Chris Hedges: "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- Journalist Chris Hedges discusses his book, "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle," at Cambridge Forum. Hedges argues that we now live in two societies; the first is literate and can cope with complexity. The second is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic.
See more talks at forum-network.org.
This talk was taped on January 22, 2003.
This has aged like fine wine. What a great talk.
nothing changed and things only got worse with the identity politics
@@elianamckee It's distracting all of us from what actually has to be done to create a better future. It's truly sad.
The identity politics makes for an easy game too be played, one that can be easily played - and used - by the people in power: media, politicians, celebrities, capitalists. They'll look good, vitual signaling in their expensive outfits,, they'll be able to keep their fancy positions and nothing will actually change that much.
He refers to 5 trillion in debt. TODAY WE ARE AT $30 Trillion!!!!!!
@@denniseelman9731 when was politics in this country not tied to identity? Not saying you do this, but many critique identity politics as some new phenomena of the political Left when identity has always been a mainstay of American politics.
I found this gentleman by accident. But man, what an eloquent prophet of truth. I am going to keep listening to him.
More like a false one
@@theclericbeast4real sorry, we are so many times misguided by allowing ourselves to be brainwashed by the so called elite.
He changed - BIG TIME!
He abandoned the working class on all things COVID once the lock downs were declared ... he won't go near it, he won't touch!
@@douglascarlson9006 he's not your governor, president, Senator ot House rep. FYI he speaks out look up the infor
@@dangale3220 for any takeaways, it's up to you to decide. it's a free world remember. nothing is being forced down your throat
grab a book and read
This was recorded 8 years ago.....still vibrant and speaking to the heart of our dilemma
No, this was recorded in 2003. The video was uploaded in 2012.
Love this man he has both anger and courage..he's stood for justice...what he believes in
How can anyone listen and deny what this brilliant man is saying?
nole 89 trump supporters those are the ones who will dismiss Chris hedge
If they have a verbal intellectual bilge filter quite easilydeny. With a filter anyone can see hedges is an intellectual hillbilly who didn't have enough attention as a child. He is the cure for insomnia.
If the majority of Christians were more like Chris here, as an agnostic, I would not fear them so much.
I JUST DID
Because 58:09
I've listened this one before. Even better the second time. Possibly the best of Chris Hedges. I wish I could give this one more thumbs up.
I got you b
We Need A Speaker Like You!!
We Stand Up...To Support You!!
We ❤😍💖❣💕💘 Love You!!
Agree with this conversation
@@robertcarpenter7486 I first saw Chris Hedges on Democracy Now 8 years ago. I was frightened and angry and now cannot unsee what he revealed. How we must fight fascism because they are fascists.
We are mice squeaking against an avalanche...but squeak we must...
Is this great thinker still on thee planet?
Chris Hedges speaks truth to power! And truth is a limited commodity these days.
This good man is saying what I have been feeling for years,THE TRUTH
Chris Hedges never ceases to be relevant. That is the difference between deeply felt philosophical thought and daily sound bites from garbage MSM media. You can listen to this talk in 2040 and it will still resonate.
The man is highly intelligent armed with life experience and truth.
As someone who has stood up to bullying culture in the workplace twice, and sacrificed my job and standing and even friendships to do so, I understand the losses of people who stand up. I hope even my small, and local stance could create an awareness that the systems are abusive and authority is usually abused and needs to be monitored closely and held to account.
Me too. I couldn't bear the bullying and cruelty. I found it intolerable and spoke up. My colleagues all turned their backs. I kept my dignity. My doctor said, the workplace is an unbelievably violent place.
I just got out of college and started working and I’m amazed the amount of bullying and sociopathic behavior that’s rampant in the workforce. People are afraid to lose their jobs. They work in fear.
Do you guys work in an office environment? Sounds completely intolerable
My son wanted to put me in a mental institute. I wish I would have found Chris years ago to proof that I wasn't the only 1 foresee our future. We don't talk or see each other anymore.
