Our Culture of Pandering

that's the title of a new book by Paul Simon.

You can access excerpts here.

Some comments:

“Paul Simon, in another of his powerful treatises, has written the guidebook for anyone interested in the future of our democracy. It exalts the element too often missing in those who would lead us in commerce, government, the media, or even in religion and education. The element is courage—courage to follow one’s conscience rather than yielding to self-serving ambition in the pursuit of personal success. He presents as well a veritable encyclopedia of our nation’s most pressing problems. It is a challenging call to arms for citizen participation in solving them.”
—Walter Cronkite


“Finally, somebody has come out and said it: The leaders of our country no longer lead us, they pander to us. Nobody could have delivered the message and the lament stronger and with more credibility than Paul Simon. Read his book and then help him stop the pandering!”
—Jim Lehrer


“At a time when our native intelligence has never been under heavier assault, when the ersatz patriot and toady are in the saddle, one of our most respected public servants, Senator Paul Simon, challenges us to wake up and smell the coffee: to challenge our culture of pandering. Never has the time been more ripe for this book.”
—Studs Terkel


“Our Culture of Pandering is a gem of a little book. It should be handy to every journalist and citizen who cares and participates in public affairs in this great country so aptly described by Paul Simon’s fellow Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, as ‘the last best hope of earth.’”
—Hugh Sidey


“Simon passionately believes that politicians, the media, religious leaders, and educators have, individually and collectively, abandoned their responsibility to lead. . . . In doing so, says Simon, they have made us vulnerable to future political, moral, and economic disasters.”
—Publishers Weekly


“ contends that our leaders in politics, the media, religion, and education are guilty of pandering, of giving in to what is easy instead of fighting for what is right. . . . e deftly outlines the problems, and he should be listened to.”
—Booklist


“Retired U.S. Senator Paul Simon says we now live in a culture that panders to whatever is sexy, profitable, easy, and quick, and it’s destroying our nation. These are strong words, but the maverick Illinois Democrat marshals examples from across the spectrum to back up his claims in a new book, Our Culture of Pandering.”

—Parade


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“In too many areas we have spawned ‘leadership’ that does not lead, that panders to our whims rather than telling us the truth, that follows the crowd rather than challenging us, that weakens us rather than strengthening us. It is easy to go downhill, and we are now following that easy path. Pandering is not illegal, but it is immoral. It is doing the convenient when the right course demands inconvenience and courage.”

—Paul Simon, from the Preface

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As we broaden our views, embrace our differences, foster advancements in science and technology, and collaboratively strengthen the political, social, and educational underpinnings from which we build informed and productive lives, we have much to be proud of as a nation and as a people.

But we are tempted—particularly during times of political unrest and unbridled patriotism—to ignore the far-reaching repercussions of a society that caters to money and power. In Our Culture of Pandering, former U.S. Senator Paul Simon interrogates the arenas of politics, media, religion, and education to decry the disturbing practices that confuse public service with profit-making ventures or popularity contests, that compromise the best interests of the broader population to appease a powerful few. Boldly and eloquently contributing to a cumulative understanding of how we can build a sturdier, more ethical foundation for the future, Simon suggests proactive, long-term solutions to the problems that threaten our country’s moral, financial, and intellectual well-being—problems that are increasingly exacerbated by our culture of pandering.

Lest we grow complacent and our nation static, Simon urges us to demand more from the political candidates who chase dollar signs and cater to polls, to raise our expectations of local and national media outlets that recycle gossip and peddle scandals while foreign policy and international news receive back-page treatment or no treatment at all. He asks us to consider the implications of churches that spend more money remodeling their buildings than helping those in need within their own communities and throughout the world, and he presses us to acknowledge the staggering, long-term consequences of schools that drop their academic standards to sustain their reputations and maintain funding.

Our Culture of Pandering is a stalwart and earnest call to action from a steadfast and trusted advocate of progressive public policy. Leavened with altruism and rich with compassion for citizens of America and beyond, present and future, this important and cautioning treatise advocates genuine leadership in the realms of politics, media, religion, and education. In his trademark lucid and synoptic style, Simon supplements up-to-date examples of pandering in our society from a breadth of sources with commentary and interpretive wisdom garnered from a lifetime of public service.

He even autographed my copy! I love Paul Simon! :)

“The element is courage—courage to follow one’s conscience rather than yielding to self-serving ambition in the pursuit of personal success.”
—Walter Cronkite

“...Senator Paul Simon, challenges us to wake up and smell the coffee: to challenge our culture of pandering.”
—Studs Terkel

“Retired U.S. Senator Paul Simon says we now live in a culture that panders to whatever is sexy, profitable, easy, and quick, and it’s destroying our nation.”
—Parade

----------------------------------------------------------------------

But we are tempted—particularly during times of political unrest and unbridled patriotism—to ignore the far-reaching repercussions of a society that caters to money and power. In Our Culture of Pandering, former U.S. Senator Paul Simon interrogates the arenas of politics, media, religion, and education to decry the disturbing practices that confuse public service with profit-making ventures or popularity contests, that compromise the best interests of the broader population to appease a powerful few. Boldly and eloquently contributing to a cumulative understanding of how we can build a sturdier, more ethical foundation for the future, Simon suggests proactive, long-term solutions to the problems that threaten our country’s moral, financial, and intellectual well-being—problems that are increasingly exacerbated by our culture of pandering.

Lest we grow complacent and our nation static, Simon urges us to demand more from the political candidates who chase dollar signs and cater to polls, to raise our expectations of local and national media outlets that recycle gossip and peddle scandals while foreign policy and international news receive back-page treatment or no treatment at all. He asks us to consider the implications of churches that spend more money remodeling their buildings than helping those in need within their own communities and throughout the world, and he presses us to acknowledge the staggering, long-term consequences of schools that drop their academic standards to sustain their reputations and maintain funding.

Our Culture of Pandering is a stalwart and earnest call to action from a steadfast and trusted advocate of progressive public policy. Leavened with altruism and rich with compassion for citizens of America and beyond, present and future, this important and cautioning treatise advocates genuine leadership in the realms of politics, media, religion, and education. In his trademark lucid and synoptic style, Simon supplements up-to-date examples of pandering in our society from a breadth of sources with commentary and interpretive wisdom garnered from a lifetime of public service."



I'd love to see some of those examples of pandering... I don't see how anyone could read this book and support anyone but Kucinich.