America's Meltdown : The Lowest-Common-Denominator Society

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Summary: America's Meltdown: The Lowest common-Denominator Society
Review: Arden offers a comprehensive and incisive critique of America's dumbed down society. Using extensive examples he reviews the impact of technology, the entertainment industry, politics, education, the arts and much else within the context of a culture driven by consumer ethics. The curent recall election in California is a splendid example of the shallow mindset we have overwhelmingly stooped to.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing critique of American society
Review: In an era when Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered a viable candidate for Governor of a major state, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of how we have melted down to a shocking level of consciousness. It is a shame that there are not more authors like Arden to shed light on the current social climate.

Rating:
Summary: A Lowest-Common-Denominator Book
Review: It is certainly true that American society is sinking into a dumbed-down, quick-fix, marketing-oriented society. Intelligence and community are being forced out in the drive to look out for number one and make as much money as possible. These are serious issues with potentially alarming effects on our society, culture, and mental health. But if you're looking for a well-rounded and substantial examination of these issues, give this book a wide berth. Here John Boghosian Arden spends 200 pages complaining about social trends he happens to find troubling, under the assumption that piling on mountains of examples actually results in an in-depth analysis of trends, and offers next to nothing in terms of solutions or things concerned people can do to make a change. In the end, this book becomes part of the "lowest-common-denominator" phenomenon that Arden keeps accusing everyone else of perpetuating.

Speaking of lowest-common-denominator, check out the low basic quality of this book. There are many typos and factual errors that are mostly minor, but also several whoppers like actress "Candace Bergman" or the "Star War" movie series. Talk about dumbed-down public discourse. Arden apparently knows little about the social culture he is incessantly criticizing, feeling the need to introduce the concept of "windows" on computer screens to us unenlightened masses, or claiming that nobody knew what the paparazzi was before the death of Princess Diana. Arden also has a rosy Nick-at-Nite view of past society, with the type of attitude toward the wholesomeness of the past, and the evils of the present, that is little more than cranky nostalgia. And after spending seventeen chapters on rapid-fire examples in various categories of America's supposed meltdown, Arden spits out the obligatory chapter on "solutions" which adds up to no more than pie-in-the-sky idealism, such as "we need to own the responsibility for our own health" and other thin pontifications. There is also much inconsistency in Arden's "solutions" in the final chapter, such as an endorsement for minimum-standards testing in public schools, although he spent an entire chapter earlier complaining about narrowly-focused educational standards. Serious issues like those introduced here demand a serious and in-depth analysis. This isn't it. [~doomsdayer520~]

Rating:
Summary: A Quick Condemnation of Our Society
Review: The basic theme of Arden's book is that our culture has migrated toward a "Lowest Common Denominator" society. In such a society "oversimplified images and homogenized consumer habits shroud ideas that once were complex." A dumb downed society watches mindless television programs and junk news. Our sports heroes and politicians reflect this meltdown. The book is a brief, 212 page, condemnation of most of what is happening around us. The author is not a fan of the Bush Administration and carries an obvious pro environment viewpoint.

Nothing is sacred in this book and pretty much everything is criticized in brief one to three page snippets. These include: the mental health system, schools, sports, the Internet, politics, the media, health care, etc. Like his criticisms, the recommendations for improvement in last chapter of the book are brief and without much depth.

The book has kind of a 1960's social concern to it. If you are looking for a quick and dirty critique of our contemporary society, this may be the book for you. However, if you are looking a more substantive social commentary, you will have to look elsewhere.

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Summary: an insightful analysis of American society
Review: This book provides a comprehensive examination of the dynamics that have led to a society where George Bush ca accuse Al Gore of being a thinker and no one bats an eye. Yes, as a previous reviewer has noted the author appears to be an environmentalist and a social idealist -- Thank God!
This book not only deals with the news media, politics, entertainment, but also medicine, mental health, art, and religion. It is a msut reading for thoughtful people.