Free «Hedges Excerpts» Essay Sample
Table of Contents
Among the passages presented in the Hedges Excerpts, the most important passages are Illiteracy, Language, Politics and the Celebrity Culture. This paper therefore discusses the above named passages and why they are the most important ones from the whole excerpts.
Illiteracy
In the present society the level of semi-illiterate and illiterate is high just because the use of illusion compared to reality is high. The failure of solving societal problem with help of linguistic and intellectual tools is actually indicated and dominating the world. A culture whereby children are bred to live in a luxurious life throughout neglecting knowledge and put more trust in believes and values.
Illusion has confused masses via television, someone seen on airwaves he or she is regarded as very important and has power. For the illiterate this is a reality but is away the ruling elite executes to justify lies and gain from the common man.
Despite the fact that knowledge is easily accessible nowadays unlike in the past during the catholic reign where restriction to information was highly observed still the illiteracy level is high, due to the culture being practiced through images and slogans people tend to be more illusioned.
Language
Deeply rooted in our culture illusion has stolen our intellectual tools for solving the existing complexity because it has reduced us to the level and dependency of children. Our language has lost strength, comparing the standard of vocabulary used by the first leaders in United States of America it is clearly noticed their level of educational standards keeps on reducing due to the vocabulary spoken; this indicates that illusion in the contemporary has taken over the use of reality unlike in the past societies who used linguistic tools appropriately in passing information to the mass.
During political campaigns people voted for a slogan, an image that made them feel good actually one that can attract them. They keep on portraying illusion that campaign is through style and not facts, using the celebrity culture to gain support of masses through theatrical tactic of controlling the audience with sweet utterance.
Politics
The way politicians have adopted the culture of celebrities has led them to practice junk politics which does not fight for justice but it personalizes and moralizes issues. The end product of junk politics is that nothing changes it only emphasizes on socioeconomic pressure, complex problems at home and maximizes threat from abroad.
Also politics is seen as nothing but ourselves in a magnifying mirror, those who seek to be politicians it’s for a purpose of achieving the celebrity status. Those who are captivated by the cult of celebrity don’t distinguish verbal claims with written and published facts and reports, their reality of the world is based on what his or her political leader says, the advertisement shown on television and the latest cable news show publicized. They are the ones who are shadowed by the world above them and blinded to the point that they cannot sense the predatory loan deals that lead them to bankruptcy.
The Celebrity Culture
The race of mankind is blinded with shadows of the world above them and shockingly to some extent that they believe in it as a reality. When it chances an individual from the blinded society gets an opportunity to see the lime light, at first he or she will find some difficulties in adopting in the new environment as in fitting in the elite system but as time goes by one is able to see the world in a different perspective.
The elite continue to dominate through lies created by their illusions with aim of gaining from the masses. Their illusions are brought forward as reality via television and movie producers, photographs and even marketing departments. Through this way of dominancy it has led the community to look at the celebrities as their role models imitating almost every way of life a celebrity has.
One can’t achieve the celebrity status without the help of the elite as in through publicizing and advertisement, celebrities have perfected the art of theatre controlling the audience and satisfying them to the point that religion, literature, politics, news and warfare have applied this kind of theatrical tactics for their endeavors.