Chris Hedges' Empire of Illusion | The New School

Chris Hedges lectures at The New School, a university in New York City offering distinguished degree, certificate, and continuing education programs in art and design, liberal arts, management and policy, and the performing arts. THE NEW SCHOOL | http://www.newschool.edu

Journalist Chris Hedges discusses his recent book Empire of Illusion: the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. In it, he charts the dramatic rise of a post-literate society that craves fantasy, ecstasy, and illusion. Hedges argues we now live in two societies: one, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world and can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth; the other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic where serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins.

Chris Hedges, author of War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, is currently a senior fellow at The Nation Institute and the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow at Princeton University. He writes for many publications, including Foreign Affairs, Harpers, The New York Review of Books, Granta, and Mother Jones. He is also a columnist for Truthdig.com.

Co-sponsored by the Writing Program | http://www.newschool.edu/writing
Department of Media Studies and Film | http://www.newschool.edu/mediastudies
and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics | http://www.newschool.edu/vlc and http://www.veralistcenter.org

* Location: Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall.
12/08/2009 7:00 p.m.

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  Education

[DuddBudda]

you know Mr Hedges is not at all Republican don't you?

[Saif ul-Islam Azimabadi]

Why does the Republican party have to be the party of these things? Both the Democrats and Republicans have been hijacked. Kuccinich is probably the best Democrat and Ron Paul is certainly the best Republican, but these are holdovers from when these parties used to mean something. Though it pissed me off that Hedges called Ron Paul "a funny man" in a CSPAN interview, I still agree that there is a lot we can learn from him. How about we join forces and defeat the New World Order together?

[k2dart]

Agreed, it is bizarrely out of place. I thought Hedges was above media brainwashing of focusing on celebrities as if they're actually important.

[MrAcabadaba]

Most Americans are too stupid to understand what you're talking about.

[MrAcabadaba]

Nobody with a functioning mind is trying to defend the pathetic "Democrats". Its just that the "Republicans" are just so far gone as to not even deserve to be recognized as a real political party.

[uttaradit2]

Forget left and right divisions and be

Americans.

[nerrawg]

Its not communism he is purporting, it is socialism (Scandinavian European style). The Canadian government is also similar. These are the most successful countries per ca pita in terms of GDP, health care, education, wages, innovation etc etc. I suggest you read up on social democratic theory. It is founded on equivalent ideas to that of which Abraham Lincoln expressed in the Gettysburg address and the idea that every individual from birth should have equal opportunity.

[larry1369]

Just an outstanding lecture which really whets your appetite for the book.

[justgivemethetruth]

Throwing Michael Jackson in as the symbol of sentimentality is a cheap trick ... who cares about Michael Jackson except as just another citizen of the country. Lots of people have worse problems than Michael Jackson. Pathetic writing and point. Wail and whine ... the country does not have time for this nonsense.

[DrH5N1]

Whe need only one thing.. Technology.. all the shoulder to the wheel

[faith9chang]

I fully agree with Chris Hodges- we can;t afford to be passive by-standers. I believe we are at the crossroad and we have only two options - socialism or barbarism.

[greezymuhfuh]

This guy sounds like a communist. And if that's the case then I can't support that nonsense. Communism is just another form of control just as capitalism and just as capitalism produces just as much corruption; just on the other side of the spectrum. I'm looking, and I believe most are looking, for something more pure. Down with capitalism and communism. They are proven failed policies for control.