The Pathology of the Rich - Chris Hedges on Reality Asserts Itself (1/2)
2013 ж. 4 Жел.
715 396 Рет қаралды
On RAI with Paul Jay, Chris Hedges discusses the psychology of the super rich; their sense of entitlement, the dehumanization of workers, and mistaken belief that their wealth will insulate them from the coming storms
therealnews.com/t2/index.php?o...
"If you're poor you only get one change, but if you're rich, you get chance after chance after chance, and you don't even have a real job until you're 40" This is only a MILLION percent correct. I couldn't have put it better myself.
Actually, Dubya showed us just how he would run the country when he previously ran the Texas Rangers ballclub and made a profit while promoting a losing product. That success-failure should have been a _huge_ warning sign. 😝
This man is a good guy. Very few of them.
"We've been robbed of the language to even discuss what is happening ". What a horrible state we are in.
The time has come to act. Organise with your fellow workers and fight back any way you can
Then Batgirl baby, what would Batgirl DO about the injustice of it all?
@@Mrjmaxted0291 Darn right daddio!! FIGHT-FIGHT-FIGHT!!
@@Mrjmaxted0291 been trying to get these kids to move but it ain't happening. My generation moved mount as isn and the kids we raised are too tired or to busy or whatever the reason. And we had normal politicsns then. This is bezel. What to do?
This is literal newspeak.
Listening to this in 2022. Hedges nailed this at every level.
I'll take who is Victor Lustig for $800 Alex ...
The poor and what is left of the middle class fail to realize the rush of Big Money far exceeds their values of pride, integrity, dignity, and love. They are not like us!
"Socialism" is not the best intellectual approach. Pro-eco-social economic democracy is the functional model of business, started by UK workingpeople in Rochdale near Manchester, UK. The US NCBA for co-ops was started in 1920, with J Warbasse becoming a spokesperson. Walter Reuther was doing some good labor organizing work as Rev MLK was in action, while Fannie Lou Hamer emerged from difficulties, then went to economic activism with a Farm Co-op. Rev MLK had done some at the beginning with the Montgomery boycott. Social Europe came up after WWII, as FDR´s New Deal pro-social became a long-term target for profiteering businesspeople. Fair Trade certification, UN sustainability conferences and Global People´s conferences, World Social Forum, Solidarity Economics, and the US Federation of Worker Co-ops.
Once I met a 20 year old girl from a rich elite family. When I asked her if she worked, she said, “no, I tried it and I don’t like work so I won’t be working”. I was shocked that some people are so rich they don’t have to work ever in their life. Entitlement is what you get when u are born wealthy. The rest of us do the work for the elite ones who think they are entitled to enjoy the fruits of our labor....
moon lee I hope she works one whole day in warehouse on a "very productive" day there as a field hand for a wake up cal on shit work
Why do you think inter generational wealth is lost? For her own wellbeing she is better do do something, even if it is time given to charity. Breeding is more. A lot of shrewd people, as I have discovered, be it no class or not.
Consider her male counterpart who will not be happy to simply enjoy not working , but more likely take his money to manipulate and control people, pretending through it all that he made all his inherited money because he's so smart. Elon Musk, for example
Rvn moon where is it written that even though you are not super wealthy elite or have gobs of $ that you can't SELF ENTITLE YOURSELF?
"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."
noobenstein MRAs
(Zionist) Jews
The ordinary Jew is apparently unaware of who is dominating and manipulating them - but there are some who do understand and they escape the insanity.
NOR......'hang with'........
Absolutely brilliant.
i also went to school with the ultra rich on a scholarship and he is spot on, they are taught to be detached and pathological
Ironically they have an abusive twisted childhood full of bad lessons, but they probably don't realize it.
Pathological?
@@melelconquistador Sociopathy is a pathology of the psyche. Read up on it a bit.
Trying to press the like button 1000x on this. 9 years ago and it's more relevant than ever. Everyone in America needs to hear this today in 2023. And wake up.
Chris Hedges, along with his mentor Chomsky, are a living treasures.
If only Noam Chomsky were younger, we NEED minds like that more than every now!
Newell Harry Amen to that!
I have never felt that I can trust them. They both discredit 9/11 truthers. Why? Hell my blind deaf neighbor's dog doesn't believe the 9/11 official report. But these two famous dissidents do?
@@winger468 Hmm sounds like you should reconsider your position and look at the counter evidence honestly.
@@FreshHeat humm No they need to be honest. As Jimmy Dore their buddy once told me "There are just some things you don't talk about".
He's one of the very few intellectuals who happen to be a journalist. Whether he speaks on the pathology of the rich and class warfare, or the massacre of Palestinians, among many tragic subjects in our twisted world, he never cease to inform and educate his audience.
douglas carpenter Show some respects , the guy offer wisdom & knowledge you probably never knew or heard before .
@douglas carpenter the only person spreading b.s. Is you. You can't stand the thought of regular folks having a shot at the American dream. Your greed and ignorance defines who you are.
@douglas carpenter what a delusional twat. Lay off Faux News, it's rotting your brain.
@@rahimel-mulla2894 He's a Fox hound on the loose.
@douglas carpenter When the Kool aid is tainted 😂
Chris Hedges is one of the very few public figures who is both articulate and truthful.
Yes, your right. The only trouble with Chris Hedges is he does not believe/fear Gd. He thinks his own righteousness (which he has plenty, he's a good man) is the answer. He thinks he can justify being Anti-semetic through his own righteousness. This is a big mistake. If he believed/feared the Lord, he would understand that its not in his hands, it's in control by the Man Upstairs. Israel is living proof that the Lord exits. Of course I know few understand what I'm saying, also believing their own righteousness is superior to Gd as does Chris Hedges and ie do not really study that perspective. Watch all the commentators cuss me out and tell me how absurd my post is. Real News is also blind.
david rojas that's not true his dad was a pasture and he went through seminary and studied theology at Harvard. He just doesn't believe it's God's responsibility to create a better society.
Oh. He just does not believe in the Bible, Gd has no responsibility to create a better society but the Bible says differently, so which is it? He believes but he don't believe, um technically? It is Mans responsibility to create a better society but he throws Israel under the bus, the living proof of a world to come. You and Chris Hedges want it both ways or just you want it both ways. He's (C H) is not commenting.
