{"product_id":"empire-of-illusion-the-end-of-literacy-and-the-triumph-of-spectacle-2","title":"Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle","description":"We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected—presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this “other America,€ serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society.In the tradition of Christopher Lasch€™s The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman€™s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges navigates this culture—attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremonies—to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1568584377\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.1568584377.VG\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Hedges, Chris\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Pages are clean with no markings. May show minor signs of wear or cosmetic defects  marks, cuts, bends, or scuffs  on the cover, spine, pages, or dust jacket. May have remainder marks on edges.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41449161752634,"sku":"DBV.1568584377.VG","price":6.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/1568584377-0_04b8c748-6945-4c3a-baa3-fe58d682b8ac.jpg?v=1780883108","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/empire-of-illusion-the-end-of-literacy-and-the-triumph-of-spectacle-2","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}