Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

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Society's descent into spectacle-driven reality.

If you've ever felt like our society is slipping into a world of entertainment over substance, Chris Hedges' "Empire of Illusion" is a compelling read. Hedges' piercing examination of America's cultural divide highlights a concerning shift from a literate, critical-thinking population to one largely influenced by the allure of entertainment and simplicity. The book is a thought-provoking journey that questions the sustainability of our current cultural trajectory.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

Regular price
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ISBN: 9781568586137
Authors: Chris Hedges
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Date of Publication: 2010-10-05
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Philosophy, Sociology, Politics, History
Goodreads rating: 3.95
(rated by 6034 readers)

Description

We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected—presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this “other America,” serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society. In the tradition of Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges navigates this culture—attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremonies—to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion.
 

Society's descent into spectacle-driven reality.

If you've ever felt like our society is slipping into a world of entertainment over substance, Chris Hedges' "Empire of Illusion" is a compelling read. Hedges' piercing examination of America's cultural divide highlights a concerning shift from a literate, critical-thinking population to one largely influenced by the allure of entertainment and simplicity. The book is a thought-provoking journey that questions the sustainability of our current cultural trajectory.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.