Reviews - Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber

142 reviews for:

Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber

Andy Borowitz

4.18 AVERAGE

bookish_penguin50's review

4.25

dark informative reflective medium-paced

sock_marionette's review

4.25

challenging hopeful informative fast-paced

sparnes's review

4.0

funny medium-paced

This is a book of very funny observations of political history in US from Ronald Regan to Donald Trump.

This is a quick read, like a greatest hits of idiotic things (mostly) the GOP have done and said in the past 50 years. This isn't some academic treatise, it's light satire along the lines of Al Franken's books. Honestly, the low-hanging fruit approach left me wondering if a more interesting book could be written on why voters have moved in this direction, not why politicians do what what politicians do. Elected officials are just responding to a "dumb-ward" shift in the public. So why are standards dropping? Why are so many voters accepting this road towards moronic fascism?

The most interesting part is the conclusion that that people opposed to this trend should become actively hands-on involved instead of engaging in "political hobbyism," that is, just commenting on social media and watching news programs from afar.

loopyjazz's review

5.0

I am not sure having a pleasant chuckle at the degradation of intellectual expectations that we have for our leaders is good, but that is where I found myself while reading this book. This book was a trip down memory lane of political stupidity from Reagan, to Quayle, to George W Bush, to Palin, and ending with Trump. On the one hand, it is such a joy to make fun of the other side. On the other hand, it is terrifying that depending on the year, they are the first or second most powerful group in the US. I find it disheartening and scary when the people in charge lack intellectual curiosity and find no use in reading books. It leads to electing those who can perform and exude confidence, but lack any substance or thoughtfulness. I guess there is a bit of laughter and a bit of despondency with this book, but it's good to shock yourself back to remembering that where we are at is not normal, it is crazy.

misslisa11's review

5.0

Satire writer Borowitz brilliantly examines the dumbing down of American politicians in Profiles in Ignorance. Starting with Reagan and Dan Quayle and culminating with Trump and some of his most fervent followers, Borowitz investigates the role social media and the 24 hour news cycle have played in America increasingly electing officials who know less and less.

While it was shocking to learn just how stupid some politicians in recent history actually are (spoiler alert, it’s bad), I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about previous presidents that I didn’t already know. And Borowitz’s writing is hilarious! The book had an uplifting conclusion, which was definitely necessary after reading about so many ignorant individuals.

A quote I loved: “I want the president of the United States to be intellectually curious for a simple reason: I think the person running the country should be smarter than I am. We’ve just lived through the alternative, and it was only good for the liquor industry.”

whitecat5000's review against another edition

4.0

funny informative medium-paced

This was fascinating however, I think this was a bit too partisan. While I think this book was accurate in it's premise, it would have been nice to see both political parties represented.