06-23-2004, 01:46 PM
Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future
by Michael Barone (Author)
America is divided into two camps, according to U.S. News and World Reports writer and Fox commentator Michael Barone. No, not Red and Blue, though one suspects Barone may taint the two groups in the hues of the 2000 presidential election. Barone's divided America is one part Hard, one part Soft. Hard America is steeled by the competition and accountability of the free market, while Soft America is the product of public school and government largesse. Inspired by the notion that America produces incompetent 18 year olds and remarkably competent 30 year olds, Barone embarks on a breezy 162-page commentary that will spark mostly huzzahs from the right and jeers from the left. Certainly the unforgiving nature of the marketplace can sharpen skills in upstarts, but what's softer than the landing of a CEO with a golden parachute? And one would assume Barone would favor toughening up coddled kids by retaining, if not drastically raising, the inheritance tax, but the subject never comes up. Still, the Washington, D.C.-based pundit's premise is provocative, his arguments are nuanced, and his writing is sharp. Ultimately, Barone forecasts "a Harder America on the horizon." Would that be what they used to call "hard times"? --Steven Stolder
From Publishers Weekly
In his latest book, Barone, a writer for U.S. News and World Report and a well-known political commentator, describes America as comprising two diametrically opposed characteristics: hard and soft. "Hard America" is characterized by competition and accountability, while "Soft America" attempts to protect its citizens through government regulation and other social safety nets. While Barone's book is not without its political overtones-he identifies Hard America with the political right and Soft... read more
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0 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
america sucks!, June 7, 2004
Reviewer: A reader from Littleton, CO United States
What Barone is basically saying is that living in the early twenty-first America, that he proclaims to love, actually sucks! In his Hard America that he praises,one is nothing more than a gulag inmate with a suit who is supposed to work or die. What wonderful life it is to sacrifice humanity and love for money and be confined to an office for one's life. What Barone refuses to admit is that his dreary depiction of American life has a lot in common with the writers of the Exile and Nypress. One wonders if Barone reads them and agrees that living in America sucks!
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
Thought-Provoking book, May 24, 2004
Reviewer: lishaz3 (see more about me) from Thousand Oaks, CA USA
This is one fascinating premise. Not exactly ground-breaking but more of a concept that was just not ever articulated in quite this way.
I enjoyed it very much but could see where it might not be well received by some.
The premise is this.
The author describes our "Hard America" as the core of competition and accountability. He argues though that "Soft America" is protected and coddled through government regulation and such.
He argues that Soft America is parasitic on Hard America. The productivity, efficiency and "grin and bear it" of Hard America feeds the weak and unproductive Soft America. We can only afford a Soft America if we encourage a Hard America. Then he seems to say that a highly disciplined military is an example of a Hard America that protects and preserves Soft America.
I repeat I really enjoyed this book even though I guess I see the world somewhat differently to the extent that I do not see competing juxtapositions. I see a remarkable blend in my America. To me fellow Americans who are gifted with talents, intelligence and socioeconomic benefits of health and privilege willingly extend themselves with benevolence to those less fortunate. Our country thrives on charitable foundations that create harbors for those willing but possibly incapable of managing a life of extraordinary productivity. I do (as the author seems to) believe in discipline but I also believe in empathy. I see the magnificence in balance of moderation. I also believe that noone should be disparaging of someone who can afford luxuries. The wonderful thing though is that most who can afford luxuries also share their wealth philanthropically.
Terrific thinking book.
Was this review helpful to you?
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
Great America., May 19, 2004
Reviewer: Bernard Chapin (see more about me) from Blue Island, Illinois United States
In our society we generally acknowledge that the only way to gain strength and prestige is through working hard and enhancing one's innate abilities. Even though some may dispute this reality, the proof is in the peripherals as there is probably not a work place in the country lacking one of those mundane "Sharpen the Saw" posters.
That is why it was with considerable excitement that I opened Michael Barone's Hard America, Soft America: Competition Vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future. The book was just over 160 pages long and proved nearly impossible to put down. In this extended essay, Barone pounces upon one of the most important questions of our day and his work overlaps public policy, politics, history, philosophy and education. In short, it is a text that just about everybody should be able to relate to if not appreciate.
The theme of Hard America, Soft America is that from the ages of 6 to 18 Americans grow up in a downy world that is largely devoid of competition and accountability, but from the ages of 18 to 30 the texture of their lives radically changes as it becomes rocky and subject to the laws of nature. One either produces or they are fired. It is this world, this cauldron of struggle, that forges the Americans who awe the world with a never-ending parade of inventions and discoveries.
