"We are now living in the midst of the most cynical era in American history. In this biting and controversial analysis, William Chaloupka scrutinizes the cynicism that is our common condition, examining both its uses in the politics of backlash and resentment and its surprisingly positive aspects."--BOOK JACKET. "Everybody Knows traces cynicism from its classical origins but emphasizes its recent emergence in American culture and politics, following a trajectory from H. L. Mencken to Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton to Fargo. Cutting neatly across ideological divisions, Chaloupka discusses the ways in which cynicism is rooted in all democratic politics and analyzes the role of the media - in particular, television news, political ads and speeches, and books such as E. J. Dionne's Why Americans Hate Politics and William Bennett's The Book of Virtues - in dissecting and encouraging cynicism."--BOOK JACKET.