This is a superb rant by Chris Hedges whose politics are left of mine but who often, as in this article, spreads the blame evenly across the liberal-conservative spectrum. Ignoring some semantically slanted adjectives, this piece, as a whole, hits the nail on the head as to the decrepit state of "politics" in this country. Unfortunately, neither Chris nor me nor anyone else seems to know exactly what to do about this mess. In the end, I'd say that each of us individually has to push forward and speak out and act in favor of actions that we know in our hearts to be right, just, and of the most benefit to the most people. I applaud Chris Hedges for doing that.
Chris Hedges has been repeating these warnings for more than a decade, and the rot in the system has only become more intractable. Most of us know something better is possible, but it's organizing ourselves against corporate, legislative and judicial power that is so difficult. Where to begin?
"For as we have said, the art of the sophist is a money-making art which trades on apparent wisdom, and so sophists aim at apparent proof, for sophistry is an appearance of wisdom without reality."
(Quoted from Aristotle's On Sophistical Refutations, 171b32-7. Tr. E. S. Forster. Loeb Classical Library Vol. 400 (Harvard, 1955. P. 63)
Sophistry fills our radios, TV's, computers, podcasts, newspapers, Courts and almost all daily life.
We have celebrity journalists now who work assiduously as sophists as well.
The modern sophist is the 'paid journalist', the anchor 'man', the talk show host and of course the coin operated politician --- the political Machiavellian.
There are a small group of people who are skilled in the art of manipulation and control and they use this skill to threaten the survival of the planet and its occupants. These are the Machiavellians, their name taken from the philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, who understood what the ruling elite needed to maintain domination over the mind and thus the material control of the world (https://www.marxists.org/archive/mattick-paul/1943/machiavellians.htm)."
These sophists play on our irrationality.
"In fact, perhaps the most accurate and useful definition of humans is that of 'the self-deceiving mammal'. For deception, duplicity, sophistry, delusion and hypocrisy are the foundational products of human nature in its 'natural', primal and untutored state; but it is not instinctive and subjected to fate. But, rather than reducing these negative tendencies, most 'schooling' and socio-cultural influences redirect them, rendering them more sophisticated, more artful, more obscure and more inclined to deception and illusion.
"One of the most pathetic aspects of human history is that every civilization expresses itself most pretentiously, compounds its partial and universal values most convincingly, and claims immortality for its finite existence at the very moment when the decay which leads to death has already begun." ----- Niebuhr Reinhold
To exacerbate this problem, not only are humans socially constructed to be self-deceptive, they are, in their primal state, unsurprisingly socio-centric as well. Every culture and society sees itself as special and as justified in all of its basic beliefs and practices -- in all its values and taboos. The arbitrary nature of its folkways is known to its anthropologists (if it has any) but not to its overwhelming majority. Take the notion of 'American Exceptionalism' as one example."
Yes, "American Exceptionalism", the sophists tool.
Taught by professional sophists like Karl Rove, James Carville and his hideous wife or language specialists (the other big name escapes me) and professional corporations, the 'art of the frame' is what the sophist seeks to master.
For the art of the frame is the art of the deal, as Trump can tell you.
And the art of the deal is the art of profit seeking.
And in a hustler society sophistic thinking is rewarded while fair-minded critical thinking is punished.
In fact, you can take out the sub-prime student loans that you will never be able to repay to become a Language Framer for the one tenth of one percent.
You will need that phony college degree to become what they now call "A Framing Consultant", right out of the sophist cookbook.
Trump was a buffoon. The establishment need not fear him, but they should fear a competent populist, a Huey P. Long for example.
Say what you want about his goals, and his methods were, by his own admission often unsavory, but he was A Man Who Got Things Done. In fact, he got so much done, as in concrete material benefits to the citizenry, not "hope'n'change" or "owning the libs" that for generations to come, people named their children after him, and the Long name alone was enough to get a man elected in Louisiana.
And this, in the face of a corrupt political establishment that was not shy about using bribery, blackmail and, when necessary, outright fraud and violence to get what it wanted.
You say, "The Squad and the Progressive Caucus have no more intention of fighting for universal health care, workers’ rights or defying the war machine than the Freedom Caucus fights for freedom." That statement is unexpected and a bit concerning coming from someone as consistent, insightful, and logical as you are. What's your thinking behind it?