Barone gives us a tour of our own history and concludes that much of our illustriousness was created by the rigid and unforgiving forces of Hard America. Men like John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan may not have been able to release their inner child or give group hugs but they were able to employ thousands and provide the means for mass production that made us the victors of war and peace. Barone views their torch as being carried forward by men like Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Fred Smith, and Sam Walton. Barone makes use of cultural works to justify his thesis and includes films like "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit," novels like Sister Carrie and infamous dementations like Charles Reich's The Greening of America.
The author stresses that there are no firm boundaries between the hard and the soft. Schools may be bastions of softness but within them are islands of sinew. High school graduates immediately encounter Hard America when they enter the military or the private sector (perhaps earlier should they work at McDonalds or Wal-Mart before age 18).
There is a parasitical relationship between the solid and the downy aspects of our culture. It is only by the grace and skill of Hard America that Soft America can survive: "Soft America lives off the productivity, creativity, and competence of Hard America, and we have the luxury of keeping parts of our society Soft only if we keep enough of it hard." Without a robust military, there would be no way to preserve the freedom and laxity that is Soft America.
Barone dedicated this work to the memory of Senator Moynihan and it is almost a certainty that he would have been pleased by the following description of the effects of excessive softness upon black Americans:
"The Softening of criminal justice, welfare, racial quotas and preferences, and education- had the effect of confining most blacks to Soft America. They were left unprotected against crime, deterred from forming stable families, deincentivized the will to achieve. The advocates of Softening hated the idea of imposing middle-class mores on black Americans, but middle-class mores are necessary for achievement in Hard America, and underclass behavior makes such achievement impossible."
The field of public education is one in which Softness has triumphed and the author believes that this situation will not change until parents force the issue. For many professionals in our schools, the Chaise lounge chairs of pulpous America massages them forever. Only external forces will coerce them into changing their ways or methodologies.
This reviewer has personally witnessed several attempts of individuals to "Speak Truth to Squishiness" by bringing rigor into their classrooms and then observed the predicable punishments that were meted out to them in response.
Shortly after I finished reading the text I told a teacher about it and she said, "Give me that book now! I need it." The basis for her interest may have stemmed from her name appearing on a school wide memo ranking our teachers based on who passed the most students. Her name was on the bottom. I recall her coming up to me in the hallway and wondering if I knew of a way she could have passed a student who missed 70 out of 92 days of instruction. I had no answer then and I have no answer now.
Another educator told me of an alternative school that got around the dilemma of what to do with students who do not meet even diluted academic requirements. They issue a no grades whatsoever policy that precludes all descriptors (including "Pass" or "Fail"). He is currently being considered for the Principalship of this institution and wanted to know what I thought about their anti-grading scheme. I told him it was insane. He agreed but noted that the salary was 70 grand a year. I advised that he not mention the policy at all during his interview and then quickly abandon it once his contract was signed. We will see whether or not he has the strength to do so.
Unfortunately, although it is not as clear cut as the two examples I cite, most children do grow up in Soft America. It is a land in which they are molly-coddled and excuses are made for their every need and whimper. Many adults are more concerned with injecting them with self-esteem rather than buoying them up with knowledge. Who would have ever thought that the word "facts" would have the negative connotations it has today in educational circles? Children are shielded from the Bizzaro world of Hard America until they graduate and then are thrown into the cauldron of competition.
I think Michael Barone has done America a great service by writing this book and I encourage everyone to read it. There's absolutely nothing wonkish about it. The issues are global and should appeal to most citizens- even if it makes the pens of a few bureaucrats run dry.
Was this review helpful to you?
18 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
Who are the most coddled?, May 18, 2004
Reviewer: Roland Buck (see more about me) from Morehead, KY United States
Barone' ideogical biases are causing him to overlook the realities of who is really being coddled the most. If he wants to find the people who are most coddled, he needs to look at the private sector.
Take, for example, the case of the corporate CEOs who get their multimillion dollar bonuses whether profits are up or down, whose income relative to their workers keeps getting bigger and bigger, and, if they do get fired, get rich golden parachutes that leave them rich for life. Contrast that with ordinary Americans, who if their job is sent abroad are lucky to get a few month's severance pay and inadequate job training so that they end up with a job that pays less and has fewer benefits.
Another of the most coddled groups are people that are rich,not because they earned it, like Steve Jobs, but, rather becauese they inherited it, like Steve Forbes. If one really does not want coddling, the inheritance tax needs to be increased so that one can only become rich by one's own effort, and not without effort.
