Image by swanksalot via Flickr
with Chris Hedges
Writer, Dandelion Salad
May 10, 2013
fimssc on May 9, 2013
March 13, 2013
The Faculty of Information and Media Studies Undergraduate Students’ Council (FIMSSC) at The University of Western Ontario proudly presents Chris Hedges and his talk “Empire of Illusion”, the second event in the FIMS Undergraduate Speaker Series, sponsored in part by the FIMS Undergraduate Student Fund.
[…]
In this talk, Hedges explores the relationship between dominant media institutions and recent socioeconomic trends by discussing some of his experiences as journalist for The New York Times, as well as some of the topics covered in his book, Empire of Illusion.
Special thanks to the film crew for making this video possible: Tyler Benning, Cody McFarland, and Nicole Landsiedel.
[Q&A begins about 49 minutes into the video.]
Chris Hedges spent two decades as a foreign reporter covering wars in Latin America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His latest books are Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, Death of the Liberal Class, and The World as It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress.
see
Chris Hedges: Perpetual Rebellion
The Death of Truth by Chris Hedges (Interview with Julian Assange)
Chris Hedges: The Democratic Party Would Be a Far-Right Party in Europe
Chris Hedges at October2011 Occupy DC: The Corporate State is in Trouble (Kevin O’Leary – CBC Interview)
Dandelion Salad 
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90 minutes well spent. Hedges is the most articulate person today discussing the overthrow of our system by corporate forces and the ramifications of corporate values that have been imposed on us and our now state of permanent war. Our government is beholding to corporate forces and is not longer able to respond in a rational way to the needs of its people. Corporate forces exploit people and the planet until collapse or extinction and the only choice we have is to push back.
Thanks, Jill. Well stated.
I absolutely concur, Jill.
Lo, what a service you have done us to post this talk. I’ve been through it, replaying and taking notes over two days. This is a superb summation. It would be just brilliant if some zealous individual could make a detailed transcript with full references.
Here is a complete American education in a nutshell. And I am not contradicting what he says about electronic hallucination. It is never enough to just tick the “heard that now” box and say that is enough ~ as he says, reading is essential. Nobody can think for you, and disciplined literacy is finally the most empowering force. All media can be made to work, but they can never replace cognitive fluency in combination with critical reflexive intelligence, that in principle at least for those who are able to summon the skill, requires authentic literacy and comprehensive learning.
So I say, woah ~ stop that train! Get off and think where you’re heading.
How many Obama’s or whomever could quote Dostoevsky, and Cicero in the same breath?
This is certainly the finest of Chris Hedges’ many recorded “Socratic” addresses and interviews I’ve heard ~ so far as I am competent to make that judgement; it stimulates all the essential political/historical pressure points.
A memorable and noteworthy bench-mark of free speech and wise analysis for all radical thinkers to absorb and heed, in my estimation. And I mean radical in the most literal and metaphorical sense.
So glad you enjoyed this talk, David.
I updated a previous talk and added the same video but with the text on it. No linked sources, though.
https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/chris-hedges-perpetual-rebellion/