Whose Freedom? The Battle Over America’s Most Important Idea

Great. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more cynical, along comes George Lakoff’s latest book, Whose Freedom? In this tightly written tome, Lakoff argues our brains are being “rewired.” By whom? Neo-cons, of course! According to Lakoff (a professor of cognitive science and linguistics at UC Berkeley), neo-conservatives possess and propagandize a definition of “freedom” so vastly different from that of mainstream America’s that many scarcely recognize it, let alone notice that the radical right is winning the war of words. Ever wonder how George W. Bush can make a case for domestic spying via wiretaps, financial sweeps and e-mail eavesdropping sans court orders? By invoking the name of “freedom,” of course. From think tanks to Fox News, Lakoff identifies how those in the radical right are forcing their definition of freedom into the very neural wiring of a television-absorbing America. Scary.