@@McFraneth Terima kasih hj for the doa...
Cukuplah Allah bagi diriku dah hj Badrul bersama keluarga kami z a cfc of u Dan berpadalah Allah sebagai yang mendengar permohonan doa doa ini ...Ameen....sa a,c vcc'¤7,,7☆▪︎77,,7☆) zvb xc
8 years later, nothing has changed, if not worse...
Much worse.
yeah- I pretty much believe we're fuckin doomed! I try not to think about it as much as possible.
@@brucepieroni9102 Well USA makes money and guns, it is all that you need in life to live good.
@@darktagmaster1861 @DarkTagMaster so, you're the part of the people Chris (the speaker) is talking about. Can't cope, so retreat to instagram and netflix? That's your strat? You are, indeed, doomed.
Wasn't this on 2003? This an almost 20 year old talk.
8 years ago was published in TH-cam.
Carl Sagan talked about this in 1995, in his book "The Daemon Hunted World"
Chilling, and yet, true. That book is 5 years away from its 30 anniversary.
Chris Hedges speaks so eloquently what my angry mind cannot transcribe.
Loved his quote from St Augustine. Used twice today in communications.
11 years ago and rings true to this day. Wish you were the President. Thank you for all you share with the world.
CHRIS HEDGES SPEECH 15 AUGUST 2012. IT IS NOW 2020. HE WAS RIGHT.
_good you're catching up!_
@@anhumblemessengerofthelawo3858 or catching on ?
Incredibly prescient. Chris Hedges is a true prophet of our age, bravely staring into the abyss, informing us how we got here and how we can heal the malaise. True bravery!
This is a great monologue. Chris needs to be shared with your friends and family.
6
..0
P
999
✏️🐶
"... then I realized that what my father has given me was FREEDOM! "
- CHRIS HEDGES , one of the most brilliant man of America. Thank you for such a POWERFUL speech and this inspiring human being you are! GREETINGS FROM BRAZIL
Lenin, Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez gave similar speeches.
@@jimbodriver1015
Did that go over your head? . . . LoL
Honestly the most mind-sobering, thinker I've heard in a long time...
This may have come out in 2012 yet it is so relevant to 2020. ✨
More so today.
While Chris Hedges, of course, is brilliant as usual, this audience and particularly the people asking questions are also brilliant. Everyone is so thoughtful and well spoken. How rare it is to find such a gathering.
Amen !......maga hats and the small rube minds under them have no place there.
There is no future in american politics. It is evil
Throughout. Listen to Chris
HEDGES but will you act on his philosophy.
I love listening to him but wonder why there is no action as of yet to reform our corrupt government.
Chris Hedges...voice of sanity and clarity in times of darkness.
A brave voice, alone not enough, yet not enjoined by others.
Everything he predicted has come true.
It was long already true.
@Erasmus the blasphemous I agree. However, I didn't realize this from 2003.. That's pretty pescient
@@KingMinosxxvi its not, he talks about the obama administration
@@dankyden Ok that makes more sense. Thanks
He literally predicted trump at 41:44
The most incredible talk about our world today and our demise!
Thank you Chris Hedges. I recognize I may not be brilliant. However I value the truth and understanding enough to study brilliant. Chris Hedges - brilliant as his words have stood the test of time.
Thank you chris . . .this speech is one of the best discription and sad Poetry of our time. Thanks again .
I enjoyed his answer to ‘Knowing what you know, what keeps you from blowing your brains out?’ to which he replied ‘Anger and its two daughters hope and courage’
So many warnings, so many talented analysts, philosophers, writers who said it a million ways, so little heeding. Their genius could not compete with the market logic. What do you do? How do you fight or even resist. Where do you find hope?
The ending is so moving. I have so much respect for Chris Hedges. If politicians had his integrity the world would be a better place.
They wouldn't be politicians if they had integrity
@@Maxrepfitgm that's a crock. There are politicians with integrity, but not those who serve corporate interests. We need to stop pretending that government, the greatest power of the public, is something inherently bad.
