Dave Rubin - Dont Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

T HE ORIGINAL TITLE of this book was Why I Left the Left.

For many months, the master plan was to give a definitive account of my political evolution. But, as soon as I cashed the publishers advance check, I decided that wasnt the book I wanted to write.

You dont need me to go on for 250 pages about how the left has completely lost its mind. You already know thisat least on an intellectual leveland you can probably appreciate why I, a former lifelong lefty, have changed my allegiance.

This is because (as if I havent said it on The Rubin Report enough already!) the left is now regressive, not progressive.

What was once the side of free speech and tolerancethe one that said, I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say itnow bans speakers from college campuses, cancels people if they arent up to date on the latest genders, and forces Christians to violate their conscience.

They also alienate sensible grown-ups who dislike high taxes, oppose open borders, enjoy the free market, and harbor a healthy distrust of socialism. Theyre equally unwelcoming for sane, decent people who happen to be fiscally conservative, classically liberal, libertarian, ordare I say itthe worst thing of all: straight, white, and male.

Rather than being all-inclusive and fair, the left is now authoritarian and puritanical. It has replaced the battle of ideas with a battle of feelings, while trading honesty with outrage.

So, instead of retracing why I left the left, what you need is a book about how to leave the leftand where to go next. You need a path forwarda road map of how to get there.

And even if youve left the left already, or never were part of the left in the first place, this book will help you understand our crazy political climate.

No matter what brought you to this book, Im guessing youre trapped in a political purgatory with tolerant progressives who are holding you hostage. Perhaps you still cling to a few old-school left-wing principles but deviate from the party line on a few others which is completely reasonable, yet you spend a lot of time self-censoring for fear of saying something slightly un-woke and unleashing the mob.

If so, dont worry. Youre not alone. Over the past few years, Ive received countless emails from various people who bite their tongues and keep their opinions secret every single day.

If youre in denial about whether this applies to you, ask yourself: Do you ever find yourself seeking out certain sections of the bookstore when youre alone? Do you crack self-hating jokes to double-bluff your way through the day? Or do you dither over whats diplomatic for your Facebook feed?

Do you secretly watch Fox News with your finger on the back button in case somebody enters the room? Do you methodically clear your browser history to erase all evidence of PragerU videos? Do you hide your subscription to Ben Shapiros podcast? Or worry that your kid brother will catch you laughing at a Stephen Crowder video?

Maybe you dont want your friends knowing that you read books by Jordan Peterson or newspaper columns by Bret Stephens? Or youre ashamed of watching YouTubes The Rubin Report, which is hosted by the very scary (but quite dapper) Dave Rubin?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then Im afraid youre living in fear of the woke machine. Youre politically closeted, and its time to come out. This book will show you how.

Trust me, I know how it feels to deny the truth and to hide from the world all too well. I was a closeted gay manwithout a single person I felt like I could be honest withfor twenty-five years, and it nearly broke me.

Every day that I denied my reality, I became increasingly lonely and depressed.

It got so bad that my doctor put me on a powerful antidepressant called Celexa and told me to start seeing a shrink. Unfortunately, the medication didnt work and I never really connected with my therapist. She did, however, make one astute observation: she said I had the perfect blend of Catholic and Jewish guiltthe first is giving a blow job and feeling bad over it, while the latter is giving a blow job and worrying what your mother will think.