Book Review: Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity by John Stossel

John Stossel is a journalist, television personality, and commentator. He is best known for his work as a consumer reporter and commentator on issues related to economics and personal freedom.

Stossel began his career in the 1970s as a consumer reporter for WCBS-TV in New York City. He later worked for ABC News, where he served as a consumer correspondent for the network's news magazine program "20/20" for more than 20 years. He has also been a regular guest on Fox News, where he provides commentary on a variety of topics.

In his reporting and commentary, Stossel is known for his libertarian views and criticism of government regulation. He has advocated for free market capitalism and has been critical of what he perceives as government waste and overreach. He is also known for his skepticism of certain environmental and consumer protection claims.

Stossel has also written several books, including "Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media..." and "No They Can't: Why Government Fails - But Individuals Succeed".

I used to love watching his 'Give Me A Break' segments on ABCs 20/20.

Here's an example from the year 2000 when Internet sales started to encroach on car dealerships and how they fought it at first.

In this particular book, he covers common myths regarding the following subject areas.

• Clueless Media
  How the media stays misinformed and perpetuates common myths
• He and She
  Common myths regarding sexism and the differences between men and women
• Bashing Business
  Dispelling the myth that business is inherently evil
• Monster Government
  The common misconception that more government is better
• Stupid Schools
  Government run schools are the best-- not!
• Consumer Cons
  Common misconceptions about consumer products
• The lawsuit Racket
  The legal system is designed to benefit lawyers
• Experts for Everything
  Experts are often more susceptible to bias and greed
• The Power of Belief
  Astrology and global warming!
• Our Health
  Common wives' tales regarding health
• Perils of Parenting
  Common myths regarding raising children
• The Pursuit of Happiness
  What makes people happy and what has little influence.

I enjoyed how this book can be read in digestible chunks. It's a good book to read alongside another more involved one. It simply states the myth, the TLDR, and goes on to explain why the myth is true or false. It provides citations at the end. Given the book was written in 2006, is it possible that some of references are dated, and some of his conclusions will turn out to be false in the face of updated information. There were a couple of instances where I had to ask myself, "Is this still true", and found myself looking for newer resources on the subject.