I finally woke up when Obama took office and it was obvious from the beginning that everything he had promised was a lie. As a lifelong Democrat, it was a hard realization. There was a glimmer of hope with Bernie Sanders but the powers that be would never let him be president. It saddens me that the American people aren't descending on Washington in the millions to demand change. Everything is broken.
This is yet another frustrating piece that is breathtakingly void of critical thinking and self-awareness.
Trump was elected in 2016 and will likely be elected again because of this list of unsolved problems and yet he is listed as the main problem.
So, we are supposed to support the ongoing political establishment and reject outsiders like Trump and then this is going to miraculously fix all the problems that the political establishment caused?
This reminds me of the woman stuck in an abusive marriage with bruises on her face telling the social worker that her husband is better now and she needs to stay with him because otherwise her life would be hell.
Indeed. And the picture this morning of of thousands in the streets in Prague demanding the current government step down lent me hope to the dream of Americans in the streets insisting on the birth of a true democracy here.
I always seem to find myself agreeing with Hedges, and then, soon after reading his opinion pieces or hearing him, plunging into despair. How do we dig ourselves out of this, Chris? If there is no solution within the current system do we opt for the kind of revolution that will be quickly put down, with more repression to follow? Are there any small but persistent steps to be taken?
Chris Hedges your eloquent blade is so sharp it plunges straight to my heart creating hope along with pain…….thank you always for what seems like the only honesty out there
I have voted only once for an established political party candidate, Obama in 2008. It took less than a year to realise that hope is only a wishful thinking in America.😿
Tony Benn has five questions to suss out power in democracy:
1. What power have you got?
2. Where did you get it from?
3. In whose interests do your exercise it?
4. To whom are you accountable?
5. How do we get rid of you?
"Only democracy gives us that right. That is why no one with power likes democracy, and that is why every generations must struggle to win it and keep it." - 2005
Unfortunately, as Chris points out, our country has vomited up some of the worst leaders of democracy in the last 40 years. Instead they were leaders for empire, wealth accumulation, and the worst parts of the unipolar globalism. I support Chris Hedges' thesis, we lost our democracy a long time ago - and so many Americans have just accepted the move to a totalitarian state - because they are struggling with their own issues as if they are somehow disconnected to empire.
I'll leave this quote from Tony Benn because it is a reminder for the reader. Something we should not forget in our darkest moments, even though it is easy to displace blame in all directions.
"If we can find money to kill people, we can find money to help people" - Tony Benn (1925 - 2014)
Mr Hedges refers to Biden's speech and the sentiments Biden expressed as mere political theater. While I applauded some of the points Biden made about the fascists who've gained so much power here, Biden's claim that there is no place for "political violence" made me choke a bit. Political violence, from genocide and slavery right through Vietnam, Afghanistan, Selma and Ferguson... Isn't that pretty much who we are and what we do?
I find Biden's blindness to this as so American... Dan Ellsberg pointed out that we cannot be a democracy at home while being an empire abroad.
"hyperventilating press that thundered against the barbarians at the gate — Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, ISIS, Vladimir Putin — while ignoring the barbarians in our midst."
It's tragic that the truth Hedges conveys here is feeding the rising fascist tide. Hedges has long written in detailed about this, and, thankfully - and unlike many other left critics of Biden's speech - he weaves the underlying fascistic cultural and political dynamics into this critique.
Yes, Biden is demented and hypocritical and has a horrible pro-corporate pro-war Neoliberal record. Yes, his speech was cynical and timed almost exclusively for partisan electoral purposes.
But none of those truths diminish the fact that Biden is correct about the MAGA fascist threats to democracy. That truth is divisive and polarizing, but it must be spoken.
William Robinson’s fabulously insightful 2014 “Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity”, is IMHO, second only to his newest, “Can Global Capitalism Endure” [Released in Kindle form just now on, August 7th, 2022].
Expose and Expunge the cancer of this Global Capitalist “Quiet American” EMPIRE
The writings of Mr. Hedges are truthful, honest and extremely painful because he always puts a mirror in front of us and bad news is never well received. I believe that the only people that are pretending that we have a functional democracy are the politicians. But there is a big portion of Americans that do believe in our democracy. Some because they are "blind" and others because they are too young and their teachers forgot to tell them that our democracy is just an aspiration that even our founding fathers, despite all their cries of enlightenment and freedom, avoided it for fear or losing their right to steal the land of native Americans and enslave black people. Fortunately, by now, most well educated adults have realized that our democracy is just a delusion and so we have to act to make it reality. It is up to us.
I think the key to why Bernie gets away with his ongoing criticism of totalitarian corporatism is because he has been saying the same things for so many decades that people can't hear him any longer.
I finally woke up when Obama took office and it was obvious from the beginning that everything he had promised was a lie. As a lifelong Democrat, it was a hard realization. There was a glimmer of hope with Bernie Sanders but the powers that be would never let him be president. It saddens me that the American people aren't descending on Washington in the millions to demand change. Everything is broken.
