Free Republic

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,both as book (1962) and movie (1975), was a huge commercial and cultural success. The central dramatic conflict pitted Randall McMurphy, heroic rebel played in the movie by Jack Nicholson, against his nemesis, the cold-hearted bureaucrat Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. Not even the most marijuana-marinated hippie could miss the simple-minded duality presented in Ken Kesey's work. Randall McMurphy is a charming, near-perfect free spirit who deserves our love and support. On the other hand, Nurse Ratched is a mean, vicious, horrible person who should be hated by the entire human race. Clearly, Nurse...

When Steven Johnson's book about popular culture hit stores in May, he was prepared for a barrage of hate mail. After all, the author takes a rare position: that playing video games and watching TV shows like "The Sopranos" and "24" actually expand minds rather than numbing them. No flurry of angry correspondence has arrived yet, but that doesn't mean the book, "Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter," isn't stirring debate. Critics are concerned that the title alone will give Americans - and their kids - license to spend more time...