The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with Dr. Gabor Maté on his new book“The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture."
The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with Dr. Gabor Maté on his new book“The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture."
Trauma shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we interact with others, our perception of ourselves and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds.
Appears in this episode
Dr. Gabor Maté in his new book “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture,” which he wrote with his son Daniel, argues that what is defined as normal in a consumer society is at war with basic human needs. The engine of capitalism, defined by the cult of the self, thrives on the fostering of psychological and physical chronic disorders, including high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, depression, addictions and suicide. It rewards the core traits of psychopaths: superficial charm, grandiosity, and self-importance; a need for constant stimulation, a penchant for lying, deception, and manipulation, and the inability to feel remorse or guilt. Personal style and personal advancement are mistaken for individualism, equated falsely with democratic equality. We have a right, in the cult of the self, to get whatever we desire. We can do anything, even belittle and destroy those around us, including our friends, to make money, to be happy, and to become famous. Once fame and wealth are achieved, they become their own justification, their own morality. How one gets there is irrelevant. The consequence of this dark ethic, Dr. Maté illustrates, plays out on our bodies, severely damaging our psyches, and pushing us towards individual and social self-annihilation. Joining me to discuss his new book is Dr. Gabor Maté who has written several best-selling books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection and Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder.
The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with Dr. Gabor Maté on his new book“The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture."
Is it not written that "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."?
What a family! What a Dad. Tangentially, after being 100% social media free, I opened an ‘anonymous’ Instagram account two months ago. What I found crystallized everything wrong with our society. It’s a bottomless cesspool of manipulation, greed, and control. Subtle things: constant badgering to‘access my photos and contacts’ (to enhance my user experience); endless worship of shiny baubles few can afford.
Everyone should try it. It’s not enough to know how bad “social media’ is. It must be experienced. And it’s all cushioned in cute animal videos to make us forget how vile are the thinking and tactics of ruling class.