KPFA Radio 94.1FM presents:
CHRIS HEDGES
“Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt”
Hosted by Richard Wolinsky
$15 advance tickets: brownpapertickets.com :: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus (3 sites) Moe’s, Walden Pond Bookstore, Diesel a Bookstore, Mrs. Dalloway’s Books SF: Modern Times, $18 door
Revolutions come in waves and cycles. We are again riding the crest of a revolutionary epic, much like 1848 or 1917, from the Arab Spring to movements against austerity in Greece to the Occupy Movement. In Wages of Rebellion, Chris Hedges — who has chronicled the malaise and sickness of a society in terminal moral decline in his books, Empire of Illusion and Death of the Liberal Class— investigates what social and psychological factors cause revolution, rebellion, and resistance. Drawing on an ambitious overview of prominent philosophers, historians and literary figures, he shows not only the harbingers of a coming crisis but also the nascent seeds of rebellion. Hedges’ message is clear: popular uprisings in the United States and around the world are inevitable in the face of mounting environmental destruction and grotesque wealth polarization.
Focusing on the stories of rebels from around the world and throughout history, Hedges investigates just what it takes to be a rebel in modern times. Utilizing the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, Hedges describes the motivation that guides the actions of rebels as “sublime madness” – the state of passion that causes the rebel to engage in an unavailing fight against overwhelmingly powerful and oppressive forces. For Hedges, resistance is carried out not simply for its success, but as a moral imperative that affirms life.
From South African activists who dedicated their lives to ending apartheid, to contemporary anti-fracking protestors in Canada, to whistleblowers in the U.S. , Wages of Rebellion shows the cost of a life committed to truth and justice. Hedges has given us an indispensable handbook to rebellion.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Chris Hedges spent nearly two decades as a correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans, with fifteen years at The New York Times. Among his bestselling books are: Empire of Illusion, Death of the Liberal Class; War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning; and Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt (written with Joe Sacco). He currently writes a weekly column for Truthdig.
Richard Wolinsky is the veteran producer and host of Book Waves, an interview show broadcast on KPFA Radio.
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