Your intellectual level is about the 3rd grade. I feel sorry for you and others like you. Poor idiot!
Bealtaine Cottage -What about Trump?!
Hi I am from Thailand, Everything he said is exactly fit to my country. The knowledge applys everywhere.
Same in France. These sociopathic narcissists are running the world.
Im from croatia... We have psychos rulling the country
Capitalism
I worked at a country club for five years. The absolute worst part of my job was the monthly children events, the parents would go get drunk at the bar and leave the kids with the nanny or us the "staff", it was painful to watch, these kids frustration, and lack of respect for anyone. More then once I had a young teen tell some of our staff that they would be making more then me straight out of college, and while they were right, the amount of disrespect and arrogance was astounding.
I was from a local school and did well on some national IQ competition and was transferred a elite school. You how when kids fight and they will be like "I don't want to be your friend". Well, in this school third graders were saying "I'll see you in court" instead of that. Had a kid who lived literally behind the school. His maid used to throw his homework over the fence from their backyard. But when after school, he made sure the family chauffeur came over to pick to him up. They are born and bred to be pathological. His dad used to brag on national TV about being some success, etc. Even ran for office. The family was rich and yet his grandpa was in his late 60s and still had to work as a janitor at my aunt's office to make end's meet. Apparently, this kid's Dad made the grandpa sell off his business, took all the inheritance, etc so he could go to the US for school while leaving his parents and siblings poor. Even in office, the Dad couldn't help himself but to misappropriate funds to do his Master's overseas. Turned out that was really because he didn't want his son to be born in the very country he was serving. That way, this kid did not have do mandatory conscription everyone else had to.
He is a #Legend. This is almost a decade old and resonates in the presence. Namaste ❤ #ChrisHedges
I am (true) working class and as a working student went to university. Due to my jobs as translator, ministerial aide and teacher I came into contact with all levels of society. There are sometimes decent rich people that realize that they have been lucky in business or being born into wealth. But there are many callous entitled rich idiots who will 'tolerate' you in their midst provided you know your place. I often found this amusing. The best way to deal with these people, is to show indifference to their airs and emptiness. These folk also try to compliment you, ignore it. Sometimes they are outright ignorant and plain stupid. I once was practicing (flute) a Bach piece. One of these entitled idiots came up and tried to compliment me saying is this Beethoven? I politely remarked that the difference between Beethoven and Bach is bigger than ABBA and Jimi Hendrix, broadly smiling. The only thing I NEVER kept quiet about (again politely) was my leftist orientation. Once one of these asked me that directly, and I answered, "I am human and humane. So I am social democrat, what else?".
That may have been in the older times but no way now.
When he said that story about Bush being a coke head, C student, and becomes president, had me laughing at first and then I was so depressed, cause its so absolutely insane.
Like Chris Hedges, I came from a very modest background. I, too, was sent to a private school. Some of my classmates carried names like Peabody (Peabody Energy), Sears (Sears & Roebuck), and Danforth (pewter; direct descendants). At different points, they expressed their total contempt for those such as I, and I learned at a very early age, that I was not a part of their exclusive club in which they only admired themselves. A very sad feature of all of this is that the post WWII GI Bill and other features provided a stairway out of poverty and into the middle classes which then dared to think that they were approaching acceptance by the inner sanctum. This is absolute delusional thinking. The private club at the top only inter-marry among themselves, and guard their bloodlines just like any racehorse breeder. Mr. Hedges is spot-on when he says that this set of people may smile and be gracious as a public face to the middle classes, but in private among themselves, in no way do they EVER consider the subordinate classes a part of, or equal to, or acceptable into their midst. (Just have a look at what happened to Joan Rivers daughter, Melissa, when she became pregnant with the child of an Endicott. A marriage was allowed to give the child a name and avoid scandal, but given a respectable amount of time, a discrete divorce and settlement was accomplished (their regular modus operandi in such cases,) and then the whole incident was quietly swept under the carpet and forgotten as an unfortunate temporary inconvenience.) The Ruling Rich are callous, cold, and self-serving. However, they have masterfully sold themselves to the lesser classes as something exceptional, like Olympian gods, that are to be revered, respected, and unquestioningly obeyed. I must confess, I was shocked several years ago when their community started selling us the propaganda about their having "a right to do business; a right to make money" followed by the lesser classes taking up this mantra as if it were in their best interests. I blame the schools and the churches for this failure to properly cognitize the seeds of our own demise. There was no way this was going to end well. The best way to overcome this is with "Trust Co-operatives" which will provide the country with a steady stream of stable businesses that are insulated from the hubris of oligarchy.
....so what is your prescribed solution....?
Destroy
You nailed it.
Very succinctly put ! 👍
Love Hedge's absolute disdain for the rich.
Me too
They earned it.
I join him, most of the rich are despicable.
I think there is a bad kind of disdain, which is pure envy, and a justified kind, which is the disdain for not wanting to be deceived by myths. I don't need to be rich, I just don't like dishonesty, and I don't like my society being structured on lies.
@@mE-zx7pt About the only thing they earned rightfully.
Chris Hedges is a master of the written and spoken word.
Start calling corporations for what they are: oligarchies, groups of rich oligarchs hiding behind an euphemism called corporation
Scott, have you ever said this about a woman?
@@legalfictionnaturalfact3969 - There are many women who have mastered the written and spoken word.
Scott Allen He says “uh” too much. I cannot tolerate it.
@@whit2642 bye, snowflake!
Chris brings something strange and unique to the conversation: morality.
☺️👍🌹
Yes there is a definite lack of morals today no one has seems to give a dam
Christian values- the real ones based on the gospels - that neoliberalism have displaced. I’m not religious, but those are the values I tried to raise my daughter with because regardless of belief, they are prosocial and reflect our interdependence /how we evolved to survive in groups. Scares me to think of how many kids are being raised with the values of neoliberal market ideology which is essentially Sociopathic - every man for himself and material wealth means you are good and deserved it and if you are poor you are bad. Or worse some perverted Prosperity doctrine that has branded itself as Christian (wealth means you are good and god favours you)
@@lorettagreen6794 Loretta Green , I agree with you . Very scary the way people have become nowadays especially so many of them are real narcissists .