Tell the American women in many states that there is no difference between the Dems and the Republicans in power when the truth of the matter is that Republicans have now owned the Supreme Court and much of the judiciary. So what has followed are the reproductive freedoms guaranteed for the last 50 years and for which many of us fought destroyed. This will be life-changing for women, especially poor women. Trump himself guaranteed those last 3 anti-abortion votes sent down by these Uber-Catholic justices--Gorsuch, Kavanagh, Barrett. As much as you might have hated Hillary Clinton, (and I was no fan), this would not have happened during another Clinton's presidency. There are significant reasons now not to give up on the Dems--however they have been reliant upon their ability to raise money to stay in power. That's one of the first things changed by the Supreme Court's right-wing agenda to enable more big money through the Court's Citizens United ruling. If we keep losing sight of the endgame here by being purist about our Left agenda, we will lose it all. And soon.
We cannot say we are a democracy. I came to this realization too late in life. I spent all of my working life with my nose to the grindstone. Now I am retired and can no longer do more than learn what I can and try and speak up. Just take one issue—the issue of mass incarceration—just one problem among many. Not too long ago I wrote a letter addressed together to my U.S. senators, my U.S. representative, my WI state Senator and Assembly-person and the director of Corrections for the State of WI about the fact we have 38 prisons in our state. The people I addressed are on the right and left of issues. I wanted each of them to see their name among the others. Too many people in cages. I am not a researcher but I put together stats to illustrate the absurdity of it and challenged them to end the mass caging. If they think of it at all, if they have any compassion left, they must dismantle this system! It employs so many people now and is a self-generating economy of commerce and profit. It is a machine scooping up humans like a natural resource—any thinking person can see it is an inhumane system. The fact is all of the people I wrote to will most likely go to their graves without having taken one step in the direction of ending it. I knew I was whistling in the wind as they say. It is not an issue I will see on a ballot (although it should be) but I recorded my vote anyway. Issues like this must be addressed for us to call the U.S. a democracy.
The U.S. empire is definitely unravelling which is not unwelcome.
The only question is whether it will die peaceably or take billions of innocent souls, if not the whole planet, down with it.
Although, it's amazing that so many people seem utterly oblivious to it all as they cheerfully talk about the future while making choices that only serve to exacerbate the problems.
You really out did yourself in this article. Please find a couple of friends and go out and "do the town". Get reconnected with those around you. Stop reading and start experience the now. Please stop living the depressed/realist war correspondent of yesterday. You got to lighten up. That said. You be right on. But I'm getting worried about you, my man.
American Exception: Empire and the Deep State by Aaron Good. You need to read it. You will come to understand why we vote and spend a fortune on elections and we are dissatisfied with the way things are going but they never change.
Americans have become so wrapped up in ideology that we have become like the Communist zealots of the last century – forever arguing about ideological purity and never asking if their ideology had a practical solution to problems. Worse becoming so interested in what others are doing that we never examine we are doing.
Great article summarizing the current state of our political system. I lay awake with the same thoughts and angst. I would however take issue with the assertion that that the so-called squad are just a bunch "political hacks" like all the rest. I am not going to defend all their positions or actions and certainly do not see them as saviors or heros.,But for example, AOC has at least opposed the NDAA every year she has been in congress. She has called for a reduction of at least 10% in military spending. No need to write back to me that 10% is a joke. I know that (as I suspect does she) but it's a beginning. She has also called for Medicare for all but this of course has been shut down by Pelosi and Co.
Finally in respect for her support for military aid to Ukraine. My wife has relatives in Germany that have taken in and helped settle dozens of Ukranian refugees. They are all of course traumatized and frightened for family that remained. They all desperately want the war to end. None of them to a person trust Putin to engage in good faith negotiations nor are they interested in simply surrending to an army of rapists and murderers (not of course a uniquely Russian military attribute). So the question remains what should they do. To a person they believe the only course is to resist the invaders. Discussions about the war being a proxy war against Russia are academic to them. Nor are they interested in retrospectivec debates about the wisdom of NATO expansion which I fully agree was stupid and provocative. They are not naive, and even though they know US intentions are far from pure, it is of little concern to them. They just want help to defend themselves and will take it from anyone. That AOC voted to provide that aid does not make her a warmongering hypocrit. I say this as someone who has protested against, been arrested, and spent time in jail because of my opposition to the US war machine.
