Ill Use Shun

Madame M:

Let me start by attending to a few things first. First, I highly recommend this book to all, just as it came highly recommended to us.

I must disagree a bit with your assertion of anti-Christian bias on Hedges’ part. Given his own theological training, as well as his familial and other background, it would be odd for him to be overtly anti-Christian, which I don’t think he is. What he is about to me: anti-hypocrisy, and also against what he sees as the corruption of Christ’s example and teachings by the American pastorate (too many, who are, he believes, in ready service to the corrupted wealth obsession of American capitalism and American predatory capitalists). But if there is something I have missed, point it out to me good Madame!

Your words on Huxley are well selected, and illustrate our apparent national situation nicely (albeit disturbingly). How bitterly ironic that Huxley’s BOOK would be marginalized, ignored, or be completely invisible by/to so many in their descent into pleasure-mania, illusion, and delusion.

Yes, I agree with you that those things described are perhaps not defensible, but I think Hedges would agree that we at least need to understand the reasoning, such as it is or could be.

Mr. Hedges begins his book with an example of wrestling showing that spectacle has replaced literacy and the ability to deal with issues critically and effectively. He has many valid points about how American life has been manipulated for various purposes—nationalism, racial, ethnic, and religious prejudice, etc.—and demonstrates it by the example of wrestling. One of the premier manipulations has been diversion—diversion from the real problems and real causes. And especially diversion from how the rich elite have upended the world of the lower and middle classes, and made economic and social basket cases of so many. Furthermore, by making something like wrestling both an outlet for releasing frustration, including frustration with the wealthy, and a spectacle to disconnect things from reality, the wealthy elite have undercut a potential threat to their power, as well as masked or confused the source (them) of the upendeds’ misery.

On the historical hand, this trick of the elites is as old as civilization. American wrestling entertainment has been upticked, however, to subtly and not so subtly poke at the hurt of the upended, and all for more profit along the way to even greater embrace of illusion and spectacle in place of dealing with reality.

It also deepens the disconnection among people. As has been said in this forum many times in many ways, this helps the “elite,” who are relative few in number, from being confronted by a united many. In Hedges’ words, “it represents a society that has less and less national cohesion, a society that has broken down into warlike and antagonistic tribes,” who “cheat, lie…and ignore all rules in a desperate scramble to win. Winning is all that matters. Morality is irrelevant.” (7) “Established truths, mores, rules, and authenticity mean nothing. Good and evil mean nothing. It is all about personal pain, vendettas, hedonism, and fantasies of revenge, while inflicting pain on others. It is the cult of victimhood.” (11)

Did he just describe the sentiments that underlie much of what passes for American politics?

Much, MUCH more to say on this, but don’t want to overwhelm the readers yet. The Windbag is taking in air though! :)