Yes, morality and Truth!
When I was in high school (from a lower middle class family) my friend and I went over this kids house because his father was going to sponsor our basketball team. We go over there -there's a Rolls Royce along with a customized commercial bus camper in the driveway. I could.nt get over it. We went in the house and I commented on the luxuriousness of the house and this kid says "Who do you think I am -some poor middle class bastard"? What a slap in the face.
Just the latest example of why Chris Hedges is one of my all-time heroes, The man can say in 23 minutes what I've been trying to articulate on my own KZhead site for three years. Three cheers for Chris Hedges!
Yes! I feel the same!
⚠️‼️💯
I lived with a private school counselor who worked in a private school who served a rich elite , and I learned from that how the elite live and very different from average people... It was very enlightening. This supports Chris Hedges words very well for me.
m L Care to share what you learnt??
@@SunOnMyStubble there is plenty written on the subject. They are vacuous people. Read about Donald Trump.
"They know it's going to collapse, what they are doing is stealing as much and as fast as they can." ~Hedges🖤
More than $31 trillion debt burden now and then the rest of committed debt burden. Just to pay the interest. WHO WANTS THAT?
This guy is the physical embodiment of everything I ever wanted to say to make christmas dinner with relatives awkward.
Chris Hedges is a true American treasure.
He renounces violence in all forms which I believe is faulty. Other than that he's alright.
This guy hits the nail on the head. Share this video!
Yes. I subscribed to your channel. Rainbows are cool. God bless you and Chris Hedges and wishes for a Happy New Year.
***** I have confessions of an economic hitman by Perkins. Have not heard of the other guy.
***** Optimism is something that goes with the human spirit. It's a defense mechanism.
***** as always it depends which class you belong to when it comes to interpreting things like this. The one with the boots has a different take on things than the one with the boot in his face..
I was referring to the image of the future George Orwell described. He foresaw the appearance of a state and a human condition in which he described the state as smashing in the face of the citizen with a booted foot and doing so forever. So it depends whether or not you are the ones with the boots or the one with the boot in the face as to how one one understands hope, and optimism. Obviously if one is with the group who has the boots you will be optimistic. If you are one who is being perennially kicked in the face, the 99 % for example, optimism is not an option. This is a pessimistic view to be sure. Most people cannot bear the thought and so will think of words like hope and optimism or pie in the sky by and by to dismiss what they are psychologically unable to accept. They may even hope for a leader to save them. They may vote for him or her. Such activity is known as denial.
"The issue is not education. The issue is greed."
Chris is the absolute best. A treasure.
Someone who truly never forgets where they come from.
We are far from helpless. If only people would realize this. We just quit running their stores, factories, stadiums. Quit paying any bills, no rent/mortgage, no utilities, no medical, insurance.....ANYTHING. Don't buy anything, be well prepared ahead of time with water, candles, food, medicine, work with your family to set up. We just stop going to work, paying any bills, buying any products, stay home with our families, friends, A nationwide strike is the ONLY way to stop this nightmare
Fast forward five years and the working classes have been sacrificed to Covid for capitalism and the wealthy have gotten so much richer that the top 1% HAS MORE WEALTH THAN THE ENTIRE MIDDLE CLASS.
Child of the upper middle class here. Dad was a higher echelon lawyer for several corporate realities and all but me went to private schools (at my request) I was 13 when Bill Murray played in "The Razors Edge" where he left the super rich to seek the true. It touched me deeply. No one around but me. Our family shared the elite values and idolized say, the Bush family literally others too discussed as heroes, Regan, Nixon all heros. They continue to be shallow narcissist with no real ability to think. I am not like them from birth and even suffered extreme institutional abuse prior to being a legal adult when I had loudly told them I thought they were shallow idiots who only cared for things and to this day I stand firmly with the oppressed. Chris is correct, I am rare, most everyone from that place and the super rich (who were very close by us) most of the kids say 99.9 % from that hood are soul dead.
For those who aren't from Maine: it's called the vacationland and it's population doubles in the summer due to people going to their private camps. I grew up working class, started working at eight and built some of these million dollar "camps" for out of staters. I lived in abject poverty my whole life while these beautiful camps only get used two weeks out of the year
So accurate and chillingly prophetic!
Not so much prophetic as realistic. When one sees reality it’s all quite clear.
edge is talking absolute truth i had couple rich friends when i was very young a kid with 9 years old, the things i saw made me sick the people in that world, are sociopaths, all of them, the worlds is a worlds of things not emotions, i saw my friend who later disposed of me and didn't even said hello without no reason like he had bought couple new friends better ones, last edition ones, like that was his whole life, he had to have everything he wanted or else he would have a fit of anger, what stroke me the most was that he had everything and was never satisfied, ever, and also seemed the only thing that would make him happy was to put others down, use people he had a old black servant that would drive around and do everything for him, the guy worked 24 7 whenever the wanted something there he went with the kid, a 10 year old being driven around by a 40 year old black guy in a audi
Did this guy just call "W" a "cokehead"? I LOVE HIM ALREADY!
Chris's book "The Death of the Liberal Class" is very insightful
All I can say is WOW!
Sephera K Hiram Cheers!
Mark Twain Touche my friend!
yeah!! now bush the cokehead can join the annals of cokehead fame with Obama!
I’m not religious but! God bless Chris Hedges and God bless this channel. Thank you
Mr Jay, and Mr Hedges, Thank You for a great interview and discussion. I empathise with your experiences. I have a factual story about a wealthy young lady I briefly dated when I was finishing my Undergraduate studies: I starved myself (almost) for 3 weeks to save enough money to take Ms. B to a decent seaside restaurant where, as expected, she didn’t care for the “greasy foods”. However, we actually had a very good time, laughing about our different lifestyles, so I led her onto a scenic and secluded area by the sea to “kiss in more privacy”. As we were embraced and quite “busy” B suddenly screamed (joyously and excitedly) “Are there rats here?!?” I regained my composure and asked, “WHAT THE F_CK???” B, searching a dock with a remarkable interest turned to me quite sweetly and admitted, “I’ve never seen a rat, but I think that you would know where to find one. Could you find one for me? But I don’t want to get too…, oh…, too close.” I brought my “date” to her lovely home, walked to my utilitarian car, and never spoke to her (in person) again. I had finally learned my lesson.
