Excerpt from Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges

by Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
October 31, 2010

From the book “Death of the Liberal Class,” by Chris Hedges.  Excerpted by arrangement with Nation Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group.  Copyright © 2010.

We’re pleased to feature this excerpt from “Death of the Liberal Class,” the latest book by the acclaimed foreign correspondent, author and Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges. The following selection is taken from the first chapter of the book, published this month by Nation Books.

In a traditional democracy, the liberal class functions as a safety valve. It makes piecemeal and incremental reform possible. It offers hope for change and proposes gradual steps toward greater equality. It endows the state and the mechanisms of power with virtue. It also serves as an attack dog that discredits radical social movements, making the liberal class a useful component within the power elite.

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via Truthdig

Copyright © 2010 Truthdig

Chris Hedges spent two decades as a foreign reporter covering wars in Latin America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He has written nine books, including Death of the Liberal Class, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2009) and War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (2003).

see

Chris Hedges: The Liberal Class + Death of the Liberal Class? (interview/debate)

The World Liberal Opportunists Made by Chris Hedges

Chris Hedges: Death of the Liberal Class

Chris Hedges: Death of the Liberal Class Q&A