Image by sharonkubo via Flickr
with Chris Hedges
The Collapse of the American Empire – Lecture Featuring Chris Hedges
Centre for International Governance Innovation on Aug 30, 2018
Chris Hedges, a globally-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning author, gives us an entirely new view of a nation in crisis in his recently released book, America: The Farewell Tour, which holds both liberals and conservatives to account — as is rousingly pertinent for Canada as for the disoriented US. Beautifully written, it clarifies vividly and unforgettably the forces at play in our times.
In astonishing, tough, first-hand reportage, Chris Hedges draws on stories from inside communities across America and reveals how the hurricanes of change have allowed an array of pathologies to arise: the opioid crisis, the retreat into gambling, the corporate coup d’état of government, the pornification of culture, the rise of magical thinking, the emboldening of violence and hate, the plagues of suicides, and the global upheaval caused by catastrophic climate change. These are just some of the physical manifestations of a society unravelling. Such ills presage a frightening reconfiguration of our lives–particularly in the face of our neighbour’s degeneration as a world power.
Donald Trump rode this disenchantment to power. Hedges – who was unsurprised by Trump’s victory – shows how neither the left nor the right are addressing the systemic problems. Until the corporate coup d’état is reversed, these diseases will grow and ravage the country. A humane cry for a decent future, this remarkable book is our wake-up call to reality.
[Q&A begins at 46:13 mins in.]
Chris Hedges “The answer to automation is a guaranteed wage for all – and I’m not a Marxist”
Note this is a clip from Chris Hedges: A Recipe for an Emerging Dystopia + Q&A + Transcripts
Name Here on Sep 4, 2018
Chris Hedges talking about his book America: The Farewell Tour on MSNBC
JFhsfohhMN on Sep 2, 2018
Chris Hedges’ book: America: The Farewell Tour
From the archives:
Matt Taibbi: They are Essentially Controlling the Flow of Information
Chris Hedges: The Falling of the American Empire, interviewed by Ralph Nader
Abby Martin and Chris Hedges: Christianized Fascism Is More Dangerous Than The Alt-Right
Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff: The Coming Collapse of the American Economic System
Chris Hedges: The Deindustrialization and Collapse of Detroit
Chris Hedges: A Recipe for an Emerging Dystopia + Q&A + Transcripts
Chris Hedges: The Decline of the American Empire and The Rise of China
Chris Hedges: Aftermath From The Loss of Thousands of Union Jobs
Chris Hedges: The Fatal Addiction + How Big Pharma Created the Heroin Epidemic
Dandelion Salad 
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I’ve taken a few days to thoroughly absorb this; the more I listen to Chris Hedges, the clearer his dire message gets. I do have a minor criticism, but it is not a factual nor a moral complaint; his analysis is extremely persuasive, robust and intellectually valuable. I thoroughly endorse the general narrative. Thanks to Dandelion Salad, I also listen regularly to On Contact, that is invariably one of the best talk shows ‘on air.’
No, the only issue I have with his impeccable commentary on American life and the villainous ‘state of the nation’ is this: it would be simply wonderful if he could start looking at places, & talking to more ‘bioneering’ people, where real innovation, real change is occurring and promises to thrive.
Resistance is necessary and admirable, but when all is said and done, it is the people closing the existential gaps that really count. The virtual off-planet ‘Richistan’ satellite elites are right off their greedy, giddy, bloated, cocaine-addled heads, and will end up in a cosmic cul-de-sac with a major galactic head-ache ~ no doubt about that. The rest of us want a decent and reasonable life, informed by ethical choices & rational codes that assure us the freedom to work as modestly and as creatively as we will. The problem in the finance-addicted, high-rise, head-in-the-toxic-clouds USA, is its political disconnect with sentient diversity and convivial ecological habitats; with the emergent consciousness of the astonishing potential of creative psycho-spiritual existence and cosmopolitan imagination.
Thanks, David.
I wish his On Contact show was an hour long as some of the guests interviewed need more time to fully go into their recent book or whatever the topic is.
Indeed! Maybe a different format could also be an improvement, possibly a more relaxed & comfortable ‘set & setting…’
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