Damn.
@@user-bh1mh2rs4g There is a fabulous expression in the English language: Live and Learn. And Friend, I was fortunate to learn and escape with my Sanity and intact Dignity. Salomè!
Thank you for this report, Hedges and Jay. It's especially illuminating to hear how Hedges went to private school on a scholarship and seeing how these children were taught that everything will come at the snap of their fingers. Also, big thumbs up for bringing up how many rich kids never learn to fail because mommy and daddy pay for their mistakes, cover them up, enable them, etc.
Bush Jr & Cheney fabricated 911 and the Iraqi invasion...like you say, its a game and people are disposable to them. 2bitrump, has sold out Country and family in his quest to satisfy unmitigated greed.
Spot on. Hedges nails the problem perfectly.
You can see the insanity we are in. Cris you are very a brave and wise guy.
What makes him brave? All he does is talk and never suggests any solutions. In fact, he doesn't even get to the root of what the rich are.
@@truther001he went to several active warzones. Also this is just an interview he cant do a deep dive into capitalism.
Wow.. this is from a decade ago and is evermore relevant today at the end of 2022.
Word of the day: PSYCHOPATH This is what Chris Hedges is discussing through most of this interview.
James Travers The second. Look into psychopathy and then begin comparing psychopaths to politicians, business executives and bankers. When I did I couldn't sleep for several days straight. My world view has been permanently altered.
Bobbygnosis, welcome to the "know". These kinds of people have been causing destruction since the beginning of mankind. If you haven't already... look into Dr. Robert Hare, Thomas Sheridan (KZhead interviews + books) and Dr. Martha Stout on the subject. People are finally beginning to see that these types of humans ruin everything... including themselves and will blame you for it. We will all suffer if we don't wise up. Keeping spreading the word my friend.
MrMostGo And the youtubes of Bill Still on how to bring about monetary reform of the Federal Reserve.
+MrMostGo nearly five years later and look where we are now, and where we are headed.
demonic psychopath
As someone that meditates daily, I've come to realize that true happiness does come from within. Our quest for material wealth is very destructive, to ourselves, other people and the planet. And in the end, it really doesn't make you happier. You get a buzz from your new car or I phone, but soon you're bored and want the next great thing. People get addicted to the high of acquiring new crap. We're told at every turn that you need to be rich or famous or you'll never be happy. Quite the opposite is true.
It's disgusting in this country that people who run it are elected like prom king/queen instead of based on qualifications. Nobody ever questions someone's job history that would qualify them to do a job, we just listen to vapid empty speeches & most people aren't even educated enough to know what would benefit them & what wouldn't. Socioeconomics isn't a focus in school because leaders don't want an educated populace.
and so it has always been ... the rich 'breeding' mediocrity and the expense of everyone else out-with the circle of the elite. It is the money paradigm that is such an enormous part of the problem, and the lost art of morality and doing the right thing. We are all to busy trampling over the next mans head while looking at our phones. It is hard to comment when you have Chris Hedges with his depth of understanding, intelligence and honesty! But an honour to be able to hear him talk. Thank you
We are told socialism is bad unless your Too Big To Fail! When it serves them it's needed socialism.
Joe think ud enjoy rbt Reich videos if u dont already!
@Buzz Banna Reich isnt a fake! He was an economist in Clinton's administration! And now tries to explain the world around us! What's your beef with Reich exactly?
@Buzz Banna dont get ur point? Are u saying if it ain't broke dont fix it? Our economic system is just fine?
@Buzz Banna I'm not a fan of trump or clintons!
@Buzz Banna I dont like the Clinton's either one of them or trump! Bill may have created a cash surplus as president! But hated his welfare reform act! There wasnt anything outstanding about him! Hilary just plain sucked! Trump has some very good points and very bad! His presidency is so far a sad legacy! So dont know why ud think I was either a trump or Clinton fan!
This was probably one of the best interviews I've ever seen. It is too bad that stuff like this can't get on more mainstream news networks. I guess there's no money to be made in the fall of the system though.
KZhead algorithms censors socialist content. I have experience with this as recently trying to get videos from one of my fav channels, and it kept giving me Peterson, Shapiro and other right wingers.
@@mdaniels6311 I'll have to rewatch this video. It's been like 10 years.
Chris Hedges is very valuable to us. A man of worth.
The draft military was changed to a volunteer military for the very reason that we won’t fight for you during Vietnam. Now it’s just a job
Paul Jay doesn't quite grasp just how incredibly craven the super-rich can be. He attempts to attach the kind of actual human emotions that the vast majority of us feel to them a few times here, which isn't possible. The mega-rich are so completely detached and so heavily/thickly insulated, they may as well be an alien life form.
they ARE an alien lifeform.
No, they are not. This is a very dangerous way of thinking, one that would justify murder of the rich. We can't have that in a more just and humane world. The mentality of the rich is a consequence of their upbringing, the education they receive, the opportunities they get etcetera. If you think about it, they too have not been given a choice whether they'd be born rich or poor, they just have been born rich. It's a must to recognize that you too could've been in that position, just as the rich could have been in the position of the poor. They are human.
@@xw213xlastname8 very very important point you made here. Well said. We MUST retain our humanity as we reclaim the language (and action) of class warfare.
@@xw213xlastname8 Many of them are, but not all. You'd be surprised at the darkness a single flesh-suit can conceal.
Xw23x, their species makes no difference. Sociopath and psychopath must be destroyed. They have forfeited their rights. You cannot appeal to their better nature, they do not have one. You can stand aside and feel warm fuzzies, but the resistance will move on without you.
Outstanding commentary from Hedges, as usual. Keyword in the conversation: "disposable". That sums up the main attitude in American culture these days.
Wow, so succinct. And this has become so magnified over the last 40 years. Oh my.
I can't believe this is 5 years old. Still we are there.
Can't believe this is 9 years.Still we are there.
thanks for an amazing interview. subscribed. chris hedges is such a great thinker and very brave.
Hedges is not brave he is angry.