The government isn't corrupt because the government is too powerful. Our government is corrupt because the wealthy are corrupt and they have too much power over our government. The mindset that government in itself is bad is a mindset that fuels pro-corporate pseudo-libertarianism in the U.S.
Our government has been corrupted by wealthy interests. So we need to further regulate it. Just as industry needs to be regulated so the wealthy don't abuse our natural environment, government needs to be appropriately regulated so the wealthy can't abuse our society. We need to remove money from politics.
"We must become as militant as those seeking our enslavement."
+Kevin Pacifico Gonzaga ...."and become slaves to ourselves..." Argh... we cant win....
@José Pedro Coelho lol
You are already enslaved by defense industry brainwash.
@@TheSoulBlossom
See the English interview of Dr.Judy Mikovits on www.brighteon.com/channels/patrice
Step 1 identifying the creeps enslaving u s with unnecessary debt
Chris Hedges is so well spoken. And above all, so truthful...
Yup it is too creepy to see remember what they did to poor child Jackson, I love playing musical instruments but I do it alone not to let profit everyone except me and those that helped me get poverty musical instruments.
Yes, because he's a church preacher.
He also gets paid over $20,000 per pop to talk about poverty and the elites.
@ CryptedSky -- Huh?
Absly,
"A dream is something you strive towards - an illusion is something you live within" 44:19
+mind biz It was a direct quote from Chris Hedges 44:19
+mind biz See 'dream' sense 1.2 www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/dream
and 'illusion' sense 1.1 www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/illusion
+John Graham HERE IS A BLOCKED-LINK MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK PREVENTING THE LINK TO CHRIS HEDGES' ADMISSION THAT HE BELIEVES THE GOVERNMENT'S ACCOUNT OF 9/11: We believe the link you are trying to visit is malicious. For your safety, we have blocked it. Learn more about keeping your account secure. If you think this link should not be blocked, please let us know.
Thant about sums up American
Platitudes? Spare me. Hedges is an insufferable pompous blowhard.
2021, and this is terrifyingly prophetic for not only its time but for today.
Now is a great time for people to hear this again when considering the plight of so many today and how this has come to be
Growing up we select our heroes,sometimes changing them as we mature,though some remain.My new #1 hero....Chris Hedges.
What a great man!
One voice in an ocean of greed.
I salute Chris for his edifying presentation. The barest suggestion of a choking gasp and the catch in his voice in the concluding sentence, is by far the most fitting tribute he pays to his magnanimous father who epitomized the enduring values of echt liberal education.
"Great spirits have always encounted violent opposition from mediocre minds". Albert Einstein. Great spirit in this instance is Chris Hedges.
LOVE that quote. Thanks for sharing. :)
NO, HE IS NOT AS GREAT AS ONE WOULD THINK.
"encounted"???
"First you will be troubled. Then you will be amazed. And then you will rule over all." Jesus Christ in The Gospel of Thomas. Chris is "troubled," because he has seen behind the curtain WITHIN the illusion. But when he eventually sees behind the curtain OF THE ILLUSION (that is this temporal world), he will be "amazed" that The Mind that is All ("God") is in total control. He will then OVERCOME this world, and will rule in Unity with The Mind that is All. This is the journey of EVERY soul. A teacher and prophet of God has spoken in these "end times".....the end of one cycle of time before the beginning of the new. Give me a "click" if you want to know more...
Tesla referenced human energy 🌪👻jesus christ referenced living waters 💎🤍science described water memory 🌊👨🎓existence reflecting psychologically,psalms16:24 k,j 👻💎🤍👨🎓🗽💖🌪🌪🌪
Every Democrat wondering how we got Trump should watch this
You do know he's talking about celebrity culture, which is almost entirely in support of the Democratic Party.
@@cwo2mdfay I don't think you hear what Mr. Hedges is saying. @Lisa is absolutely correct.
and why we have biden
We fetishize demagogues.
