Empire of illusion : the end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle / Chris Hedges.

Author/Creator:

Hedges, Chris.

Publication:

New York, NY : Nation Books, c2009.

Format/Description:

Book
vii, 232 p. ; 22 cm.

Subjects:

Mass media -- United States.
Popular culture -- United States.

Summary:

Chris Hedges argues that we now live in two societies: one, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world, able to cope with complexity and to separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. In this "other society," comforting, reassuring images, fantasies, slogans and a celebration of violence push reality, complexity and nuance to the margins. The worse reality becomes, the less a beleaguered population wants to hear about it and the more it distracts itself with squalid pseudo-events of celebrity breakdowns, gossip and trivia. These are the debauched revels of a dying culture.--From publisher description.

Contents:

The illusion of literacy
The illusion of love
The illusion of wisdom
The illusion of happiness
The illusion of America.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-215) and index.

ISBN:

9781568584379
1568584377

OCLC:

301887642

Online:

Online access from HathiTrust during COVID-19 — only for students, active faculty, and permanent staff
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/301887642.html

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