@@davidrapalyea7727 NO. Your angry bc he IS brave.
@@theeffectedcollective4261 I am not angry at all. In fact I am quite happy things are going so well these days.
@@davidrapalyea7727 He IS brave. How many humane people have attended Your event, where you spoke publicly and were extremely articulate and knowledgable ? None! PRECISELY. Many would say that you are envious.
@@dianeellis-mcroberts9376 How do you know anything about my event? Which event? I spent 12 months light combat duty conscripted West of Pleiku but never claimed any valor!
While I fully agree with Chris Hedges, so many intellectuals like him assume that the people are ignorant and only need to be better informed in order to wake up to what is being done to them. I don't agree with this. I believe most people know what is happening but the survival instinct and the need to fit in and be part of the herd (or system) is much stronger than any desire for social justice. You only have to look at the fawning, obsequious worship of celebrity and royalty to understand this. I've encountered far too many ordinary working class and middle class people who are more than happy to screw those lower than them on the food chain, as long as they can keep their limited privileges and lifestyles. That's why genuine people's revolutions are rare in human history and when they do occur, they simply usher in a new order that very closely resembles the old order. As for women and oppressed minorities, the new order acts quickly to exclude them, in favour of a new oligarchy comprising the male majority class.
I think you make a good point. It may be true that people are well informed of what is happening but their need for a job trumps any action on their part. However, the dynamics of our economy are changing rapidly. Many people who went to college to get a better l opportunity in life are finding themselves either unemployed or working for miserable pay while this so called elite is concentrating wealth at an alarming rate and they egregiously flaunt their wealth. Sooner rather than later people will start to make demands. How the rich respond will determine whether a conflict ensures and the intensity of that conflict. A harsh response would trigger a harsh reaction. The past movements such as Occupy Wall Street failed because the ignorant were directing their agendas. Now, the intellectual class is beginning to take charge and this time things will be different.
Shane Yaw
kell The working people aren't interested in this stuff. They don't want to think about 'politics' and they are given the simple explanation that all their problems are caused by some other marginalised group - who they've little experience of and who are usually even more marginalised than they are. They believe this because they are told that the 'other' has all the benefits they are lacking. It is a deep irony that they worship the people who are actually depriving them.
kell i disagree with you . If you look at the political right they are so brainwashed through the propaganda outlet it’s sad . Their mentality have changed and that is not accidental . The whole purpose of the right wing media is to keep the right wing voters uninformed , as noam chomsky said “manufactured consent”. Not only they withhold the fact they tell you what to think . Once you have a dumb down population it is easy to get away with things they have done . And liberals in the mainstream are fake liberal they are what republicans were in the 50s and 60s . The democrats are also representing the same corporate interest so essentially the voters don’t have a choice . It’s no accident DNC screwed real progressive like Bernie Sanders while promoting fake liberal like Obama, Clinton, and Kamala Harris . Media doesn’t have liberal bias this is myth Chomsky blew away long ago . CNN, MSNBC , etc are centrist off institutions that hide under the liberal disguise but they never talk about real issues infact they never talk about liberal agenda . Like wtf . The amount of propaganda is unreal . Seriously unreal . Some people see this , political left as far as voters are concerned are also influenced by propaganda but not as bad as republicans . Conservative movement has ruined this country for the worst and im sure some conservatives are not even aware what their ultimate bosses are doing (the ruling class) . Just look at the current GOP ... the hypocrisy , lies , blatant disregard for citizens and justice , the corruption , the dark money in politics. Come on these are not isolated incidents . People like Gore Vidal , Chomsky, Chris Hedges have been warning about these mother fuckers for years .
Kell, I recommend you read "Viking Economics" by George Lakey.
8 yrs later and all the more relevant.
How refreshing it is to hear unadulterated truth
Very clear mind this man. I specially admired the “ Versailles” comparison. It is on the spot.
About time to get out our pitchforks.
HAY, you're so right !
Tim Walsh wrong!!! Yang is ONLY another Neoliberal Fascist snake oil salesmen period!!! The UBI he's pushing for is absolutely NOT in OUR best interest!! The Federal Job Guarantee IS necessary and CRUCIAL to understand and implement!! The UBI is strictly for the REAL agenda to dismantle ALL Social Safety nets and Privatization of EVERYTHING!! This is NOT in OUR best interest EVER!!! Please Learn. MACROECONOMICS=How our Monetarily Sovereign FEDERAL Government ACTUALLY operates financially=#MMT!! Look up Economist Stephanie Kelton, Dr Bill Mitchell, Ellis Winningham, and others who speak FACTS and TRUTH about these very important issues!!!
Nah, MAKE THE CHANGES YOU SO DESIRE without violence.
@@sueb2898 Wishful thinking.
Let's not forget the torches.
My friend works for a wealthy English family who whilst on holiday in Monaco,phoned her in London, to ask her to phone the hotel in Monaco,to tell the chef they were ready to dine...😳
Chris Hedges is my new hero!
This is a brilliant interview and reinforces a lot of what we have been working with at Sumedhas for the past 15 years. It is scary and yet powerful that voices in US join many other voices on critiquing capitalism ...
I don't see this as a matter of a flaw in our system. I see it as a flaw in character. A person of character distributes wealth. A person of character is fair and does not favor one over another. A person of character is not arrogant or self seeking but lifts up others. The issue I see is America is no longer breeding CHARACTER in our culture. We have been sold to Sports, Social Media, Coach bags, and Reality TV.... and our character aligns with what we feed it. We eat what is put in front of us which is JUNK. We prefer to be entertained rather than enlightened, again.....a character issue. We measure intelligence and count achievement, but how do we measure character? How are we even promoting good character?
I have Worked for and Dated the Very Wealthy .. I do not say this to brag but to point out that I also understand that they think and feel very different from you and I .. what Chris Hedges talks about is TRUTH .. I am praying that people will take their heads out of the sand-box and understand that we are facing a level of Greed/Evil that is becoming very touchy .. on one hand they feel that they are above the law and on the other hand they are starting to distrust each other .. making them a very dangerous entity walking the planet .. Thank-you Chris Hedges for your integrity and sense of honor .. no matter what happens on this side of the purge .. I feel that we that stand for truth will all be together on the other side ..