@@cwo2mdfay Celebrities are more likely to be left wing. I feel like the people more likely to be celebrity obsessed though are from the right.
Anecdotally : I introduced the incites and wisdom of Chris Hedges to an old friend of 60 years who happened to be not only the nicest person I have ever known but a life-long Presbyterian minister. His reaction : it was "too strong" for him to digest. I wept.
😢
That *is* sad. We need pastors of courage.
Draw a small map/algorithm chart. This happened then it went here ; IF /Then/Go To
Then why didn't you challenge the pastor with his own said beliefs?
2012: "Largest transference of wealth"
2020: "Hold my beer"
Hedges in brilliant, "Full Spectrum Dominance" by F William Engdahl (2009) does a great job explaining how the problems will be addressed, and it's absolutely horrifying.
Cindy S, none of this is funny---but it's all laughable.
If ONLY the world would listen to this great man? If only!!!!!!
This video is 8 years old and is more true today. The man is a modern day prophet. The end of the empire is almost here. 11/1/2020.
@@xqt39a It's older. I think it's from 2003
Chris Hedges is AWESOME! WHERE HAS HE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
"We measure our lives by these celebrities. We seek to be like them. We emulate their look and behavior. We escape the messiness of real life through the fantasy of their stardom. We too long to attract admiring audiences for our grand ongoing life-movie. We try to see ourselves moving through our life as a camera would see us - mindful of how we carry ourselves, how we dress, what we say. We invent movies that play inside our heads with us as stars. We wonder how an audience would react. Celebrity culture has taught us almost unconsciously to generate interior, personal screenplays, and we have learned ways of speaking and thinking that grossly disfigure the way we relate to the world and those around us."
He said these words around the infancy stage of social media... it's only gotten much worse.
Kardashian syndrome
Oh yeah?
He’s 110 % right about the whole system!!
Thank you, for speaking out and not looking away. We are in the key crucial battle of our lives. Everything we have learned, everything we have done and all that has occurred before and during our lives have prepared us to act in ways appropriate to the times. We must be confident and not give up or give in to corporate fascism.
Our Promise
We make this promise,
Like a stake in the ground
Marking our future that is not yet real,
Our future will not exist, without us,
And our shared will to have it be.
Inside the gap between promise and new reality,
We act step by step,
From now and into the next moment,
Inside a field of uncertainty,
Our stand, firmly planted,
Freedom
Larry
It's now 2021 and everything Chris says in this discussion has come true.
He's like a doctor who understands the disease but he can't or won't recommend the cure, working-class struggle.
@@DonDeering The cure is you. It's inside you. Consumer addiction and addiction to our outside, not what we have on the outside.
It was always true why do you think he was saying it then ?
2022! woo hoo
@@DanielAvalos02 Imperialism = Capitalism + others
I hate that he's right. Here we are.
Wow, this is 2021 and Mr Hedges was right about everything 9 years ago. I wish I could see the dots and connect them as clearly as he did (does)!
💯
An this is 2022 he right 6 years ago, USA is going down starting with this OIL price increase and the SAUDIs and UAE 🇦🇪 refusal to comply , my opinion is this , America couldn’t even make people wear masks 🎭 , China or highly controlled states gonna win unfortunately
This is my favorite Hedge's video on TH-cam. He's really hitting on all cylinders in this one. Preach Chris!
Watching this November 2020, amazing how prescient this lecture would become.....
Wow. We need more and more Americans to listen and understand what this man has said. Not everyone is searching for the truth but for those that are here it is!
If he was a real truther, he wouldn't be allowed to give speeches or write books. Just more controlled copposition.
Nobody's listening. Nobody understands anything. Nobody cares.
Note to self: don't watch Chris Hedges before bed. Now I'm laying here with heart palpitations, due to sheer anger and hopelessness.
Yeah, he's not a fount of hope.
The Roman Emperors realised this and provided the Coliseum to distract the masses.
But they had to pay for it, now YOU pay for the distraction with your own money, brilliant.