The author undoubtedly makes valid points in a number of areas, but his obvious right-wing bias keeps him from seeing who is really being coddled.
by Michael Barone (Author)
America is divided into two camps, according to U.S. News and World Reports writer and Fox commentator Michael Barone. No, not Red and Blue, though one suspects Barone may taint the two groups in the hues of the 2000 presidential election. Barone's divided America is one part Hard, one part Soft. Hard America is steeled by the competition and accountability of the free market, while Soft America is the product of public school and government largesse. Inspired by the notion that America produces incompetent 18 year olds and remarkably competent 30 year olds, Barone embarks on a breezy 162-page commentary that will spark mostly huzzahs from the right and jeers from the left. Certainly the unforgiving nature of the marketplace can sharpen skills in upstarts, but what's softer than the landing of a CEO with a golden parachute? And one would assume Barone would favor toughening up coddled kids by retaining, if not drastically raising, the inheritance tax, but the subject never comes up. Still, the Washington, D.C.-based pundit's premise is provocative, his arguments are nuanced, and his writing is sharp. Ultimately, Barone forecasts "a Harder America on the horizon." Would that be what they used to call "hard times"? --Steven Stolder
From Publishers Weekly
In his latest book, Barone, a writer for U.S. News and World Report and a well-known political commentator, describes America as comprising two diametrically opposed characteristics: hard and soft. "Hard America" is characterized by competition and accountability, while "Soft America" attempts to protect its citizens through government regulation and other social safety nets. While Barone's book is not without its political overtones-he identifies Hard America with the political right and Soft... read more
See all editorial reviews...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
0 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
america sucks!, June 7, 2004
Reviewer: A reader from Littleton, CO United States
What Barone is basically saying is that living in the early twenty-first America, that he proclaims to love, actually sucks! In his Hard America that he praises,one is nothing more than a gulag inmate with a suit who is supposed to work or die. What wonderful life it is to sacrifice humanity and love for money and be confined to an office for one's life. What Barone refuses to admit is that his dreary depiction of American life has a lot in common with the writers of the Exile and Nypress. One wonders if Barone reads them and agrees that living in America sucks!
Was this review helpful to you?
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
Thought-Provoking book, May 24, 2004
Reviewer: lishaz3 (see more about me) from Thousand Oaks, CA USA
This is one fascinating premise. Not exactly ground-breaking but more of a concept that was just not ever articulated in quite this way.
I enjoyed it very much but could see where it might not be well received by some.
The premise is this.
The author describes our "Hard America" as the core of competition and accountability. He argues though that "Soft America" is protected and coddled through government regulation and such.
He argues that Soft America is parasitic on Hard America. The productivity, efficiency and "grin and bear it" of Hard America feeds the weak and unproductive Soft America. We can only afford a Soft America if we encourage a Hard America. Then he seems to say that a highly disciplined military is an example of a Hard America that protects and preserves Soft America.
I repeat I really enjoyed this book even though I guess I see the world somewhat differently to the extent that I do not see competing juxtapositions. I see a remarkable blend in my America. To me fellow Americans who are gifted with talents, intelligence and socioeconomic benefits of health and privilege willingly extend themselves with benevolence to those less fortunate. Our country thrives on charitable foundations that create harbors for those willing but possibly incapable of managing a life of extraordinary productivity. I do (as the author seems to) believe in discipline but I also believe in empathy. I see the magnificence in balance of moderation. I also believe that noone should be disparaging of someone who can afford luxuries. The wonderful thing though is that most who can afford luxuries also share their wealth philanthropically.
Terrific thinking book.
Was this review helpful to you?
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
Great America., May 19, 2004
Reviewer: Bernard Chapin (see more about me) from Blue Island, Illinois United States
In our society we generally acknowledge that the only way to gain strength and prestige is through working hard and enhancing one's innate abilities. Even though some may dispute this reality, the proof is in the peripherals as there is probably not a work place in the country lacking one of those mundane "Sharpen the Saw" posters.
That is why it was with considerable excitement that I opened Michael Barone's Hard America, Soft America: Competition Vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future. The book was just over 160 pages long and proved nearly impossible to put down. In this extended essay, Barone pounces upon one of the most important questions of our day and his work overlaps public policy, politics, history, philosophy and education. In short, it is a text that just about everybody should be able to relate to if not appreciate.
The theme of Hard America, Soft America is that from the ages of 6 to 18 Americans grow up in a downy world that is largely devoid of competition and accountability, but from the ages of 18 to 30 the texture of their lives radically changes as it becomes rocky and subject to the laws of nature. One either produces or they are fired. It is this world, this cauldron of struggle, that forges the Americans who awe the world with a never-ending parade of inventions and discoveries.
