The B.S. Factor: The Theory and Practice of Faking it in America

The B.S. Factor: The Theory and Practice of Faking it in America by Arthur Herzog Publisher: Penguin Books, 1974 ISBN is 9780140038231 / 014003823X Paperback 4.1 x 7.15 inches, 222 pages Fakery and hypocrisy in American communications are the subjects of this outspoken and hilarious book. Uncovering our thought-pollution problem for perhaps the first time, Arthur Herzog exposes Executalk ("name of the game" for "point" or "purpose," "ball-park estimate" for "rough guess"), Quote Facts (opinions made to seem like facts by virtue of being quoted), and Complex Complex (the compulsion to make things more complicated than they need to be), to mention only a few of the current crimes against logic and language. The perpetrators of these atrocities include Fadthinkers, Word Mincers, Sci-Speakers, Copy Cant-ers, and Anything Authorities, those who, having succeeded in one field, appear on TV talk shows as experts on everything else. Without the B.S. Factor, success in America is almost impossible, says Herzog, and he goes on to call for a new breed of "radical skeptics" to clear away the B.S. that is now engulfing our country."An entertaining and ------------------------ Arthur Herzog III (April 6, 1927 – May 26, 2010) was an American novelist, non-fiction writer, and journalist, well known for his works of science fiction and true crime books. He was the son of songwriter Arthur Herzog, Jr. He was married to Leslie Mandel and they did not have any children. His novels The Swarm and Orca have been made into films. Herzog was also the author of non-fiction books: The Church Trap is a critique of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish church organization and institutions particularly in the US; 17 Days: The Katie Beers Story is about the kidnapping and child sexual abuse of Katie Beers.