Anyone who recognizes these condition of the US expects full out civil war to breakout at any moment. For that to NOT happen would be a miracle.. one that has not a single sign of potential to clench onto faith with. Many of my friends (unfortunately) arr either so ignorant to the actual state of western culture that they seem to sleep well at night, happy to have a job that covers they're pointless personal ambitions and habits of wastefulness and where 50% of earnings gets consumed by the most idiotic government policies through a slew of tyrannical taxes that siphon off ultimately into the war machine. The handful who seem to be opening up to the idea that neither side of the political spectrum has any intention to make changes to the system that maintains the status quo. Even less have come around to the idea that a broken monetary system that requires time theft in order to work (fractional reserve banking) is what causes inflation.. the symptom of monetary debasement through endless printing that is stealing our time to the tune of about 2% per month. Without a base layer monetary system founded on an immutable transparent and distributed ledger fornall to see and that forces the government to spend only what comes in, we can never hope to see the slightest changes made in military spending. By continuing to accept fiat currency as a standard, we have no right to demand better policies. We all enable the maniacs to steal from us continuously... and we deserve what we get. Adopt bitcoin... accept the inevitable drastic deflation that is required (like an addict coming off of a 50 year high), and wake up from the dream that you have any hope until the government gravy train is haulted by the mathematical force of natural law. Nothing is free... we have been living with free currency circulating for far too long.
This is a superb rant by Chris Hedges whose politics are left of mine but who often, as in this article, spreads the blame evenly across the liberal-conservative spectrum. Ignoring some semantically slanted adjectives, this piece, as a whole, hits the nail on the head as to the decrepit state of "politics" in this country. Unfortunately, neither Chris nor me nor anyone else seems to know exactly what to do about this mess. In the end, I'd say that each of us individually has to push forward and speak out and act in favor of actions that we know in our hearts to be right, just, and of the most benefit to the most people. I applaud Chris Hedges for doing that.
"Trump may be finished politically, but the political and social decay that created Trump remains."
Trump is the symptom, not the disease.
15 rounds of voting was very productive and an example of democracy at work in our otherwise bipartisan fascist country
Chris Hedges has been repeating these warnings for more than a decade, and the rot in the system has only become more intractable. Most of us know something better is possible, but it's organizing ourselves against corporate, legislative and judicial power that is so difficult. Where to begin?
"For as we have said, the art of the sophist is a money-making art which trades on apparent wisdom, and so sophists aim at apparent proof, for sophistry is an appearance of wisdom without reality."
(Quoted from Aristotle's On Sophistical Refutations, 171b32-7. Tr. E. S. Forster. Loeb Classical Library Vol. 400 (Harvard, 1955. P. 63)
Sophistry fills our radios, TV's, computers, podcasts, newspapers, Courts and almost all daily life.
We have celebrity journalists now who work assiduously as sophists as well.
The modern sophist is the 'paid journalist', the anchor 'man', the talk show host and of course the coin operated politician --- the political Machiavellian.
There are a small group of people who are skilled in the art of manipulation and control and they use this skill to threaten the survival of the planet and its occupants. These are the Machiavellians, their name taken from the philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, who understood what the ruling elite needed to maintain domination over the mind and thus the material control of the world (https://www.marxists.org/archive/mattick-paul/1943/machiavellians.htm)."
These sophists play on our irrationality.
"In fact, perhaps the most accurate and useful definition of humans is that of 'the self-deceiving mammal'. For deception, duplicity, sophistry, delusion and hypocrisy are the foundational products of human nature in its 'natural', primal and untutored state; but it is not instinctive and subjected to fate. But, rather than reducing these negative tendencies, most 'schooling' and socio-cultural influences redirect them, rendering them more sophisticated, more artful, more obscure and more inclined to deception and illusion.