Chris, an ordained Presbyterian minister, and Harvard Divinity grad, breaks all the stereotypes. His story is very similar to my own.
"F. Scott Fitzgerald was right; the rich ARE different from the rest of us, because when you have that much money, than human beings become disposable. When the rich take absolute power, (as they have) then the citizens become disposable." This reminds me of Machiavelli's definition of evil, he said: "Evil is using people as instruments" (i.e. using human beings as things, as objects). So, in this case I believe the very rich are indeed evil because they use and discard their fellow citizens.
I can think of 3 people who believed everyone was equal and called each other comrade. .They murdered people on a grand scale,not at a leisurely pase. Quess who they are? Stalin ,Mao( so stylish in his Jacket) and Pol Pot.
When the proletariat took control large numbers of people became exterminated. I can think of 4 of the biggest exterminators, 3 called each other comrade and were socialist. One was a national socialist. Stalin,Mao,PolPot,Hitler. Do you think their victims and the people who endured ND survived were happy to be part of the new world order?
Becoming self reliant and rich from nothing, that is the opposite of evil. Be careful when you generalize things.
@@3m5r56 you mean that's what happens when dictators take power. Those examples say very little about actual socialism i.e. worker control and more about the dangers of ideologues attaining unlimited power and using the corporate and political bureaucratic structures of an already existing state to enact tyranny.
AS happened in the Obama IRS, ideologues do not have to rise to the top. Lower level and mid level ones can destroy lives too.@@princejellyfish3945
No one honestly makes the kind of money the super-rich make.
Steve Stone people seem not to understand that it is working smart not hard that pays.
Zuzana Zuščinová NO one who works smart can make that kind of money, only someone who has tens to hundreds of thousands of underpaid employees can make that kind of money. I'll take a city with 1000 millionaires each having 1000 employees, over a city with 1 billionaire and 100000 underpaid workers.
Nope
It's not about money. They know that it is useless. They print money out of thin air.
Its inherited, they've weakened estate tax so much that vast sums are perpetuated generation after generation now
That's why they are implementing the police state in case the revolting comes.
What does average cop make though..?
@@movement2contact via civil asset forfeiture, likely more than you think. Plus, police corruption is rampant.
Chris Hedges is formidable.
BUY Hedges books!!
He writes like he talks, he just gets right down to cases. A superb analyst. Amazing capacity to integrate, I like him on par with Naomi Klein. Having heard them both speak, I have a much clearer comprehension of what's at stake and why...not just in America but for us all as a life form.
Revolution---we might not defeat them, but we can surely make it difficult---we must try
The American revolution was led by the American elite class. People seem to forget that.
Noneya thats why it's time WE start one
Noneya Not all elites sided with the revolution, many were beneficiaries of the crown. Elites back then still lived down the street, not in far removed gated communities.
We are all dead anyways, I am going to die fighting on my feet.
modem k
One of the few people who speaks the truth.
Well, that just made me order one of his books! :)
Those that aspire to power and money above the natural desire to help and understand their fellow humans are surely psychologically ill. In a humane society, these people would be receiving counselling. They would be helped by psychiatrists because they are sick human beings. Instead, we elect them to offices of power, we worship them because they are rich but they are cynical enough to use humanities natural goodness against itself and that is the basis of their power. They see naivety, trust, love and peace as weakness and merely weapons to use against the majority of humanity....and we let them do it. We do not have to become them to defeat them but we have to let them know that we recognise their insanity and will no longer put up with it. We have to fight back.
Michael Bloomberg, a few years ago, I checked that he was worth $20 Billion. Today I think he is worth something like $27 Billion, despite recession etc.... Most people would be happy with maybe $1 Million. What the f--k would anyone want with $27 Billion???? Buying Politicians, Yachts and Private Jets I presume.
danpt2000 When you start talking about billions, it becomes about the acquisition of power and using that power to inflict their warped views upon society therefore controlling us. These megalomaniacs develope god complexes where they believe they absolutely know better and we (the common people) should be grateful for their wisdom, even if it kills us. We hear people say "at least he gets things done" but couldn't the same be said about Hitler? Corporations and the banks have had decades to hack away at our freedoms and manipulate laws for their own good and planet Earth 2014 is the result. A third of the world starves whilst a tiny percentage live in luxury. The rest are wage slaves living from day to day earning just enough to stop them seeing the real injustice and who the villains really are.
danpt2000 so if your business makes more than 1 million you would voluntarily flush it down the toilet or make the firm go bust on purpose?
Zuzana Zuščinová Maybe he might increase the dividends to the shareholders or maybe donate to charities. He might invest in social projects designed to help people. He might build a hospital, school or invest in social housing. OR he could use the money to acquire more power and then use that power to gain even more power. When power and control become the only motivation, the quest is never ending. There is never enough power and control unless you become the absolute ruler of planet Earth and every human on it. Even then there are degrees of control. What about mind control? Not such a fantasy in 2014. Imagine what it will be like in 2050 if these control freaks are allowed to continue unabated in their quest to control humanity. We need a new system of governance. One that is based on positive humanism. One that does not allow a warped minority to control and manipulate the majority. Unfortunately that requires the majority to get educated and learn to sort the chaff from the wheat and that will take time, but it will happen.
Zuzana Zuščinová Most Millionaires, billionaires get to where they are thru illegal means. Why do you think so many undocumented workers are allowed in the USA despite laws in place? They buy off politicians, they somehow get police to look the other way. They pay workers as little as possible, they cut corners when it comes to workplace safety. I've seen how some of these factories operate. Large corporations outsource work to smaller contractors, who disregard labor and safety laws and are less visible. Of course, society at large is often complicit as they see advantages in cheaper products and services.
I am educated, I am intelligent, and I am currently living in total poverty due to the fact that I cannot pretend to play elite when I am a single, handicapped with intelligence, creativity and independant thinking *as well as the side effect of bipolar disorder* When I was stable with support, primarily financial...I was extremely successful and prolific photographer. Then I lost my partner, my money, my studio, my camera, and my life. What I do is priceless...that means its free...and our culture confuses priceless with worthless.
I think priceless means its value is immeasurable.
