Attack on Government

Small Press Bookwatch, Jan, 2005

Attack On Government

David P. Levine

Pitchstone Publishing

Charlottesville, Virginia 22901

0972887547 $24.95 www.pitchstonepublishing.com

Attack On Government: Fear, Distrust And Hatred In Public Life by David P. Levine (Professor of Economics, University of Denver) is a critical psychological examination of public perception of American governmental corruption and failings. Blending political analysis and psychodynamic theory, Attack on Government redefines the question of "Why does government fail" as "Why do we want and need our government to fail?" and "Why do we need our government to be the target of our hatred and fear?" From an elaborate deconstruction of the popular film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", aptly characterized as a "fantasy movie", to a sophisticated examination of hate, fear, and the desire prey upon the weak, to the role of identification in victimization--with those who victimize others placing themselves in the role of the powerful oppressor and the victim in the role of their powerless selves --Attack on Government deconstructs popular opinions in a quest for the underlying and often unconscious emotional motives behind their forceful display. A worthy and recommended contribution to psychology and political science reference shelves.