NONFICTION - Nov. 21, 1993

LAND OF IDOLS: Political Mythmaking in America by Michael Parenti (St. Martin’s Press: $22.95; 208 pp.). Which Michael Parenti would you rather listen to? The polemicist, who writes “Generally, the goal of conservative corporate capitalism is the Third Worldization of the United States--the development of a large, low-wage, underemployed work force; no taxes for corporations and wealthy investors; abolition of inheritance taxes; increasing profit rates; abolition of labor unions; and elimination of environmental, occupational, and consumer-safety protections”? Or the cogent critic, who writes only a few pages later that “The problem with capitalism is that it best rewards the worst part of us: the ruthless, competitive, conniving, opportunistic, acquisitive drives, giving little reward and often much punishment--or at least much handicap--to honesty, compassion, fair play, many forms of hard work, love of justice, and a concern for those in need”? Surely the latter voice, hands down, but “Land of Idols” is unfortunately dominated by Parenti the polemicist, whose goal here is to rehabilitate some quite sensible Marxist thinking thrown out--like the baby with the bathwater--since the failure of communism. Unlike many of Parenti’s previous books, “Land of Idols” takes on a hodgepodge of subjects, from New Age mythology (see the book reviewed below) to sexism and the Pope, and while he scores some telling points--on the inherent selfishness of much new-age thought, on the hypocrisy of many self-identified patriots--one regrets he so often evaluates issues according to over-freighted assumptions about class struggle and elite conspiracy. For all that, though, “Land of Idols” merits reading, simply because the dissenting views found here are rare and provocative.