Yes. For women the school of hard knocks. And people wonder why there is need for self .
Chris Hedges is the Clarrion of Truth that should be Heeded, Especially by the Privilaged. Salute Chris Hedges 🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose - Kris Kirstofferson
The issue is not education, the issue is greed.
Both
....the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. No matter how intelligent a man is without the fear of God operational in him, he's just a smart devil...he can do anything without remorse!
@@kingdomcitizen1329 I don't think invisible friends are going to help us here.
@@kingdomcitizen1329 As an Atheist I must disagree ... ( not much of a surprise, I guess) ... but there is evidence of "Good" before your Abrahamic Yahweh / Jehovah / Allah - ever came into being. Also, as a non-believer, I never questioned why you should love God, that seems pretty obvious, - but why should you Fear him; after all, a loving Father should never make you fear him. - I know many "smart" people ... but I don't know any devils. I've known a few people who've done terrible things and display little or no remorse, - but they're not devils, just crappy people.
Watching now. I agree with Chris Hedges almost a hundred percent but am a little critical of some of the things I have heard him say about organized labor in the past. I am keeping a close ear on that subject as I watch this interview. Enjoy.
OUR PRAYERS&THOUGHTS WITH ALL
This is exactly to the point no b.s. & ultimately brought tears to my eyes....I am grateful for coming across this in more ways than I ever could anticipate...attitude of gratitude when individuals touch my heart by telling it like it is in life
Brilliant!!! Intelligence at its finest!
Chris Hedges speaks the truth.
I was at Stanford on a scholarship and everyone had a Mercedes and flew home to the east coast for holidays. It was a bunch of rich kids with parental money with a deal that after they got their BA their dad had a hot job waiting for them. After I graduated I worked at the biz school (to pay off student loans) where I witnessed the cafeteria daily venue: those with money and jobs were catered to by those looking for money and jobs
In the year Of our Lord 2023, the ideas of Master Chris Hedges still more relevant than ever.
Money is the real problem, get the money out and make sure everyone has what they need and there won't be anymore of this oligarchy. The earth and it's resources belong to everyone equally.
Talk about a Pollyanna point of view. And how would you do that? Wave your magic wand?
Robert Meier No,you would reform the emonetary system, the Fed, get rid of compound interest, and be ableto pay off your house.
gfrench957 rofl. if you want a cheap house, make your own material and build it yourself. just because you want a house why should deposit holders in the bank care? they want to earn the interest too.
Zuzana Zuščinová You cannot build a house without an architect and several code enforcers checking the construction, you cannot make your own materials, you cannot choose your own space in a forest or even a desert, you cannot install electrical without a license and a permit. Everything belongs to someone and everything is controlled. It's fine if we're part of a team and we work together, rely on each other and help one another achieve greater things, but it's not fine if the codes and laws are in place just for the purpose of making someone money while scre wing everyone else. As it is now, I cannot even move out of the city I'm in without paying a tax (6% of house value) for moving out. There was no tax for moving in, but apparently there's tax for moving out?
@Bill Randall so you are saying fuck those who have not been able to make a contribution in the first place - You deserve a medal for displaying such compassion
I'm very impressed with the interviewer as well
Thank you Paul Jay & Chris Hedges.
Excellent interview!
Chris Hedges has a way of returning the issue of economic interest to the question of its moral meaning. He speaks in a voice like that of Martin Luther King asking us to aspire to something higher. Taking up justice as a purpose is a powerful tonic. I remember an author saying about the Mexican revolutionary Emilio Zapata; "Here was a person so strong by god that when he put his shoulder to the wheel of history it was actually nudged forward by inches." Maybe the metaphorical wheel of history is what we confront everyday in other people and the point of contact is spiritual so it remains invisible.
I hear you brother.
The first man who,having fenced in a piece of land,said "This is mine," and found people naïve enough to believe him,that man was the true founder of civil society.From how many crimes,wars,and murders,from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind,by pulling up the stakes,or filling up the ditch,and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor;you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all,and the earth itself to nobody. -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Very enlightening. The social morality is so much about protecting what's rightfully mine it's completely immoral. It's always me, me and me.
The fact they dont care is very true ,I had a super rich girlfriend, and she behaved exactly like that ,everyone one was expendable. Being exposed to the world of nice cars fancy clothes and private jets I remember did lead to a sense of delusion , You would be in Van Nuys but completely separate from the crime and desperation. I am glad I was exposed early in life so I could realize I dont want to be like them
I grew up in Boca Raton Florida in the 70's. My friends and fiancee were all grandchildren of very wealthy industrialists. They all had 4 names. They were morally twisted. And they were so fucking cheap it was pathetic! They were afraid they would be robbed or kidnapped, etc. You see their money was all stocks in dead granddaddy's company. Pratt & Whitney, Hoover vacuum, etc. An air that their shit didn't stink?... hell yeah! The parents controlled them by fear; do as we say or we will disinherit you. Almost cult programming. And none of the kids parents had ever worked in their lives. I dug some of their houses and stuff but I was happy and proud to be my own man. End of story!
Aristotle was right when he said that the problem with the deformed characters of the rich begins in their families. Hedges notices that in rich families you can find even rich CHILDREN ordering around adults like servants. Aristotle was talking about this same tendency in his POLITICS about 2400 years ago.
When I was at Uni years ago studying a B.A (Youth Affairs) there was a friend, also studying Youth Affairs who took forever completing his degree. I would help him with his assignments, his spelling and grammar was very poor, so he could get through. I hadn't seen him for 20 years, but I got in touch to invite him to a reunion. It seemed he didn't want to associate with our fellow Youthies students, but he did want to catch up with me for a coffee. He arranged for me to meet him at his work which was near Downing st Sydney (Legal Precinct) I arrived at what was a very plush building, and when I met him, he was wearing a wig! It turned out he had become a Barrister! In our conversation he told me that even though I was intelligent, I could never follow his course, because of my humble family background. He was from a wealthy, well connected family, and it is, as they say, ‘not what you know’!
Gary it's TRUE u have to learn how to connect and utilize your connections that make the differences! The educational systems also punish students who arent wealthy!