We have cage fighting and NFL football.
Yes and our current politicains are doing the same.. slaughtering people in plain sight
What did they realize hoss tell me southerncross100 tell me
@@edduardozamboga4082 if people aren’t distracted they’ll go after their real enemy, their leaders.
Brilliant! I think the man at the end asked maybe the most important question for the american people: are you going to live with spending more than 50% of your budget on a military empire (you spend more on military than rest of the world all together) while people live in poverty, are dying from need of medical care they cant pay them self, your education system are failing... the list goes on? Greetings from Norway - hopefully you will fix this - for all the world.
Mjusiq™ this country definitely will not. It’s divided against itself. The family unit is destroyed and corporate America is destroying religion. No morals and all forms of hate and civil unrest. The lies are catching up with them. We were fools to believe
If you are still here in Sept 2020. No, nobody has been saved. If anything, it's a lot worse now...
2020 here. We have the answer and that answer is Yes.
Audience question: "With all that you know, what keeps you from blowing your brains out?"
Chris: "Anger."
Mike it's pure cowardice and fear. But the desire to be gone from this hellish nightmare is real.
Mike D focus, too. Desire is prayer.
Prayer is always answered. Be very careful what you are actually focusing on because that which you are desiring shall manifest in abundance.
Mike D sobriety. Chris has stayed quite sober in the midst of millions of luring intoxications.
Why not beleive in destroying the evil-dooers instead of destroying ourselves ?? It is wrong to kill the victims , and only right to beleive in delivering all of us from slavery they designed for us on this planet !!! They will surely loose and we will certainly win !
@@johnmiller7453 what hellish nightmare if I may ask? You live in a country where millions are dying to get to.
In 2020 I found a hero. I'm in awe of this man. Who'd a thunk?
This man need to be protected at all cost! Long live the real USA.
Excellent lecture! Chris Hedges signed his work with Excellence well done Sir!
Chris Hedges nails it again.
1:18:20 "St Augustine said that hope has two beautiful daughters - anger and courage. Anger at the way things are and the courage to make sure they don't remain that way." Then such moving anecdotes in conclusion
Chris, you help us/those who are capable, to see so clearly the reality of our times. Almost 10 years later, and given the current state of American and world affairs, this lecture is even more poignant. Thank you so much.
this speech feels historical. It will be examined and discussed well into the future.
I’m sorry but the case against MJ regarding children has yet to be proven. It’s a pity that the wise CH shamefully bought into the media hit piece on MJ. Everything else he states about MJ is unfortunately true. Be that as it may, because of his unproven MJ child charges against history won’t embrace this speech as a standard of our times, imho.
@@SovereigntyForPatriots i know, right? he really goes out on a limb here with Jackson, making all those assumptions, but he probably thinks O.J. Simpson is a killer too.🤷
I was raised in NYC and studied in US universities. Was also a US Army. I have now lived in central and South America for 11 years. The effect that the United States empire has had and is having in the Americas is horrendous. The violence spread by the US and the deaths is just unbearable. It will be a good day when American hegemony is no longer. The price of United States empire has been a river of blood and tears.
TRUTH IS and has never been accepted by the sheeple who are and were brain washed to enrich n empower the GREEDY n SELFISH to OUR collective demise. Blame no 1 else but your ass licking self.You were created MAN but choose to accept that you are HUMAN thus turning your backs on JAH.
Too, far too few Americans know this.
Such a great speech about Michael. Hedges always has the best takes. Love him
I’m sorry but the case against MJ regarding children has yet to be proven. It’s a pity that the wise CH shamefully bought into the media hit piece on MJ. Everything else he states about MJ is unfortunately true.
How - like HOW - can someone who is of sane mind dislike this video? Beggars belief. Courtiers I guess.
Halliburton lobbyists and rich people.
how? like, HOW?
easy, theses a little button next to the like button, you just click it, its pretty simple really.
I’d like to think I would be remembered as a parent who gave their child freedom. What a beautiful and hopeful speech.
