“We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected—presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this “other America,” serious film and theatre, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society.”
-Overview from the Empire of Illusion, by Chris Hedges
I’m currently reading this book and gosh oh boy, am I ever glad that we don’t have a connected TV anymore.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
12 comments
August 5, 2013 at 7:52 am
john zande
I’m finding it harder and harder to watch any tv. Our Saturday and Sunday nights were spent reading in the living room. Re-arranged the lamps, bottle of wine, dogs and cats everywhere…. perfect :)
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August 5, 2013 at 9:03 am
Lorne Warwick (@lornepw)
Read the book a while back, and like almsot everything else he writes, Hedges, in my view, is spot-on in his assessments of society.
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August 5, 2013 at 10:01 am
syrbal
I don’t know as I could deal with the depression of reading that book. Between bad television, lies called news, sound bite “democracy” and a whole demographic retreating to live behind video/computer game “avatars”…I’m already coping with the minority reality.
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August 5, 2013 at 10:31 am
Is It Friday Yet? | herlander-walking
[…] that launched Western Civ and that Western Civ is the bestest evah! (Obviously by someone who wouldn’t like Chris Hedges!) Been reading and clicking “like” on a lot of things I actually don’t like and […]
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August 5, 2013 at 10:50 am
The Arbourist
@Lorne Warwick
I have a few of his books, I enjoyed American Fascists and thought that his War is a Force that gives us Meaning was excellent. I’ve also read Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. His dedication to telling the truth is admirable.
Of course, as anyone who goes against the grain, he and his works are marginalized and ignored for the most part.
Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, and Howard Zinn are in the same constellation as Hedges as they all have written incisive commentary on our societies.
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August 5, 2013 at 10:53 am
The Arbourist
@Syrbal
The book is grim. It makes you sit back and go hmmmm….is it really that bad? I’m just about halfway through the second chapter. On the upside, Empire of Illusion is a much lighter read than Kill Anything That Moves – which is a visitation to the horrors unleashed on the people of Vietnam by the American War/Torture machine.
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August 5, 2013 at 10:55 am
The Arbourist
@JZ
Reading…and wine? You know, I’ve never done that. Never even considered it.
Hmmm. It might not mix with the non-fiction, the staple of my reading activity, but when I get a good fantasy series going…oh the possibilities! :)
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August 5, 2013 at 11:10 am
syrbal
I can imagine it is grim. I’m in the midst of my “fiction only” year of reading, trying to rest my mind a bit. I have a growing stack of depressingly true reading awaiting me. And elsewhere? I am being told to stop being a Nietzsche lover and to appreciate the “dynamo” that is Christianity putting the spurs to great WEstern Civilization, by God.
Good thing the “virtual” world of the web doesn’t need puke sacks stolen from airlines.
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August 5, 2013 at 11:10 am
john zande
Hahaha! OK, i deserved that :)
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August 5, 2013 at 11:57 am
Moe
Arb – his earlier “War is A Force that Gives us Meaning” was one of the finest books I ever read. Put it on the list, if you haven’t already read it. Hedges is a treasure. He doesn’t preach; he observes. And he mourns.
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August 5, 2013 at 12:06 pm
The Arbourist
@Moe
Nice to hear from your again :)
That is a wonderfully terrible book and it ranks high on my list of important works. It has been awhile since I’ve read it and I sense I will be heading back that way soon.
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August 5, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Moe
I’ll be adding “Empire . . .” to my list as well. Spent a bit too much at Amazon this summer, so it’ll be the library waiting list for this one.
About to start George Packer’s new book “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”. But there is so much good writing these days on who and what we’ve become (while everyone watches Dancing with the Stars”)
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