And, the problem is that it doesn't matter how much you utilize your so-called connections. If you aren't in the right class, you're going to barely scrape by until you die. The onus is not on the citizens of the earth to change the way we do things. The onus is on the rulership to change. They won't. So now Plan B is coming and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.
@@legalfictionnaturalfact3969 very untrue! When I was robbed preventing my upward mobility! I've had to rely a lot on my legal connections! Which has provided me with good lawyers keeping the roof over my head! The rich are taught to rely on connections for getting ahead, the poor arent taught this! So the poor often times rely on themselves to fight a rich person and they lose because the games rigged! Whereas I rely on a lawyer to fight a lawyer, or the housing authority! And I haven't lost yet!
@@legalfictionnaturalfact3969 I know some rich folks illegally helping poor folks escape poverty! So dont be so cynical! However my community is unique! It's easy for a have not to befriend a have! In most places I've lived classes dont intimately interact!
@@oldfogey3272 you are privileged, cool. again, connections don't mean shit outside of strategizing *against* our owners unless you are privileged. your experience is not the norm. wakey wakey, little baby. :)
I was adopted at six weeks by parents who were from a coal mining are of the country (Scranton PA). They were hard working and moved to New Jersey a few years prior to my adoption (and later my sister's adoption). My father worked in an asbestos factory to about 43 years old after serving in the Korean War. My mother was a meticulous and conscientious homemaker and bookkeeper. We had a modest Cape Cod house with modest 3 to 4 day motel rental vacations down the Jersey Shore, but we were probably better off than most of my cousins. When we moved to the next town into a ranch home, in a booming town with McMansions, my life changed. I was first exposed on a daily basis to the lifestyle of those who were seeking to become wealthy and exhibited a sense of entitlement. They were essentially yuppies. They weren't elite by any means, but the township had a bumper sticker that read, "______: the good life". When I went to college, my introduction to the caste system of america became even more clear. I encountered the Amway culture during the latter part of the Reagan years and came across the book, "The Culture of Narcissism", my first understanding (since the time of my blue-collar catholic grade school education) that society was dysfunctional. Now, instead of sin, there was an explanation of that dysfunction in the world's own terms, though few were listening. When I went to work, it just got worse. I realized, like Mr. Hedges did, that the world was alot uglier than it portrayed itself to be. The materialism, narcissism, Machiavellian tactics, delusional thinking, sense of privilege and entitlement, and even false posture of understanding became difficult to witness for 8 or more hours a day. My night school graduate technical education made this dysfunction more easily detectable. When I left corporate work for government work, I realized that there was no oasis and that I was very naive. And yet, most ofy colleagues and former classmates believe in the self-help cult and that material success implies life success. In the government, I saw managers and executives play God, manipulating facts and people, wasting resources and blaming subordinates in a labyrinthic boondoggle where their personal career goals became conflated with the mission because their jobs were secure and the symbiosis of personal and organizational interests evolved am impenetrable barrier. As I head to the last third of my work career, I have a sense of diminished expectations and cultural pessimism. I think the honesty to see things as they are, despite gaslighting by those who do not question the American dysfunction of corporate hedonism and the celebrity culture is the result of my upbringing allowing me to escape from the fantasy that Mr. Hedges adroitly describes here and elsewhere. Mid-career, I met biological relatives who were victims of our evil society: dysfunctional families, a psychopathic husband and father, and apathetic justice and law enforcement systems. They experienced poverty, rape, domestic violence, loss of home, disease, apathy, denigration of social equality / rectification programs. I downscaled my life to assist them, but became overwhelmed by the vortex of their misfortune. None of my colleagues could understand this, as their entitlement and subsequent creature-comfort mental conditioning led them to believe that their society is morally just and that all one had to do was work hard to succeed. They sold out, in willful ignorance, to their creature comforts. They did not see that one has to ignore the evils of their communities (e.g., rapes at underage house parties) , corporations, and the celebrity culture- all that serve as their opiates.
I love this guy...we need more people like Chris Hedges in America...many more. As depressed as I am about the current state of America, this guy gives me hope.
I have had a similar experience. I grew up with the rich- my mother was a therapist to these people. I say These People because they are different. They seem to think they are somehow better and act accordingly
God obviously favors me over you, I'm rich bitch. This is what they want you to believe.
I can relate to Chris Hedges who - looking back at a scholarship that placed him amongst peers who had "their" real world vision - spent time observing a social, moral and material "right" to that which that had in their teens. At age twelve our fragmented family began coming in to wealth at an incredible rate - not by virtue or effort - but by association with an heir to the Ford Motor Company. Whittier College and the Whittier Scholars Program; sounds impressive and I made the best of what was laid at my feet, but I did not EARN my way on to Campus or a scholarship. Hundreds of thousands of dollars per month; a new private jet every other year, and yet an isolation of sorts, having experienced Low Income struggles between the mid-1960s to the early '70s, so the awe of power and money did not impress me. A devastating event, lasting five expensive years, was something wholly unsxpected and ill prepared to handle, and all the comforts and riches were gone. Just because such a blow happened to us doesn't mean it might happen to the oligarchy - but Forbes Magazine published an article written by Amazon Books' Chairman who awoke one morning and asked: "Where are my customers?"
long a fan of chris. glad i stumbled onto this channel. many thanks.
Great Chris Hedges as usual.❤❤❤❤❤
"when your poor you only get one chance" I like it, nice sentiment.. but wrong... the difference between poor and rich is sacrifice... not chances... you can get more than one chance.... you will need more than one chance... you will need to make more than one chance .... but you will need to sacrifice...... for any chance... and its a chance.. only a chance to play at the table.. and you are likely to fail.... you will most probably have to move your place of residency, loose your friends and social circles.. not date.. be single.. not partake in any small bits of fun or little luxuries..maybe loose other chances... like love.. or children....friends.............. sacfrice,,, sacfrice sacfrice........... then you may get to their "top" but you will never be one of them anyway......... tune in to reality,, turn on to life,, and drop out of their game.. find your own path.... do take their poisons either... booze makes them rich and us poor... coke? crack? where did that come from Bill? weed? you dont need to dumb down... vapes? backy? you dont need it..... look at the early hip hop scene and the words of wisdom there... before the man paid useful idiots to tell our kids to kill