Feels like I’ve just left a Sunday service.
🙏
Chris Hedges has the same effect on me as Bill Clinton (who used to bring me to tears) & Barack Obama once did. The difference is: Chris Hedges (who also brings me to tears) is the real deal; the other two are charlatans whom I voted for twice. Well, I've learned my lesson in how to spot a phony.
Of his many harangues of our socioeconomic culture, this is one of Hedges’ most brutal and blunt. I’ve played this for people who don’t normally hear such criticism of American life, and usually about halfway-through they decide they can’t handle it anymore, that it’s “too depressing.” I’ll say too bad, it’s the truth, harsh as it may be. A lot of people can’t handle the truth. This willful avoidance of reality is part of the problem….and this is nearly a decade or go. We never truly recovered from the ‘08 crash, and all the problems that Chris speaks of here has only gotten worse.
In this talk he accurately predicts the Trump phenomenon, among other things.
Thanks for uploading this, it was really interesting. I hadnt really heard of chris hedges before but he speaks some truths that we don't hear often enough.
justmadeit2 He speaks pure truth we are kept from hearing, daily.
this man is a giant.
Yeah, he's up there with Lenin, Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez.
@@RedRider1600 Again an ad hominem without attempting to counter the argument. Try harder.
Chris is 5' 9" at best.
His bravery, to stare into the abyss and honestly report what he has seen, is second to none.
@@RedRider1600 Ride This. 👊
18:18
Damn 8 years ago that was actually generous in comparison to crap that's going down now!
Amazingly well written, still poignant and relevant today. Timeless and powerful, this is a statement about the next great Age, the Kali Yuga.
This IS the Kali Yuga.
We await Kalki
@@AbtinX Yes
What is that?
@@shamanamarshall1469 it's the end, and the beginning
You give me hope Mr. Hedges. Your father must have been a real hero too. Never quit what you do, it is brilliant. I am/was part of a youth debating these issues, but we never felt any moral backing from what I call "adult and organized society"
It always felt to me that if I had doubts, I was a conspiracy nutcase and a filthy marxist who should stay in school, whatever that means. It is invigorating for the soul to hear you, a genuine and honest person, speak to power against the grain. Thank you brother.
What a brilliant ,brave,unselfish man! A modern day prophet looking deeply into our pathetically disillusioned realities.A superb diagram of our insanely grotesque situation of the rape of our greatest integrities.The reminder that we should stand against the slaughter of our better instincts.
Wow, amazing how accurate this is. The end of the Q&A was quite touching.
And this was 8 years ago? The ship is sinking and it is too late to save it.
All we have to do is take it back by doing what the constitution says to do.. specifically in the bill of rights section.
@@diannh2894 these people dont agree with the constitution
"This talk was taped on January 22, 2003."
@@MrFreddyFrisco Obama wasn't president then & Michael Jackson died in 2009.
@@mE-zx7pt Good catch.
This speech from 2012 . In 2020 Chris Hedge's scripture has become FULFILLED
Absolutely fantastic stuff. And the Q&A is excellent as well. I find myself listening to more and more Chris Hedges and his material is always incredibly insightful, thoughtful and often very moving. And this is very prescient, sadly. Brilliant. Thanks for posting.
I’m watching Chris every minute I can. I was shocked when rt, on contact was snatched from us. It was the equivalent of a Sunday service for me.
It has just made me more determined to get all his material I can.
Feel the same here in Japan. Chris gves a grim but necessary critique of our collective illusions and conceits. I like Jimmy Dore and Russell Brand too ... but the gravitas of court jesters just doesn't compare.
@@stevemartin4249 i suggest Michael Parenti as well
One doesn´t really have to be in America to experience its imminent decline, as European I remember that ever since the early 90´s I and my friends were pretty tired of America´s warmongering spirit, the one that Hollywood does not cease to produce. The ethical superiority of America has long been destroyed before its very sunset comes, and that´s sad because Americans are great people, with values and big hearts.
