Culture Warrior

Culture Warrior

Author	Bill O'Reilly
Language	English
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Broadway Books
Publication date	September 25, 2006
Publication place	United States
Pages	240
ISBN	0767920929

Culture Warrior is a bestselling book by Fox News Channel political commentator Bill O'Reilly, published in the fall of 2006. O'Reilly asserts that the United States is in the midst of a "vicious culture war" between "traditionalists" and "secular-progressives". O'Reilly appeared on The Colbert Report to promote the book and revealed he is in the Grand Canyon in the picture on the cover.

O'Reilly declares war against "the committed forces of the secular-progressive movement that want to change America dramatically: mold it in the image of Western Europe". The term "secular-progressive", often abbreviated as "S-P", is used extensively by O'Reilly throughout the book.

O'Reilly's S-P's are virtual socialists who are hostile to Christianity and traditional American values. Funded by "a few far-left billionaires", the "S-P's" are implementing change in the United States by dominating major newspapers and network television, through the work of such organizations as the American Civil Liberties Union, and by "judicial fiat".

In the book's preface, O'Reilly describes himself as "perhaps the most controversial broadcaster in the country". Indeed, his book has garnered both chart-topping sales and severe criticism, including charges that the book is "self-pitying" and "replete with factual errors".

"Secular-progressives"

According to O'Reilly, "secular-progressives" are individuals who are not content with the current state of affairs in the United States. Secular-progressives wish to "mold [America] in the image of Western Europe." In Chapter 1, [1], O'Reilly describes secular-progressive goals as:

• A sharing of the wealth by targeting the affluent for most of the government's revenue.
• Lax school discipline on American children to promote their so-called liberties.
• Naked hostility to religious values and their expression in public.
• A "one-world" approach to foreign relations that would prevent the U.S. government from imposing a policy that would benefit America first.
• A touchy-feely vision of our society that places individual self-expression and rights over self-sacrifice and adult responsibility.

According to O'Reilly, "S-P" politicians are not willing to state these goals openly, as he believes that the citizens of the United States are not willing to openly accept the tenets of what he defines as the secular-progressive agenda. However, O'Reilly also says that he believes secular-progressivism is increasing in militancy, and that the American public have been largely unaware that this increase is taking place.

Traditionalists

O'Reilly defines a Traditionalist as someone who believes that the United States is, more often than not, a noble country that has made some mistakes. For O'Reilly, Traditionalists believe in the family unit and place emphasis on spirituality, selflessness, and charitable causes. He says that Traditionalists are not restricted to any one political ideology. While O'Reilly cites examples of Democrats that are also Traditionalists, including President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Joseph Lieberman, he writes that the Democratic Party is increasingly being taken over by the "S-P" Movement. Likewise, O'Reilly has also said that some far-right groups are not Traditionalists, such as some militia groups and the Ku Klux Klan.

The Secular Progressive Movement

The "Secular Progressive Movement" is a postulated group of Americans whose non-traditional ideals have become a talking point in recent years for conservative commentators. O'Reilly states that the movement is led by media billionaire George Soros who provides large amounts of money to liberal, and as O'Reilly defines them, secular-progressive organizations such as moveon.org. Although no organization defines itself as secular progressive or as part of a secular progressive movement, O'Reilly has identified the groups and organizations he considers apply to this label which include Hollywood liberals, Al Franken, UC Berkeley Professor George Lakoff and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) whom he considers a threat to traditional American society.

Also, O'Reilly goes on to articulate the various members of the secular-progressive army. Specifically, he contends that the ACLU and similar legal organizations form the "shock troops," who have "blitzed the legal system" in an attempt to "secure secular policies without having to go to the ballot box." According to O'Reilly, these troops are aided and abetted by "mainstream media enablers," who provide "aid and comfort to the frontline troops and are invaluable in getting their message out to an even wider audience."

Accusations of fascism against the ACLU

O'Reilly has called the American Civil Liberties Union a "fascist organization," believing they seek to impose a secular-progressive world view on America by "gaming the legal system." As an example, he cites the gay-marriage ruling of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health) :

The ACLU, on the front lines, is extremely aggressive and well funded, as I have stated [referring to George Soros]. That means they are serious people. On my programs, I have called this crew a "fascist organization" because they seek to impose their world view on America — not by the popular vote, which is the way it is supposed to be done in a democracy, but by "gaming" the legal system. Because they know that they will never, ever achieve their goals on Election Day, their strategy is to rely on activist left-wing judges to bring about secular changes in our laws. The most notorious example of this strategy is the gay-marriage ruling in Massachusetts. The ACLU helpfully pointed out to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth that the state constitution had an apparent loophole: that is, the document failed to define marriage specifically as between one man and one woman. Presto! With the stroke of a pen, the liberal court wiped out more than three hundred years of legal traditional marriage going back to the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The ACLU was in ecstasy. To this culture warrior, gay marriage is not a vital issue. I don't believe the republic will collapse if Larry marries Brendan. However, it is clear that most Americans want heterosexual marriage to maintain its special place in American society. And as long as gays are not penalized in the civil arena, I think the folks should make the call at the ballot box. Traditional marriage is widely seen as a social stabilizer, and I believe that is true. But if you are trying to secularize American society, gay marriage is a good place to start — thus the ACLU's fervor on this issue.

O'Reilly generally believes that "secular progressives" are misguided individuals who share general political beliefs, such as, but not limited to: Little or no acknowledgment of God or other higher powers in public; The practice of taking money from the affluent and giving to the less fortunate; Opening national borders to create a "unified world"; Legalization of drugs; and belief in provision of "prosperity" by the government.

Critical reaction

Culture Warrior received a mixed critical reception. Gossip columnist Liz Smith praised O'Reilly's writing as "diamond bright, ready to pounce, and never at a loss for words", and even compares O'Reilly to George S. Patton.

Others were far more critical, however; Publishers Weekly called it "more resentful and self-pitying than feisty", while Elbert Ventura of Media Matters for America, accused O'Reilly of making baseless claims, writing "It seems O'Reilly feels he is entitled to his own facts as well." In its review of Culture Warrior, Media Matters wrote that the book was "replete with factual errors, rank hypocrisy, and ad hominem attacks directed at anyone who has crossed swords with O'Reilly.

See also

• Progressivism
• Secularism
• Postmodernism
• The War on Christmas

External links

• Preface of Culture Warrior
• Excerpt of Culture Warrior (Chapter 1) from the Palm eBook Store
• CBSNews.com - Article on "Culture Warrior"
• Amazon.com page on book: Contains brief description and reader reviews.
• O'Reilly, Bill (2006). Culture Warrior. Broadway Books. 0767920929. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)