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Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle By Chris Hedges Our Price $ 21.96   Retail Value $ 24.95   You Save $ 2.99  (12%)   Item Number 1558896   Buy New Item Currently Out Of Stock ABOUT TRUST ONLINE

	Is it all an illusion?  Jan 10, 2010
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I can somewhat sympathize with Hedges' premise, that being that American culture has become one big illusion that keeps the average person entertained as we are fleeced by corporate elites. On the other hand, I wonder if he exaggerates some of the issues at hand. This is a profoundly pessimistic book. Hedges, who would have to be described as a liberal, sees an impending doom around the corner for America. He says that the course we are on now can only end in financial and social collapse. This could really be described as a liberal diatribe. Hedges lambasts the power and influence of corporations, the military-industrial complex (and their imperial wars), and both the Democratic and Republican parties who have sold out to them. He laments the degeneration of literacy and culture and its replacement by cheap and shallow entertainment like wrestling, reality television and porn, all of which he dissects in detail. He also attacks phenomena like positive psychology which is used by corporations to engender false feelings of happiness and purpose. Whereas New York or Chicago could be regarded as cultural capitals of America in times past, Hedges anoints Las Vegas as the epitome of current American culture: "Las Vegas, a city built on illusions, lends itself to the celebration of porn. It is the corrupt, willfully degenerate heart of America. It is, in Marc Cooper's memorable phrase, The Last Honest Place in America. Las Vegas strips away the thin moral pretension and hypocrisy of consumer society to reveal its essence." His musings are downright anti-capitalist at times and he says that free-trade capitalism and true democracy are actually antagonistic. He sees both our financial and healthcare systems as beyond reform and heading towards imminent collapse. He also lashes out at the state of our elite higher learning institutions, claiming that they have become nothing but breeding grounds for "systems managers," that is, uncritical cogs who will sustain the status quo rather than deep thinkers who will critique it. This is an interesting contrast to those on the right who constantly complain that our universities have been taken over by leftists. In conclusion, I can't quite decide if this book is prescient or paranoid. I guess only time will tell.
	A Detailed and Thoughtful Analysis of Cultural Priorities Gone Awry  Jan 8, 2010
This book is a thorough and meticulous examination of cultural phenomena that ultimately undermine our ability, or perhaps more alarmingly, our desire, to question the information we receive in order to make informed judgments about our fate as a society. Celebrity, reality TV, infotainment and spectacle masquerading as significance are all examined within this work. A good eye-opener.
	`Queen for a Day' revisited - a timely polemic  Jan 6, 2010
`Queen for a Day' debuted on nascent television in 1956. Viewers beheld tearful victims vying for redress from unkind fates. Winners (determined by applause) were cloaked, crowned, enthroned, and awarded a special prize (often a lifetime supply of shoes or a washing machine). Viewers, at times resembling a Roman mob in the Coliseum, heralded audiences of programming that now enjoys immense popularity. After a half century of like influence, have we irrevocably abandoned reality? `Empire of Illusion' addresses that question in five categories: the illusions of Literacy, Love, Wisdom, Happiness, and America. Accounts of industries as diverse as entertainment, wrestling, pornography, education, testing, wellness, celebrity, news, defense, armaments, health care, infrastructure, transportation, finance (etc.) are skillfully woven into a lucid polemic on self-deception. Though episodic, the evidence of widespread delusion is compelling. The author warns "A public that can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction is left to interpret reality through illusion." Who can disagree? We've become insatiable consumers of fantasy, connoisseurs of illusions manipulated by government and commercial enterprise alike. The recent mortgage meltdown and bank bailout is only one example (if only bankers competed for rescue in a `Queen for a Day' format!). Those disposed to confront the prospect of an increasingly docile, illiterate peasantry nursed by corporate feudalism will appreciate this work. Read it and decide for yourself.
	A Wake-Up Call that I hear loud and clear!  Jan 5, 2010
I was drawn into this book immediately, and never let go. It shocks, it sickens, it makes you think and think again. This is an amaizing piece of exposition, as it connects and synthesizes a variety of sources into a cohesive perspective on the modern American condition. To go from Plato to Pornography, from wrestling to right-wing politics, and bring them all together as examples of our self-destructive illusions demonstrates Chris' analytic abilities. The apocalyptic vision of our society's downfall presented here seems quite likely. But in the end he gives us a sense that if we just wake up from our slumber and get active, we can change things for the better. Amen.
	Illusion of Empire  Dec 31, 2009
Chris Hedges has much to say in his "Empire of Illusion." The book is well written and a good read, as one might expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner, but I did have issues with certain aspects of the book. There are but five chapters: 1)The Illusion of Literacy (the wrestling arena); 2)The Illusion of Love (the pornography arena); 3)The Illusion of Wisdom (the higher education arena); 4)The Illusion of Happiness (positive psychology); and, 5)The Illusion of America (corporate America and politics). As an educator, I was most interested in his examination of higher education as depicted within chapter 3. There is much to ponder from the material presented, and considerations of what has happened to our higher education system until now, and where it will go in the future. The author, nonetheless, manages to bring in irrelevant material into each chapter. He interjects his disgust of the wars in the Middle East and the treatment of Palestinians, even when it is not related to the "illusion" at hand. He appears to make many immoral equivalencies. His greatest criticism of American society comes in chapter 5. His view of modern America is very pessimistic, and his tone is that of a preacher, not too surprising considering his foray into divinity school. Readers should also take note that Hedges' description of the porn industry in chapter 2, is extremely graphic and is not for the immature audience nor faint of heart. Amazingly, the author concludes chapter 5, and the book, with hope, stating "hope exists" and "it will always exist." He even preaches the "power of love" and somehow, after so much pessimism, states that "the power of love is greater than the power of death." The "Christian Right" will loathe this book and call it a liberal's tirade, but liberals are also greatly admonished within these pages.

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