The Tyranny of Clichés

How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas

By: Jonah Goldberg

Narrated by: Jonah Goldberg

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

“We are only as free as the least free among us.” Is that really true, or is it the kind of statement most people will nod at without actually thinking about? Best-selling conservative author Jonah Goldberg calls it a liberal cliché—fundamentally wrong and potentially very dangerous.

According to Goldberg, if the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist, the greatest trick liberals ever pulled was convincing themselves they’re not ideological. Today “objective” journalists and academics and “moderate” politicians peddle some of the most radical arguments by hiding them in homespun aphorisms. Barack Obama casts himself as a disciple of reason and sticks to one refrain above all others: he’s a pragmatist, opposed to the ideology and dogma of the right, solely concerned with “what works.” And today’s liberals follow his lead, spouting countless clichés.

Goldberg exposes the truth behind many of these clichés, including “the living constitution,” “social justice,” and even simple words like “inquisition”/ With humor and passion, he dismantles these Trojan horses to show how our thinking is profoundly shaped by deeply ideological concepts and convenient myths that most of us accept uncritically—to our great detriment.

You’ll learn the real history of dangerous liberal clichés, such as:

“Better ten guilty men go free than one innocent man be put behind bars.”

“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”

“Violence never solves anything.”

“Diversity is strength.”

“We need complete separation of church and state.”

From Gandhi to Marie Antoinette to Madonna, Goldberg explores the context of clichés in our culture and shows how often we rely on them at the expense of serious thinking.

©2012 Jonah Goldberg (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Straw man down! In the PC prison yard of accepted political thought, Jonah Goldberg has just shivved progressivism. Bold, brilliant, and bursting with humor, every page of The Tyranny of Clichés is right on the money. If you thought Liberal Fascism was good, wait till you read The Tyranny of Clichés—it is fantastic!” (Brad Thor, New York Times best-selling author)

“What can one say to the self-proclaimed ‘independent’ who never has nor ever will vote other than Democratic; or to the wise soul suggesting, of any conflict at all, ‘the truth must lie somewhere in between?’ Mr. Goldberg reminds us that one must stand up and demand of the muddled and supine either an absolute declaration of their principles and acknowledgment of the results of actions having flowed therefrom or a straightforward admission of their intransigence in refusing a concise reply.” (David Mamet, New York Times best-selling author)

“Everyone says ‘think for yourself’ but very few people do. In The Tyranny of Clichés, Jonah Goldberg reveals how we’ve become trapped by ideas we think we understand but don’t. A must-read.” (Vince Vaughn, actor and producer)

Surprisingly illuminating

What did you love best about The Tyranny of Clichés?

Goldberg's relentless search for truth

What did you like best about this story?

Although non-fiction, there are innumerable 'stories', all with great insight.

Have you listened to any of Jonah Goldberg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I can't wait for his next book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the very end of the book, his personal account of the struggle to write the book after his brother died, is moving and inspiring.

Any additional comments?

The author displays a breadth of knowledge, combined with intense research, that makes his analyses quite convincing. Although I was familiar with nearly all his topics, I learned a lot I did not know and was reminded of a lot I had forgotten. Leftist ideologues will hate this book, though I doubt they will get through the first chapters. But this is not simply a book written by a conservative selling his viewpoint. Instead, Jonah Goldberg proceeds from one over-simplifying, or distorting, cliche to another, dissecting them with keen insight and wit. I was relieved that this was not another conservative gospel. I listened to this book at the height of the 2012 presidential elections, and I began to wince every time I heard the candidates refer to the "middle class." You will know what I mean if you listen to or read this bood. Of the 200 books I have listened to from Audible.com, this is unsurpassed.

Great Listen

What made the experience of listening to The Tyranny of Clichés the most enjoyable?

Jonah has a great voice make this an outstanding choice

What did you like best about this story?

Well researched I learned alot

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

libs read this please

Worthy of Listen and Thought

Multiple chapters will need to be read (or listened to) again. Enjoyed hearing the author read it, as his inflection helped to convey his points or jokes.

A must read—especially if you have kids

This is a fantastic book, and it’s one of the few that I will probably force my kids to read when they’re in high school. I live in a fancy city where my kids go to a fancy school with a bunch of other fancy kids whose parents have fancy degrees. The sorts of clichés that Goldberg attacks in this book are woven into the fabric of the society in which my kids and I move. This book will arm them to fight back against at least some of the sillier forms of those clichés. It is truly a tremendous work, and Goldberg reads it with such fun and verve that you can burn through it quickly.

Buying the Paper book too

What made the experience of listening to The Tyranny of Clichés the most enjoyable?

I love Audible books because life is so buzy I seldom have time to sit and read. However, I can Listen and do other activities and still enjoy books. The Tyranny of Cliches provides the Historical content behind the slogans and their idealogically meaning. You need to know History in order to put the present in focus.

What does Jonah Goldberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jonah Goldberg's reading of the book provides his inflections of humor, confidence of the historical content, and exasperation of how these cliches are so often repeated as if they have weight .

Any additional comments?

I am going to also buy the paper copy of the book so I can phyically highlight the factual information. Confuse a Liberal with facts and information. Also, This is one book I want to keep in my library for when my sons go to college in the future I can combat the gobbly gook from their peers and teachers.

Loved it!

Jonah hits it right on. I appreciate the way he narrates, easy to follow and listen.

Whoa! So much to digest at once!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have to hear this several more times to get all that is in this book. The massive references to other works indicate how well read this author is. I heard about Jonah on Crane Durham's "Nothing but Truth." I am impressed with how Jonah connects dots and how he rewinds history to give the original sense of cliches used (and abused). It is cause to slow the track down to catch all of the information.

Most of all, he does a great job in showing how such cliches bring useful discussions to a halt, if the listener is unprepared. Way to go Mr Goldberg!!

Have you listened to any of Jonah Goldberg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

None, yet

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Thanks for the respectful discussion of Christianity. Not something heard much these days.

Any additional comments?

I will need to look for more of this man's work.

Worth a read

Brilliant analysis of the word-game that Guardian, New York Times, CNN and academic tribes play to "win'/" any argument against reality.

The importance of studying rhetoric

I appreciate Goldberg's insights on the very broad range of cliches that fill popular discourse. I am certain there are more cliches out there, but the list is quite extensive. It's a bit dismaying to realize just how ~many~ chiches we have, politically speaking. I think they fall into the category of argumentative fallacies, things which are rhetorically effective, but intellectually dishonest or even obtuse to fact. For that reason, I think this book is a valuable contribution towards the education of anyone who wishes to be an informed citizen.

Although I am familiar with many of the historical facts Goldberg cites, I still learned many new things. Which is always a plus!

Great writer

Very interesting, and very worthwhile. I enjoyed this book a lot. Everyone who care to learn should read this.