This is yet another frustrating piece that is breathtakingly void of critical thinking and self-awareness.
Trump was elected in 2016 and will likely be elected again because of this list of unsolved problems and yet he is listed as the main problem.
So, we are supposed to support the ongoing political establishment and reject outsiders like Trump and then this is going to miraculously fix all the problems that the political establishment caused?
This reminds me of the woman stuck in an abusive marriage with bruises on her face telling the social worker that her husband is better now and she needs to stay with him because otherwise her life would be hell.
Indeed. And the picture this morning of of thousands in the streets in Prague demanding the current government step down lent me hope to the dream of Americans in the streets insisting on the birth of a true democracy here.
I always seem to find myself agreeing with Hedges, and then, soon after reading his opinion pieces or hearing him, plunging into despair. How do we dig ourselves out of this, Chris? If there is no solution within the current system do we opt for the kind of revolution that will be quickly put down, with more repression to follow? Are there any small but persistent steps to be taken?
Chris Hedges your eloquent blade is so sharp it plunges straight to my heart creating hope along with pain…….thank you always for what seems like the only honesty out there
Please excuse me while I go commit suicide.
I have voted only once for an established political party candidate, Obama in 2008. It took less than a year to realise that hope is only a wishful thinking in America.😿
I voted once with enthusiasm, it took only one year to realise that hope is wishful thinking.
Thanks Chris, at least we can get the truth from you and keep our sanity.👍
Tony Benn has five questions to suss out power in democracy:
1. What power have you got?
2. Where did you get it from?
3. In whose interests do your exercise it?
4. To whom are you accountable?
5. How do we get rid of you?
"Only democracy gives us that right. That is why no one with power likes democracy, and that is why every generations must struggle to win it and keep it." - 2005
Unfortunately, as Chris points out, our country has vomited up some of the worst leaders of democracy in the last 40 years. Instead they were leaders for empire, wealth accumulation, and the worst parts of the unipolar globalism. I support Chris Hedges' thesis, we lost our democracy a long time ago - and so many Americans have just accepted the move to a totalitarian state - because they are struggling with their own issues as if they are somehow disconnected to empire.
I'll leave this quote from Tony Benn because it is a reminder for the reader. Something we should not forget in our darkest moments, even though it is easy to displace blame in all directions.
"If we can find money to kill people, we can find money to help people" - Tony Benn (1925 - 2014)
Mr Hedges refers to Biden's speech and the sentiments Biden expressed as mere political theater. While I applauded some of the points Biden made about the fascists who've gained so much power here, Biden's claim that there is no place for "political violence" made me choke a bit. Political violence, from genocide and slavery right through Vietnam, Afghanistan, Selma and Ferguson... Isn't that pretty much who we are and what we do?
I find Biden's blindness to this as so American... Dan Ellsberg pointed out that we cannot be a democracy at home while being an empire abroad.
"hyperventilating press that thundered against the barbarians at the gate — Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, ISIS, Vladimir Putin — while ignoring the barbarians in our midst."
Chris Hedges
It's tragic that the truth Hedges conveys here is feeding the rising fascist tide. Hedges has long written in detailed about this, and, thankfully - and unlike many other left critics of Biden's speech - he weaves the underlying fascistic cultural and political dynamics into this critique.
Yes, Biden is demented and hypocritical and has a horrible pro-corporate pro-war Neoliberal record. Yes, his speech was cynical and timed almost exclusively for partisan electoral purposes.
But none of those truths diminish the fact that Biden is correct about the MAGA fascist threats to democracy. That truth is divisive and polarizing, but it must be spoken.
Contemplate well The Iron Law Of Oligarchy and its corollary, The Iron Law Of Institutions.
America has been neither a democracy, nor a democratic republic, for a long time now. What we are seeing is but a reversion to the mean.
William Robinson’s fabulously insightful 2014 “Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity”, is IMHO, second only to his newest, “Can Global Capitalism Endure” [Released in Kindle form just now on, August 7th, 2022].
Expose and Expunge the cancer of this Global Capitalist “Quiet American” EMPIRE
The writings of Mr. Hedges are truthful, honest and extremely painful because he always puts a mirror in front of us and bad news is never well received. I believe that the only people that are pretending that we have a functional democracy are the politicians. But there is a big portion of Americans that do believe in our democracy. Some because they are "blind" and others because they are too young and their teachers forgot to tell them that our democracy is just an aspiration that even our founding fathers, despite all their cries of enlightenment and freedom, avoided it for fear or losing their right to steal the land of native Americans and enslave black people. Fortunately, by now, most well educated adults have realized that our democracy is just a delusion and so we have to act to make it reality. It is up to us.
I think the key to why Bernie gets away with his ongoing criticism of totalitarian corporatism is because he has been saying the same things for so many decades that people can't hear him any longer.