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Waves of Rancor: Tuning in the Radical Right
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Comments/Reviews
Description: The airwaves in America are being used by armed militias, conspiracy theorists, survivalists, the religious right, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other radical groups to reach millions with their messages of hate and fear. Waves of Rancor examines the origin, nature, and impact of right-wing electronic media, including radio, television, cable, the internet, and even music CDs. The authors survey the radical right phenomenon, from mainstream conservative broadcasts (Rush Limbaugh and Gordon Liddy) to those provided by the Patriot Network and those underwritten by revolutionary hate groups, such as the Phineas Priesthood. The political climate inspiring right-wing rhetoric is evaluated, as well as the agendas of the nation's popular conservative talkers.
This is the first book to reveal how the far right and extremist right use the media to persuade and recruit in the US; the authors include exclusive interviews with far right and extreme right leaders (including David Duke). They also present the work of groups working to counter the efforts of these right-wing groups.
Selected Contents:
1. The Genesis of Bitter Air
2. For Which They Stand
3. Lions of the Arena
4. But Carry a Big Stick
5. Gott Mit Uns
6. High-Stepping for Hitler
7. In No One Do We Trust
8. Up Close and Right
9. Armed for the Right
Comment(s): "The extreme right-wing has attempted to disguise itself in the form of [the] radio talk show host, but its virulent rhetoric has exposed it for what it really is--a hate mongering faction. This book dares (and succeeds) in making that fact all the more horrifyingly evident." -- Studs Terkel
"Every patriotic citizen should be familiar with the information supplied by Waves of Rancor." -- Steve Allen
"Never before has the radical right in the United States made such effective use of mass communication--both older media like television and radio, and new media such as the Internet and even music compact discs. Robert Hilliard and Mike Keith examine this important new phenomenon in a book that is both thoughtful and well-documented." -- Morris Dees, Southern Poverty Law Center
Review(s): Waves of Rancor, with its balanced approach to the complex workings of the extreme right, helps confront the emotions and politics that produce hate speech in the first place. In These Times
Based almost totally on primary resources--including a host of interviews--the authors ... provide a background of how, when, and why hate groups first began their work, a sense of the major arguments used, the different media modes applied, the 'mainstream' broadcasters (including Limbaugh, Liddy, and Grant), the Christian right, neo-Nazi broadcasters, 'in no one do we trust' (militias, freemen, survivalists, anti-environmentalists, and other conspiracy theory types), 'up close and right' (profiles of six key figures and a sense of that they espouse), and 'armed for the right' (the groups who fight such extremist broadcasters). This is an all-too-readable book--the authors have done their job well and will greatly increase the concern of any careful reader about what is going out on the air (including world-wide distribution of short-wave and Internet material). Chilling --and compelling. Communication Booknotes Quarterly
Should interest a wide audience concerned with media's effects upon hate and crime. ... An absorbing study of media's connections to violence. The Midwest Book Review
Hillard and Keith deliver ... alarming and underreported truths regarding threats to the safety and security of our citizens. The Nation
Although the book focuses on the uses and misuses of 'hate radio,' it also provides an overview of the manner in which hate groups spread their anti-government and anti-Semitic messages across the nation. ... An important book. New Jersey News
Informative and disturbing. ... Hilliard and Keith's detailed look at "mom and pop" stations, shortwave, and the Internet is unique. ... They support their claims of unchecked growth of hate broadcasting with a mass of documentation and detail, including provocative interviews with right-wing talk-show hosts. An enlightening insight into the political uses of the media. Useful in all collections. Choice
This is a very useful book for those interested in the radical right in the United States and Canada and the broad spectrum of its manifestations...Scholars should be interested in this book mainly because of its broad scope, but also because it consolidates many detailed research findings on specific right-wing organizations and individuals...Specific proposals for taking back the initiative from extremist groups are one of the book's greatest strengths...Waves of Rancor is a sound, scholarly study of an important political and mass media phenomenon in the United States...
(continued from above)The broad scope, admirable purposes, and in-depth treatment of significant content material make this book a well-documented and unique study of American authoritarians and authoritarianism. Sources used are current and the footnoting is extensive. The book is well-organized, well-written, and achieves its major purposes. H-Net Reviews
An encyclopedic compendium of hate groups in America...This is an important book. President Bill Clinton, concerned about the spread of hate on our airwaves, valued this book enough to place it on his must reading list. So should you. New Jersey Jewish News
    
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