He is absolutely brilliant!!!
He touches on some of the same points as Antonio M. Most people will attack you if you point out these realities. Great piece.
I have been reading and listening to the work of Chris hedges for a decade or more now. And in all that time I've been trying to articulate in my mind some of the more spiritual and emotional questions that I would like to ask him in relationship to rebellion and struggle. This forum offered many of those questions articulated beautifully. I cannot express how grateful I am that I've come across this when I did after trying to formulate the questions. Thank you
I think you have the wrong date for "taped on" Michael Jackson was killed and/or died on June 25, 2009 so your date of 2003 is way off.
Yes. Better correct the taping date. It should be some time Obama era.
@@chrissy910 sadly true
My initial calculation is that this presentation is 2012 , not 2003.
1:12:10 Awesometacular question from the 'recovering Irish Catholic.' Many thanks for posting.
Awesometacular is a fun word
One idea that's heavy, that I want to incorporate more into my worldview, is that these struggles for human rights and autonomy and accountability of the powerful may be perpetual; we may never reach an endpoint. It may sound pessimistic but it helps me keep a perspective where I'm not making my peace of mind wholly dependent on the behavior of the powerful. And it sort of inoculates me against being emotionally destroyed after a defeat, and naively optimistic after a success.
"Loud mouth talk show hosts who we naively dismiss as buffoons will find a following with promises of revenge." Wow.
Talk show host! He was a war correspondent! He spent seven years covering all the wars Iraq Afghan Syria and Yugoslavia he speaking the truth
TOO prescient!
On the money
Revenge is a necessity
@Frank Sears True. But, I think he is referring to the Rush Limbaugh’s and other right wing extremist talk show hosts.
The notes say this speech was taped in 2003. That must be a typo; Michael Jackson's death is discussed, and he died in 2009.
yes, I realized only now that I had not been the 1st to spot the mistake.
@@miropribanic5581 Me too; I made my comment, and then scrolled down to find many similar such remarks!
Right. Obama too. I would guess this is from 2010, maybe 2009
@robert cartwright (thanks) so much for quality control of "GBH Forum Network"
playlist ideale The Lady at Fatima then at Medjugorje said Pray Pray Pray .. See Wayne Weible
Powerful commentary on our society. Chris Hedges should be our national conscience. He is a true prophet.
Not a big fan of Hitchens and the other 'New Atheists', but he makes a good point about the lure of magical thinking, 'false certainty' and all the other self-deceiving 'alternatives' to facts and reality these days.
And it's pretty much what Nietzsche predicted would be the result of his famous 'Death of God' and the loss of the kinda certainty that Religion once provided.
Hedges is an ordained minister and I'm sure not very fond of Kitchens & Co. (I liked Hitchens, a lot, before he turned and embraced American imperialism and the neocons. Btw, his younger brother, also an excellent journalist, is a practicing Anglican.)
Such an amazing speaker.
My town sounds like Camden. We used to have 3 grocery stores and lots of corner stores. Now we don't have any grocery stores. The neighborhood corner stores have closed and the two convienence stores goods are way overpriced. We had what began as a theater with a stage with vaudeville shows and later movies was turned into a disco and finally torn down, replaced with a small medical office building that was never very successful and is now empty. Our hospital had been updated at least four times. I was born there. My children were born there. There was a senior apartment building with a waiting list across the street from the hospital. The hospital was torn down and a new hospital was built outside our town in the middle of nowhere. Seniors have no way to get there except by ambulance which they can't afford. The apartment building no longer has a waiting list. We had our own electric plant. It's just sitting there now and we are hooked up to the nearest big city and, of course, the cost went up. We used to have a hotel, lots of stores. It was a nice little town. Then we had an influx of money from the federal government. We didn't know quite to do with it so our city council put a lot in their pockets and used the rest to tear down the whole town. No hotel, no stores. It was horrible. They turned the town into a badly designed shopping mall. The ceilings were too low. It felt like walking in a cave. Nobody wanted to shop there. The new stores went out of business. Now it has all been changed into government offices. Government offices don't pay taxes so we have no tax base. All the factories are gone. There are no jobs. There are people sleeping in their cars, moving when it's time for the cops to come by. Homeless people try to hide their tents in various places near parks and the river. Some of us let people camp in our backyards until the police or community development people notice. Then we get threatened about what will happen to us if we do it again. Our town is gone. This is some different place with people who hate everybody else. People without empathy.