Barone gives us a tour of our own history and concludes that much of our illustriousness was created by the rigid and unforgiving forces of Hard America. Men like John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan may not have been able to release their inner child or give group hugs but they were able to employ thousands and provide the means for mass production that made us the victors of war and peace. Barone views their torch as being carried forward by men like Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Fred Smith, and Sam Walton. Barone makes use of cultural works to justify his thesis and includes films like "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit," novels like Sister Carrie and infamous dementations like Charles Reich's The Greening of America.
The author stresses that there are no firm boundaries between the hard and the soft. Schools may be bastions of softness but within them are islands of sinew. High school graduates immediately encounter Hard America when they enter the military or the private sector (perhaps earlier should they work at McDonalds or Wal-Mart before age 18).
There is a parasitical relationship between the solid and the downy aspects of our culture. It is only by the grace and skill of Hard America that Soft America can survive: "Soft America lives off the productivity, creativity, and competence of Hard America, and we have the luxury of keeping parts of our society Soft only if we keep enough of it hard." Without a robust military, there would be no way to preserve the freedom and laxity that is Soft America.
Barone dedicated this work to the memory of Senator Moynihan and it is almost a certainty that he would have been pleased by the following description of the effects of excessive softness upon black Americans:
"The Softening of criminal justice, welfare, racial quotas and preferences, and education- had the effect of confining most blacks to Soft America. They were left unprotected against crime, deterred from forming stable families, deincentivized the will to achieve. The advocates of Softening hated the idea of imposing middle-class mores on black Americans, but middle-class mores are necessary for achievement in Hard America, and underclass behavior makes such achievement impossible."
The field of public education is one in which Softness has triumphed and the author believes that this situation will not change until parents force the issue. For many professionals in our schools, the Chaise lounge chairs of pulpous America massages them forever. Only external forces will coerce them into changing their ways or methodologies.
This reviewer has personally witnessed several attempts of individuals to "Speak Truth to Squishiness" by bringing rigor into their classrooms and then observed the predicable punishments that were meted out to them in response.
Shortly after I finished reading the text I told a teacher about it and she said, "Give me that book now! I need it." The basis for her interest may have stemmed from her name appearing on a school wide memo ranking our teachers based on who passed the most students. Her name was on the bottom. I recall her coming up to me in the hallway and wondering if I knew of a way she could have passed a student who missed 70 out of 92 days of instruction. I had no answer then and I have no answer now.
Another educator told me of an alternative school that got around the dilemma of what to do with students who do not meet even diluted academic requirements. They issue a no grades whatsoever policy that precludes all descriptors (including "Pass" or "Fail"). He is currently being considered for the Principalship of this institution and wanted to know what I thought about their anti-grading scheme. I told him it was insane. He agreed but noted that the salary was 70 grand a year. I advised that he not mention the policy at all during his interview and then quickly abandon it once his contract was signed. We will see whether or not he has the strength to do so.
Unfortunately, although it is not as clear cut as the two examples I cite, most children do grow up in Soft America. It is a land in which they are molly-coddled and excuses are made for their every need and whimper. Many adults are more concerned with injecting them with self-esteem rather than buoying them up with knowledge. Who would have ever thought that the word "facts" would have the negative connotations it has today in educational circles? Children are shielded from the Bizzaro world of Hard America until they graduate and then are thrown into the cauldron of competition.
I think Michael Barone has done America a great service by writing this book and I encourage everyone to read it. There's absolutely nothing wonkish about it. The issues are global and should appeal to most citizens- even if it makes the pens of a few bureaucrats run dry.
Was this review helpful to you?
18 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
Who are the most coddled?, May 18, 2004
Reviewer: Roland Buck (see more about me) from Morehead, KY United States
Barone' ideogical biases are causing him to overlook the realities of who is really being coddled the most. If he wants to find the people who are most coddled, he needs to look at the private sector.
Take, for example, the case of the corporate CEOs who get their multimillion dollar bonuses whether profits are up or down, whose income relative to their workers keeps getting bigger and bigger, and, if they do get fired, get rich golden parachutes that leave them rich for life. Contrast that with ordinary Americans, who if their job is sent abroad are lucky to get a few month's severance pay and inadequate job training so that they end up with a job that pays less and has fewer benefits.
Another of the most coddled groups are people that are rich,not because they earned it, like Steve Jobs, but, rather becauese they inherited it, like Steve Forbes. If one really does not want coddling, the inheritance tax needs to be increased so that one can only become rich by one's own effort, and not without effort.
The author undoubtedly makes valid points in a number of areas, but his obvious right-wing bias keeps him from seeing who is really being coddled.