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[+]novictim0 points0 points0 points
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[–]novictim0 points
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(edited ago)
How disappointing. Chris Hedges correctly points a wagging finger at our collective "hope" and expectation in progress and delusional sense of the inevitability of progress. He should be praised for doing that. But then he obliterates this insight into our psychopathology with the inane call to "wisdom". Ugh!
Hedges chess move seems to be the substitution of the rational for the drumming circle. Which may work for him and his echo-chamber brigade but it fails everyone else. Drumming circles, in the form of disorganized and catch-all OWS, don't work. Please have the wisdom to recognize that, Hedges!
"Wisdom connects us with forces that cannot be measured empirically and that are outside the confines of the rational world....Resistance will take place outside the boundaries of popular culture and
academia, where the deadening weight of the dominant ideology curtails
creativity and independent thought."
Is any of that remotely the case?
I think that Hedges was highly indulgent here and it is totally unhelpful for real problem solving. Hedges blames the "technocrats" and the linqua franca of capitalism but this misses the mark by a mile. We are on a myopic ride into oblivion, yes, but that falls squarely on the structure of how corporations make decisions and on their purchase of Government as a tool of business. These truths are not mysterious.
These targets that I point to are highly rational and the solutions are rational and easily understood. Solutions don't exist in some vague call to some supposed revival of "wisdom". What is needed is political will, pure and simple, and yes, the end of magical thinking that Hedges is trying to peddle.
Rational choices are stalled by systems of corporate power that operate on autopilot. It is that simple.
(BTW: Islam created nothing. Christianity created nothing. Rational thought made your cell phone, vaccinations, etc possible, Hedges. Islam played a large role in creating the dark ages and in overwhelming any attempt to reconstitute the Roman/Byzanting empire starting in 700CE. See Jihad battle map, 548 Muslim conquests, in timelapse map below:)
[–]bill.lee[S]0 points
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Hey /u/novictim...very thorough analysis :) Overall, I enjoy Hedges writing even though I'm not always agree with his ultimate conclusions. Although, I did like he worked in his viewpoints on knowledge v. wisdom. But I may have less of a materialist outlook. The portion of his historical interpretation that lost me was the distinction between the Renaissance and the Dark Ages. It's more a pet peeve but when these periods are brought up, I mean, no one in 1402 thought: "Hm, I really feel like I'm in the Renaissance now...doesn't feel anything like the Dark Ages".
I may not be enunciating that quite clearly--but I find it absurd. This goes toward one of my biases: after hunter-gatherers, history is dominated by people seeking wealth and then killing a bunch of other people. Certainly, that's a generalization but it's part of the reason I'm woe to romanticize periods or individuals. Do I need to have some declarative set of facts on Suleiman and Richard the Lionheart to reach a conclusion that vilifies one and celebrates the other...or perhaps some variation? In either case, I'd argue, having any kind of opinion on these long-dead people doesn't advance me at all.
I did like his point toward the end on the only certainties being birth and death. It reminds me of the line from Dylan "All the money you've made will never buy back your soul". A personal favorite.
Oh, I agree with you and so do most historians today: The middle ages are a period of growth and reason, and all but a very short period following the collapse of the Roman empire in the West are worthy of the title "dark ages". Myths and misconceptions from the past sure do hang on when people don't bother to update the assumptions and knowledge. (Hedges needs this)
"doesn't advance me at all." I'm with that side of the historic view. I don't find the great man view of history very compelling or useful except when truly unique characters are identified (eg Martin Luther). A systems/underlying-trends/forces approach usually gives up the take home message and the deeper understanding.
"When your soul wears out, buy new shoes" - Unidentified Stride Rite Shoes executive
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[–] novictim ago (edited ago)
How disappointing. Chris Hedges correctly points a wagging finger at our collective "hope" and expectation in progress and delusional sense of the inevitability of progress. He should be praised for doing that. But then he obliterates this insight into our psychopathology with the inane call to "wisdom". Ugh!
Hedges chess move seems to be the substitution of the rational for the drumming circle. Which may work for him and his echo-chamber brigade but it fails everyone else. Drumming circles, in the form of disorganized and catch-all OWS, don't work. Please have the wisdom to recognize that, Hedges!
"Wisdom connects us with forces that cannot be measured empirically and that are outside the confines of the rational world....Resistance will take place outside the boundaries of popular culture and
academia, where the deadening weight of the dominant ideology curtails
creativity and independent thought."
Is any of that remotely the case?
I think that Hedges was highly indulgent here and it is totally unhelpful for real problem solving. Hedges blames the "technocrats" and the linqua franca of capitalism but this misses the mark by a mile. We are on a myopic ride into oblivion, yes, but that falls squarely on the structure of how corporations make decisions and on their purchase of Government as a tool of business. These truths are not mysterious.
These targets that I point to are highly rational and the solutions are rational and easily understood. Solutions don't exist in some vague call to some supposed revival of "wisdom". What is needed is political will, pure and simple, and yes, the end of magical thinking that Hedges is trying to peddle.
Rational choices are stalled by systems of corporate power that operate on autopilot. It is that simple.
(BTW: Islam created nothing. Christianity created nothing. Rational thought made your cell phone, vaccinations, etc possible, Hedges. Islam played a large role in creating the dark ages and in overwhelming any attempt to reconstitute the Roman/Byzanting empire starting in 700CE. See Jihad battle map, 548 Muslim conquests, in timelapse map below:)
(Muslim battle map: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_To-cV94Bo )
Edit: I posted this on http://www.nationofchange.org/2015/05/26/our-mania-for-hope-is-a-curse/. And it was censored
[–] bill.lee [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Hey /u/novictim...very thorough analysis :) Overall, I enjoy Hedges writing even though I'm not always agree with his ultimate conclusions. Although, I did like he worked in his viewpoints on knowledge v. wisdom. But I may have less of a materialist outlook. The portion of his historical interpretation that lost me was the distinction between the Renaissance and the Dark Ages. It's more a pet peeve but when these periods are brought up, I mean, no one in 1402 thought: "Hm, I really feel like I'm in the Renaissance now...doesn't feel anything like the Dark Ages".
I may not be enunciating that quite clearly--but I find it absurd. This goes toward one of my biases: after hunter-gatherers, history is dominated by people seeking wealth and then killing a bunch of other people. Certainly, that's a generalization but it's part of the reason I'm woe to romanticize periods or individuals. Do I need to have some declarative set of facts on Suleiman and Richard the Lionheart to reach a conclusion that vilifies one and celebrates the other...or perhaps some variation? In either case, I'd argue, having any kind of opinion on these long-dead people doesn't advance me at all.
I did like his point toward the end on the only certainties being birth and death. It reminds me of the line from Dylan "All the money you've made will never buy back your soul". A personal favorite.
[–] novictim 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Oh, I agree with you and so do most historians today: The middle ages are a period of growth and reason, and all but a very short period following the collapse of the Roman empire in the West are worthy of the title "dark ages". Myths and misconceptions from the past sure do hang on when people don't bother to update the assumptions and knowledge. (Hedges needs this)
"doesn't advance me at all." I'm with that side of the historic view. I don't find the great man view of history very compelling or useful except when truly unique characters are identified (eg Martin Luther). A systems/underlying-trends/forces approach usually gives up the take home message and the deeper understanding.
"When your soul wears out, buy new shoes" - Unidentified Stride Rite Shoes executive