Death of the Liberal Class

By: Chris Hedges

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Chris Hedges examines the failure of the liberal class to confront the rise of the corporate state and the consequences of a liberalism that has become profoundly bankrupted. Hedges argues that there are five pillars of the liberal establishment and that each of these institutions has sold out the constituents it represented. In doing so, the liberal class has become irrelevant to society at large and ultimately the corporate power elite they once served.

"Insightful.... [Hedges] is an engaging writer, and his passion alone makes for a compelling read.... Offers those of us who dare to refer to ourselves as liberal a lot to think about.” ( Harvard Political Review)©2010 Chris Hedges (P)2010 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Tough but good read

Good book. Little slow at parts and hard to understand. The man has a great mind and even though I didn't agree with everything he said, I walked away challenged and provoked.

painful truths, needed perspective

waking up to painful, articulate truth, a must read for all rebels.
Hedges gives us the clarity of our current problems and it's not Red vs Blue, it's power, greed, souless corporations and institutions vs human beings. Hedges gives us the vision of why this happened and what we must start to realize, a must read.

Intense & sobering, I couldn't stop.

Excellent historical references and perspective. Puts so many things of I was aware into a deeper, more complete context. Well researched and devastating work.

This is the kind of writing from which philosophies are born.

another must read by hedges

hedges is an asset for americans. his experience as a war correspondent, meticulous research and thoughtful insights, really helps makes sense of the disfigured american political landscape.

Clearly prescient when it was written - essential insight now.

This remarkable exploration and analysis of the politics, ideology and culture of the liberal class (which speaks of democracy, egalitarianism, individualism and miliorism, but, Hedges asserts, have morphed into touting the myth of classical liberalism while embracing anti-communism, the primary importance of the national security state and predatory capitalism) provides those interested in understanding the history, dynamics and possibilities for true democracy a deeply-rooted, precise and powerful framework for understanding the allure and pitfalls of cooptation, & the importance of sustained, meaningful engagement in the essentially spiritual and loving vocation of critical and constructive social change work. Truly essential reading.

An excellent, though unsettling political work

Chris Hedges makes a remarkable case for the pessimistic side of liberal thought: the establishment has won, and the corporate state has co-opted the institutions which once would have defended the public from its abuses. Education, Art, and the media have all sold out for the privilege of inclusion into the emerging corporate oligarchy. This is a book that all liberals, or anyone who believes in freedom and justice should experience. Even if Hedges' larger point is wrong, the picture he paints of contemporary liberalism is one that needs to be evaluated. 10/10

Necessary reading for progressives

This book was engaging and at times, enraging. It both complimented other books and arguments with which I'm familiar and broadened my understanding of the diminution of liberal institutions in the United States.

Important for Today’s World

Mr. Hedges articulately describes the state of current politics. How the working class (both left and right) have been duped by the wealthy elite. How money, power and corruption have come to control Liberal Democracy

It’s important to understand what the term Liberal is in reference to. Not small L liberal (Democrats in America/ progressives) but Liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment.

Important book for our time

This book is the first in a long time to capture and support my sense of what is unfolding in our world. I feel mobilized and motivated by its message. It has been and the important read for me; a turning point.

Integrity-Can You Tell Me Where It's Gone?

Plato said that opinion is just the medium between ignorance and knowledge. For a while, I was almost singularly passionate about educating myself regarding politics - gaining knowledge - then I plum ran out of mental energy, and returned to the easy comfort of just having an opinion. Familiar with Truthdig, and having read War Is A Force...so many yrs. ago I've forgotten most of the content, I thought maybe Death of the Liberal Class might get me back into the quest. While I'll never be truly politically savvy, reading Death of the Liberal Class was my own little "intellectual effort" to move my opinion towards knowledge.

Call Hedges cynical, pessimistic, a bleak alarmist, whatever...but reasonably, you'd better add honest, passionate, globally intelligent, and a patriot. Yes, you can be "disobedient" and be a patriot. Howard Zinn wrote, "Historically, the most terrible things - war, genocide, and slavery- have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience."

Admittedly, this is a blood-boiling and sobering book, not fun to hear (quoting Hamilton's too-little-too-late Requiem for a Species...that's depressing stuff. At one point in "Camelot," Merlin says to King Arthur, "The uglier the truth, the truer the friend that tells it." a good reference point.) I don't agree with all of Hedges statements (perhaps I should, he is much more knowledgeable than I'll ever be), some of the long pieces of history are already well known therefore not as interesting as the rest of the book, and the structure was sometimes tangled, (and I wish I would have known enough to have read Empire of Illusion first) but Hedges tells it like it is and backs up his words with the facts in a way that any level of pilgrim can understand. Far far and beyond any person's criticisms and political alignments, this is important information that is crucial for our future; fantastic research, brave thesis, and impossible to ignore.