#2: Smells Like Dead Elephants

Smells Like Dead Elephants by Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi is an angry man. He's pissed off that our government has been suborned by special interests, angry that fundamentalists have so much say in our government, and infuriated that Michael Jackson exists. I find myself in two minds about this book. On the one hand, Taibbi's pretty obviously biased and in the past, I've always been wary of journalists who obviously have an agenda.

On the other hand, Taibbi is so angry at our fucked up society that it's almost transcendental. He's mad at everyone: Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, stupid people, smart people, everyone. There's something pure about his misanthropy because it seems to come from a deep belief in humanity's capacity to be better. And it's his constant disappointment that seems to anger him so much. If he really didn't believe in people, he wouldn't be nearly so angry at them all the time, and he wouldn't be such an interesting author.

It's interesting, Taibbi doesn't take aim at the obvious people. He interviews Cindy Sheehan and rather than dismissing her as a rabblerouser (as most liberals/thinky people seem to), is genuinely sympathetic to her and details the way she and her pain have been co-opted by both sides. Taibbi was with Sean Penn during the aftermath of Katrina, another incident that has been widely mocked, and Taibbi doesn't milk the incident for cheap laughs.

On the other hand, Taibbi has plenty of vitriol for worthier targets: "[Former representative Tom] DeLay moves through the aisles like some kind of balding succubus." And again, it's this venom that makes the book interesting. Because Taibbi is angry, but he's not angry at everyone. He's mad at the hypocrites, mad at the people who have a duty and have failed, mad at the people who look at tragedy and ask, "What's in it for me?" His sheer fury at the gall of these people is a shot of adrenalin. I found myself pissed off at Congress. I even ( no lie) wrote a letter to my Congressman asking him to explain his vote. And even if it won't do any good, goddamn it, I'm angry. I'm angry that Katrina happened and people died. I'm angry that Cindy Sheehan's son died in a pointless war. I'm angry that our government is for sale. And I have Matt Taibbi to thank.