Maybe humanism is not an adequate stand from which to review Amiri Baraka's political diatribe "S-1." Maybe devotion to a just perspective, temperate weighing of evidence, and fairness are luxuries that can no longer be afforded in our oppressed and ravaged society….

But if the situation in America were as bad, or even potentially as bad, as Baraka suggests, then there would be no call for this critique or this critic: We would have lost the battle for civility, compassion, and toleration that the American enterprise is all about and would have to relapse into silence or join the ranks of the shriekers.

Ordinarily, a piece of political claptrap like "S-1" would not be worth your attention…. With a message so powerful and persuasive, original packaging or marketing is presumed unnecessary. Since style evinces individuality, it is anathema. Stylelessness (itself a style; an automaton's style) is a virtue...