An Ohio judge for 25 years (How to Win a Local Election: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
), Grey issues a call here to bring back a sense of humor and irreverence to the nation at large. Contending that people take themselves too seriously and take offense much too easily, the author pokes fun at what he considers to be sacred cows, including the importance of a nutritious diet, refraining from smoking, ethnic diversity, the demands of feminists, religion and the law. He claims, for example, that the Jelly Donut Diet (eat at least one a day) works because it supplies satisfaction, stating that the idea of eating right could only arise in the minds of people who have plenty to eat. Smoking, according to the author, suppresses aggressive behavior. Therefore our society has become more violent as it becomes more smoke-free. With tongue in cheek, Grey also contends that women are paid less for equal work not because of discrimination, but because they are willing to part with their labor more readily and cheaply than their male counterparts. In a piece about diversity on campus, he sarcastically argues for restoring a Eurocentric Studies Department to multicultural colleges. In another chapter he uncovers contradictions in the animal rights movement. While some of Grey's politically incorrect essays are clever and hit their mark, others run on too long and sometimes deteriorate from wit into rant. (Nov.)
