Dick Gregory's Political Primer by Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory's Political Primer Reviews

• 
  Jeanne

  Dick Gregory was a comedian and civil rights activist, who ran as a write-in candidate in the US presidential election of 1968, as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. He used comedy to speak Truth, poke fun at the political hypocrisy, and identify bigotry and racism in the US.
  
  His combination of astute political thinking and comedy, heavily laden with irony, caused people – black and white – to think. Because it was "comedy," it slipped under the wire and provoked. We couldn't ignore or deny what he said.
  
  Whenever the Communists want to take over a new country, they should first go in with a whole bunch of American newspapers. The Communist advance men should say, “Look. I know you don’t know much about our program. But just read what the Americans are saying about us. We’re for feeding hungry folks, women’s liberation, freedom and dignity and power for black folks and poor folks, Indian rights, and a whole lot of other things.” (p. 8)
  
  Dick Gregory's Political Primer really was a political primer (something I hadn't really expected), rather than strictly humor. His book could be usefully used in class today to discuss political history, the founding of the United States, and constitutional law (referents would often be unclear to 18-year-olds, however). In talking about the vote: "If you were white, male, well-to-do, and free, you could expect to have some role in selecting your representatives, if you also, of course, kept the proper faith" (p. 36). His is a much more powerful statement than the equivalent, "Initially, the privilege of voting was limited to white landowners," which skips over the pieces that make us uncomfortable about our history. Gregory did not skip.
  
  I especially enjoyed his review questions concluding his chapters:

  1. True or false?
  a. Woodrow Wilson promised to keep the United States out of World War I.
  b. Franklin Roosevelt promised that American boys would not be sent to fight a foreign war.
  c. Lyndon Johnson promised that American boys would not be sent nine or ten thousand miles to fight a war that Asian boys ought to be fighting.
  d. Woodrow Wilson kept the United States out of World War I.
  e. Franklin Roosevelt kept the United States out of World War II.
  f. Lyndon Johnson kept American boys out of Southeast Asia.

  Or this one:

  Using this lesson as a guide, write an essay interpreting the familiar phrase “The price one must pay for freedom.”

  This week I read and have been thinking about this research article,
  Personal experiences bridge moral and political divides better than facts, which describes how we can talk across political divides. Kubin et al.'s article is somewhat depressing (facts are not as convincing as personal experience), although their article presents some silver linings: stories have been used to tear people apart, but stories can also bring people together ).
  
  Dick Gregory does not focus on personal storytelling – at least in this book – but his writing suggests that some kinds of humor can bridge the divide, perhaps especially that humor that recognizes shared goals and challenges the barriers to meeting those goals.
  
  Video of Dick Gregory from 1967:
  https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/v... (1:49 min)
  Video celebrating Dick Gregory's life in 2017:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQpM5... (3:10 min)
• 
  Ashley Rucker

  I've never read anything like this book. Sick gregory is a comedian and generally good comedians are good because they hold an unusual perspective on everyday situations
  That's what makes this book so good.
  
  Dick gregory was a well-read man. He read up a lot on american government and used that to format this book like a textbook peppered with sarcasm.
  
  I'm a little upset I had no idea who dick gregory was before reading this (this book was offered for free from the wall street journal) but after lots of youtube searches I'm happy to hear all of his stand-up for the first time.
  
  One additional comment that keeps me from giving this 5 starts. Gregory has a lot to say and whatever he says it all. There are quite a few spots where he over explains and the book lulls but overall it's worth the read.
• 
  KamariLyrikal

  As an Elections Supervisor this was doooooooope!! I liked the 'reviews' at the end of the chapters, it kept you engaged. I always found the electoral process and the history of Elections very interesting. Learning which presidents supported and pushed which laws, bills, processes, wars, and so on, was another highlight. A few unneeded opinions sprinkled throughout the book but other than that it was a great read for me.
• 
  Hanson

  Started out really good, great insight into the national mood of 1971. I docked a star because of the junk science on food and then even astrology/numerology stuff in the last couple of chapters. Good read, though.