"One of the most pathetic aspects of human history is that every civilization expresses itself most pretentiously, compounds its partial and universal values most convincingly, and claims immortality for its finite existence at the very moment when the decay which leads to death has already begun." ----- Niebuhr Reinhold
To exacerbate this problem, not only are humans socially constructed to be self-deceptive, they are, in their primal state, unsurprisingly socio-centric as well. Every culture and society sees itself as special and as justified in all of its basic beliefs and practices -- in all its values and taboos. The arbitrary nature of its folkways is known to its anthropologists (if it has any) but not to its overwhelming majority. Take the notion of 'American Exceptionalism' as one example."
https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Social-and-Psychologic-by-Danny-Weil-Belief_Beliefs_Deception_Delusion-141231-996.html
Yes, "American Exceptionalism", the sophists tool.
Taught by professional sophists like Karl Rove, James Carville and his hideous wife or language specialists (the other big name escapes me) and professional corporations, the 'art of the frame' is what the sophist seeks to master.
For the art of the frame is the art of the deal, as Trump can tell you.
And the art of the deal is the art of profit seeking.
And in a hustler society sophistic thinking is rewarded while fair-minded critical thinking is punished.
In fact, you can take out the sub-prime student loans that you will never be able to repay to become a Language Framer for the one tenth of one percent.
You will need that phony college degree to become what they now call "A Framing Consultant", right out of the sophist cookbook.
https://www.zippia.com/framing-consultant-jobs/
With the death of the written word in favor of the image, critical thinking is dying along with the Enlightenment.
The sophists are now fully in charge, as they were in Ancient Greece some 2,500 years ago.
We are moving rapidly into a form of de-prehensilization.
We have lost our grip.
Trump was a buffoon. The establishment need not fear him, but they should fear a competent populist, a Huey P. Long for example.
Say what you want about his goals, and his methods were, by his own admission often unsavory, but he was A Man Who Got Things Done. In fact, he got so much done, as in concrete material benefits to the citizenry, not "hope'n'change" or "owning the libs" that for generations to come, people named their children after him, and the Long name alone was enough to get a man elected in Louisiana.
And this, in the face of a corrupt political establishment that was not shy about using bribery, blackmail and, when necessary, outright fraud and violence to get what it wanted.
You say, "The Squad and the Progressive Caucus have no more intention of fighting for universal health care, workers’ rights or defying the war machine than the Freedom Caucus fights for freedom." That statement is unexpected and a bit concerning coming from someone as consistent, insightful, and logical as you are. What's your thinking behind it?
Tell the American women in many states that there is no difference between the Dems and the Republicans in power when the truth of the matter is that Republicans have now owned the Supreme Court and much of the judiciary. So what has followed are the reproductive freedoms guaranteed for the last 50 years and for which many of us fought destroyed. This will be life-changing for women, especially poor women. Trump himself guaranteed those last 3 anti-abortion votes sent down by these Uber-Catholic justices--Gorsuch, Kavanagh, Barrett. As much as you might have hated Hillary Clinton, (and I was no fan), this would not have happened during another Clinton's presidency. There are significant reasons now not to give up on the Dems--however they have been reliant upon their ability to raise money to stay in power. That's one of the first things changed by the Supreme Court's right-wing agenda to enable more big money through the Court's Citizens United ruling. If we keep losing sight of the endgame here by being purist about our Left agenda, we will lose it all. And soon.
We cannot say we are a democracy. I came to this realization too late in life. I spent all of my working life with my nose to the grindstone. Now I am retired and can no longer do more than learn what I can and try and speak up. Just take one issue—the issue of mass incarceration—just one problem among many. Not too long ago I wrote a letter addressed together to my U.S. senators, my U.S. representative, my WI state Senator and Assembly-person and the director of Corrections for the State of WI about the fact we have 38 prisons in our state. The people I addressed are on the right and left of issues. I wanted each of them to see their name among the others. Too many people in cages. I am not a researcher but I put together stats to illustrate the absurdity of it and challenged them to end the mass caging. If they think of it at all, if they have any compassion left, they must dismantle this system! It employs so many people now and is a self-generating economy of commerce and profit. It is a machine scooping up humans like a natural resource—any thinking person can see it is an inhumane system. The fact is all of the people I wrote to will most likely go to their graves without having taken one step in the direction of ending it. I knew I was whistling in the wind as they say. It is not an issue I will see on a ballot (although it should be) but I recorded my vote anyway. Issues like this must be addressed for us to call the U.S. a democracy.
