Forum Post: Hedges on Resistance
Posted 12 years ago on Sept. 3, 2012, 2:45 p.m. EST by trashyharry
(3084)
from Waterville, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
"Acts of resistance are moral acts.They take place because people of conscience understand the moral,rather than the practical imperative of rebellion.They should be carried out not because they are effective,but because they are right.Those who begin these acts are always few.They are dismissed by those in the liberal class,who hide their cowardice behind their cynicism.Resistance,however marginal,affirms the sanctity of individual life in a world awash in death.It is the supreme act of faith,the highest form of spirituality.Those who have carried out great acts of resistance in the past sacrificed their security and comfort,often spent time in jail,and in some cases were killed.They understood that to live in the fullest sense of the word,to exist as free and independent human beings,even under the darkest night of state repression,means to defy injustice.Any act of resistance is its own justification.It cannot be measured by its utilitarian effect.And the acts of resistance that sustain us morally are those that disrupt systems of power but do not violate the sanctity of human life-even,finally,the lives of those who enslave us."---CHRIS HEDGES-excerpt from "The Death of the Liberal Class"(2010)
Very nice quote. Thanks.
Thanks for the excerpt. Chris Hedges speaks about what Occupy truly should be, what we all should be, with eloquence and force, both written and spoken.
A video tune which echoes the excellent sentiments of the brilliant words you quote. Thanx 'th'(c?-lol) :
Resistance Is Fertile !!!
veritas vos liberabit ...
George Carlin is heavily featured on the above video but please (re)read the excellent, short 'forum-post' above before playing the video in order to maximise your appreciation, feeling and real understanding.
fiat lux ...
[Removed]
This is an excerpt from a book written by Chris Hedges called "The Death of the Liberal Class." I have just finished reading the book.Hedges examines at length the notion that the Liberal Class is a morally bankrupt group who have been entirely captured and enslaved by the powerful wealthy families and Corporate entities.The Liberal Class consists of Academia,The Press,The Arts,the liberal wing of the Roman Catholic Church, the liberal denominations of Christian Protestants,the Reform wing of Judaism,the Democratic Party and the Labor Unions according to the traditional usage of that term.The book does not discuss anything having to do with charitable or arts foundations probably because most people have agreed that such institutions function as a part of the Power Elite.I agree with the premise that Hedges outlines-all of these groups and the individuals who comprise them have failed miserably and are now almost completely irrelevant.The failure of Liberal Class within a society is one of the most remarkable features of cultural decline as a society slides into totalitarianism and/or chaos.Hedges does not discuss the phenomenon in history very much,but does refer to the destruction of liberal classes in the cases of Weimar Germany and the Roman Republic,although there are many other examples of the repression,destruction or suicide of Liberal social groups or "classes" previous to the rise of left or right wing totalitarian regimes.A very good book-I will say that I am mainly in agreement with Mr.Hedges' conclusions.
I haven't read the book (although I was pressured to do so). For starters, however, 'class' is a strange term to describe this group, no? Isn't it just obvious that the liberal elite are in a compromised position? They sell out for the 'benefit' of softening some of the system's harshness, then congratulate themselves with public service awards for making the world a better place. Didn't you know all this before you read the book? How did the book help put it all in perspective?
I am sorry that you are in a position where other people are able to "pressure" you to read a particular book! That sounds like an uncomfortable situation I would not be able to tolerate calmly! I found the book interesting in a number of areas.The author.Chris Hedges is someone I had heard of in that I knew he at one time worked for that venerable old House of Presstitution,The New York Times.I also remembered that he was among the very small number of employees there who either resigned or was fired because of Buzz Killington-type behavior at the time of the Iraq War.He described that whole experience and the incident which precipitated it.I can remember no discussion of it at the time.Anyhow,the book also included historical anecdotes about things that happened to various people during the Red Scare era and during the Depression and at other times when abject cowardice and unprincipled careerism were noticeably prominent qualities displayed by people in the Arts,the Press and in Academia.I agree with Hedges that these so called liberal types are fully manipulated tools of the elites.I found his critique of the Art World particularly interesting-I have been saying for many years that artists have collaborated with the elites in taking away access to art from ordinary people while rendering themselves and Modern Art almost completely irrelevant.
Thanks for your concern about the pressure, but I actually like to read the same book as someone I know, once in a while. It sounds like Hedges made a principled decision to cut loose from compromises, and, naturally, is emotionally preoccupied by his choice, so he has written a book which projects the situation he faced out into history.
I do wish more people knew about Debs and the Red Scare. I spend a lot of time explaining to my local Occupy that the rules are just for show.
Hedges discussed Debs in some detail in the book.I ran across an interview of Hedges on the subject of OccupyWallStreet in October of last year when trying to find #OWS video of something else.I became interested in him because he actually was crying when talking about #OWS-so I started reading various articles and items of his on the Internets.Somewhat of a bombastic and self-important tone to the writing,but there is quite a bit of willingness to say things in a blunt way that probably makes alot of self-involved careerist type liberals mighty uncomfortable.It really was amazing how incredibly few people spoke out about the war-I certainly did,early and often,but the only punishment I received was a painting I did was removed from an exhibition.I was ejected from the Liberal Class years ago for my inability to conform.LOL-when I was young I did not know that conformity,obedience and a talent for bootlicking are absolutely required of almost all artists-D'oh!
what???
I have a lot of respect for Chris Hedges. He writes a weekly column which I rarely miss. He also did a three hour interview with CSpan that was great.