Empire of illusion : the end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle /
Chris Hedges argues that we now live in two societies: one, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world, able to cope with complexity and to separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. In th...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York, NY :
Nation Books,
[2009]
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| Summary: | Chris Hedges argues that we now live in two societies: one, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world, able to cope with complexity and to separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. In this "other society," comforting, reassuring images, fantasies, slogans and a celebration of violence push reality, complexity and nuance to the margins. The worse reality becomes, the less a beleaguered population wants to hear about it and the more it distracts itself with squalid pseudo-events of celebrity breakdowns, gossip and trivia. These are the debauched revels of a dying culture.--From publisher description. |
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| Physical Description: | vii, 232 pages ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-215) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781568584379 1568584377 |