The U.S. empire is definitely unravelling which is not unwelcome.
The only question is whether it will die peaceably or take billions of innocent souls, if not the whole planet, down with it.
Although, it's amazing that so many people seem utterly oblivious to it all as they cheerfully talk about the future while making choices that only serve to exacerbate the problems.
Chris
You really out did yourself in this article. Please find a couple of friends and go out and "do the town". Get reconnected with those around you. Stop reading and start experience the now. Please stop living the depressed/realist war correspondent of yesterday. You got to lighten up. That said. You be right on. But I'm getting worried about you, my man.
America has become a shitty country that is a blight on the world. 
American Exception: Empire and the Deep State by Aaron Good. You need to read it. You will come to understand why we vote and spend a fortune on elections and we are dissatisfied with the way things are going but they never change.
Americans have become so wrapped up in ideology that we have become like the Communist zealots of the last century – forever arguing about ideological purity and never asking if their ideology had a practical solution to problems. Worse becoming so interested in what others are doing that we never examine we are doing.
https://censorednews.substack.com/p/biden-admin-told-facebook-to-censor
BRAVO “Censored News” – for using correct term for a photo of Biden's Digital Director Rob Flaherty:
“ This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a modern fascist looks like: Rob Flaherty. “
Great article summarizing the current state of our political system. I lay awake with the same thoughts and angst. I would however take issue with the assertion that that the so-called squad are just a bunch "political hacks" like all the rest. I am not going to defend all their positions or actions and certainly do not see them as saviors or heros.,But for example, AOC has at least opposed the NDAA every year she has been in congress. She has called for a reduction of at least 10% in military spending. No need to write back to me that 10% is a joke. I know that (as I suspect does she) but it's a beginning. She has also called for Medicare for all but this of course has been shut down by Pelosi and Co.
Finally in respect for her support for military aid to Ukraine. My wife has relatives in Germany that have taken in and helped settle dozens of Ukranian refugees. They are all of course traumatized and frightened for family that remained. They all desperately want the war to end. None of them to a person trust Putin to engage in good faith negotiations nor are they interested in simply surrending to an army of rapists and murderers (not of course a uniquely Russian military attribute). So the question remains what should they do. To a person they believe the only course is to resist the invaders. Discussions about the war being a proxy war against Russia are academic to them. Nor are they interested in retrospectivec debates about the wisdom of NATO expansion which I fully agree was stupid and provocative. They are not naive, and even though they know US intentions are far from pure, it is of little concern to them. They just want help to defend themselves and will take it from anyone. That AOC voted to provide that aid does not make her a warmongering hypocrit. I say this as someone who has protested against, been arrested, and spent time in jail because of my opposition to the US war machine.
Anyone who recognizes these condition of the US expects full out civil war to breakout at any moment. For that to NOT happen would be a miracle.. one that has not a single sign of potential to clench onto faith with. Many of my friends (unfortunately) arr either so ignorant to the actual state of western culture that they seem to sleep well at night, happy to have a job that covers they're pointless personal ambitions and habits of wastefulness and where 50% of earnings gets consumed by the most idiotic government policies through a slew of tyrannical taxes that siphon off ultimately into the war machine. The handful who seem to be opening up to the idea that neither side of the political spectrum has any intention to make changes to the system that maintains the status quo. Even less have come around to the idea that a broken monetary system that requires time theft in order to work (fractional reserve banking) is what causes inflation.. the symptom of monetary debasement through endless printing that is stealing our time to the tune of about 2% per month. Without a base layer monetary system founded on an immutable transparent and distributed ledger fornall to see and that forces the government to spend only what comes in, we can never hope to see the slightest changes made in military spending. By continuing to accept fiat currency as a standard, we have no right to demand better policies. We all enable the maniacs to steal from us continuously... and we deserve what we get. Adopt bitcoin... accept the inevitable drastic deflation that is required (like an addict coming off of a 50 year high), and wake up from the dream that you have any hope until the government gravy train is haulted by the mathematical force of natural law. Nothing is free... we have been living with free currency circulating for far too long.