Sad situation🥲
"I realized what it was that my father had given me, through the difficult lessons of my youth.
The 'Will' to stand up for my freedom."
Chris Hedges - the best unelected President the United States has ever had.
Or put another way - The best president the US should have but never has.
Donald Trump is the PERFECT example of what he is alluding to. Unreal that this is happening.
+Deus Ex Alluding.
+Deus Ex Even 10 years ago it would have been hard to imagine Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the probable Presidential candidates in what we lovingly call the Greatest Nation on Earth. Although I admit it will be fun and probably entertaining I somehow doubt that this is the purpose of the election. So what can I say but enjoy the show.The stiff cold emotionless droning of Hillary or the often clownish and occasional insightful nature of Trump. Yes, the greatest nation on earth. "What have we become my only friend, everyone I know goes away in the end. You can have it all. My empire of dirt. I will let you down. I will make you hurt. I hurt myself today. That old familiar sting". Applicable, I think so. It's time for rehab folks but will we make it in time or just be a shadow of our former self. Another page in history.
+Michael Froelich. It's true. The native Indians knew when the foreigners turned up that, they didn't have their best interests at heart and THEY DIDN'T.
+9/11 Nuclear Demolition there are old videos with Trump trumping about the state of USA and what is going to happen probably Trump never belived himself and just now he realized he was right
+Michael Froelich interesting comment. Our county is going down the drain because of corporations and the 1% winning their war against the American people. Look where all the wealth is going. There's hundreds of thousands of years of human history showing that we survive in cooperative tribes, making exchanges based on win-win situations. The last 50 years of win-loose, winner take all, capitalism is destroying our culture and planet. This comment is not meant to be a win/lose debate, but a plead for more people to be seeking win-win situations. Even the most popular business books subscribe to a win-win mentality (7 habits of highly effective people, how to win friends and influence people) we don't all have to lose.
Jeez, That was sobering
@Louis Johnson God is not an additive.
@Louis Johnson I do believe in God. That's why I said he's not an additive.
@Smunstu StinkymonsterGod just is. Can't be added or subtracted.
@Smunstu Stinkymonster okay.
Just when you think there is not one real journalist left... you find Chris Hedges.
I think there are about 5 left in the US :)
Fifteen years ago and it sounds like he could have delivered this yesterday. Thrilling and depressing at the same time.
@@jimbodriver1015 Guess I'll have to listen again. Thought he referenced those dates. Just because it was posted at a certain time doesn't mean it happened then.
october 2020: Chris Hedges just predicted the wanton printing of money by the federal reserve because we are drowning.
its pretty impressive how frequently he ends up being correct
@@dankyden
Chillingly correct.
Hedges is the town crier of our time.
They’ve been printing long before this video.
Amazing analysis of the flaws of modern society! So well said.
I want all my dem friends listen to this on loop. Calling this talk prophecy is an understatement.
"Celebrity culture has thought us almost unconsciously to generate internal personal screenplays."
Guilty. 😞
Sure, it did to a degree. I think humans naturally do this though, being self conscious. The question is to what degree does celebrity/star culture influence this way of thinking?
@@Musicdudeyoutub And blindness. It's one thing for me to like Game of Thrones, LOTR, whichever. That said, when do I crossover into a blind attitude to the real world, because I find those fights too real?
@@bensonbrett30 That's a personal question that most of us need to ask ourselves...
@@Musicdudeyoutub I would argue it is a societal discussion that must take place. Publicly. And with vigor. Like a "Festival of Dangerous Ideas" type scenario.