Frederick Lane: The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture

by Donna Freitas, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 9/20/2006

Frederick Lane is a free speech advocate and author of Obscene Profits (Routledge, 2001) and The Naked Employee (American Management Association, 2003). His most recent book, The Decency Wars (Prometheus, Aug.), earned him a coveted appearance with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show in August.

RBL: Almost every author’s dream is to appear on The Daily Show. How was it?

Lane: Walking onto the set is staggering. As you approach everyone is laughing. You stop at a curtain, the music ends, and all of a sudden you hear your name booming and walk in to all of this applause. As an interviewer, Jon Stewart has great wit and depth. He was gracious and asked perceptive questions about the book. The issue of decency and the role of the media—especially his role in the decency wars—is something he’s thought a lot about.

RBL: A large part of your book tackles the religious right. What is your critique?

Lane: I believe it is fundamentally unconstitutional to use the precepts of one religion as a basis for government laws, regulations, enforcement and so forth. It not only runs contrary to the foundations of our country, but also runs counter to America’s pluralistic vision. When it comes to government, faith is not a sufficient justification for taking various actions. This is a dangerous mindset for leadership.

RBL: You also imply that politicians take advantage of the religious right in campaigns. Do I detect sympathy on your part?

Lane: My predisposition is to be scornful of the religious right because I am a free speech advocate. But when you look at what the religious right has put into the cause for decency and then look at what they’ve gotten out of it, it’s hard not to feel sympathetic. It’s not that I want people to support the religious right, but instead to highlight the empty promises and hypocrisy of the political leadership.

RBL: You advocate expanding dialogue beyond sex to other types of decency. What do you mean?

Lane: It’s ironic that the religious right focuses so heavily on sex. And sex really does sell—it sells ideology. To expand dialogue requires that democratic candidates talk about the environment, health care, education, basic allocation of resources and our place on the world’s stage as issues of decency—emphasizing that there is a battle for decency and it’s not just about sex.

RBL: Your book has quite a cover. How do you feel about it?

Lane: Well, my sons are at an awkward age—11 and 13—and in the throes of pre-adolescence. It’s a challenge for them to come to grips with the issues Dad deals with in his work. But I like the cover. A lot of my writing centers on the need to be more open about our bodies and sexuality, so in a way, it’s very fitting.