The Myth of Progress, the Necessity of Rebellion

Part 1: New World Notes #356, 28:07 (December 30, 2014)
Broadcast quality MP3 (39 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)

Part 2: New World Notes #357, 29:28 (January 6, 2015)
Broadcast quality MP3 (41 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (14 MB)

In a brilliant speech, journalist/essayist/prophet Chris Hedges argues that the class war is real ... that the ordinary people are losing ... that all of society's institutions have betrayed the people and "sold out" to Established Power ... that whatever political and economic justice there has been exists only because ordinary people struggled hard against the elite to create that justice... and that widespread nonviolent rebellion by the people is now essential to prevent disaster.

Part history lesson, part political science, part cultural analysis, and part sermon, Hedges' talk is an intellectual tour-de-force--and also a great listen.

The audio (taken from a videotape recently made available online) was lightly edited for radio by Robin Upton and previously broadcast on his Unwelcome Guests program (unwelcomeguests.net). Thanks again to Robin. I have made some small additional cuts in Part 2.  I believe that Hedges delivered this speech in 2011. 

Introductions by KD. I am responsible for the title used here.

Manila, 2011