshawsky make a compelling--and irreverent--argument for using plain language in communication. Using jargon does not make one sound smart. Rather it often has the opposite effect when speaking to intelligent listeners. (Speaking like an idiot to an idiot might make you appear intelligent; but what's the point?) I read this as an MBA student and have made a promise to myself to avoid speaking like an idiot. :-)
The authors give plenty of real-life examples that might sound far too familiar to you.
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