{"product_id":"how-america-lost-its-mind-the-assault-on-reason-thats-crippling-our-democracy-9780806168913","title":"How America Lost Its Mind: The Assault on Reason That's Crippling Our Democracy","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmericans are losing touch with reality. On virtually every issue, from climate change to immigration, tens of millions of Americans have opinions and beliefs wildly at odds with fact, rendering them unable to think sensibly about politics. In \u003cem\u003eHow America Lost Its Mind\u003c\/em\u003e, Thomas E. Patterson explains the rise of a world of \"alternative facts\" and the slow-motion cultural and political calamity unfolding around us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe don't have to search far for the forces that are misleading us and tearing us apart: politicians for whom division is a strategy; talk show hosts who have made an industry of outrage; news outlets that wield conflict as a marketing tool; and partisan organizations and foreign agents who spew disinformation to advance a cause, make a buck, or simply amuse themselves. The consequences are severe. \u003cem\u003eHow America Lost Its Mind\u003c\/em\u003e maps a political landscape convulsed with distrust, gridlock, brinksmanship, petty feuding, and deceptive messaging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs dire as this picture is, and as unlikely as immediate relief might be, Patterson sees a way forward and underscores its urgency. A call to action, his book encourages us to wrest institutional power from ideologues and disruptors and entrust it to sensible citizens and leaders, to restore our commitment to mutual tolerance and restraint, to cleanse the Internet of fake news and disinformation, and to demand a steady supply of trustworthy and relevant information from our news sources.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote decades ago, the rise of demagogues is abetted by \"people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.\" In \u003cem\u003eHow America Lost Its Mind\u003c\/em\u003e, Thomas E. Patterson makes a passionate case for fully and fiercely engaging on the side of truth and mutual respect in our present arms race between fact and fake, unity and division, civility and incivility.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-12253323\"\u003eThomas E. Patterson\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Oklahoma Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/06\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.59lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.48d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780806168913\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0806168919\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL046000\"\u003eCommentary \u0026amp; Opinion\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL065000\"\u003ePolitical Process | Media \u0026amp; Internet\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL042020\"\u003ePolitical Ideologies | Conservatism \u0026amp; Liberalism\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42681477136621,"sku":"9780806168913","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_8ae69dca-45e6-43e7-b3a8-90a64a93ea21.jpg?v=1649707921","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/how-america-lost-its-mind-the-assault-on-reason-thats-crippling-our-democracy-9780806168913","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}