by Chris Hedges
First published 2009
Chris Hedges argues that America has split into two distinct populations. The smaller group maintains literacy and analytical thinking. They can distinguish reality from fantasy and handle complex ideas. The larger group abandons factual understanding for comforting illusions and magical thinking. This majority spans economic classes but hits the poor hardest. Politicians now speak to them at elementary school levels. Serious culture gets pushed aside as entertainment takes over. Hedges investigates this shift firsthand. He attends professional wrestling events in packed arenas. He visits the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas casinos. He sits through Ivy League graduation ceremonies at prestigious universities. Each location reveals how Americans choose fantasy over truth. Hedges shows readers a society in dangerous decline, where self-deception replaces honest reflection.
Genres: american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
Setting: America, Las Vegas, Ivy League
Period: 21st-century
232 pages · Hardcover · Nation Books