Great Speech on Where we are as a Nation and Where it's Headed

Haven't made a thread of my own in a while but I felt this speech really drills home some insight into what has happened, what is happening and where it all is most likely going to lead. This is a speech given by Chris Hedges back in May of this year. Regardless of what you think about Chris personally what he says in this speech can be seen as true by anyone simply by comparing it with what we're all living through both yesterday and today.

It is certainly somewhat gloomy in it's delivery I'll admit that. But then that neither makes it untrue or unavoidable. He not only covers the current US election of Trump and his associated cabinet but the larger picture of Neo-Liberal Economic Policy happening within Government and the very real and possible future we're facing and how we got ourselves here.

It's a bit long in total, however even right from the start he wastes no time with words. So while a bit long it's only because so much needs to be said to grasp such a large picture. Everyone regardless of political lean can gain something from this I think and should give it a listen with an open unbiased position to grasp what I think is a very informative speech.

To cut right into it skip up to the 3:00 min mark and just let it play from there.

For those who view/listen to it and would like to discuss some of the point made feel free to comment. For those who don't even care enough to listen to it but want to comment anyway, don't. You'll have nothing of worth to say about it if you don't watch it and nobody wants to read your comments when they're made out of ignorance. Thank you and enjoy.

/r/latestagecapitalism

Yup.

I flagged this, as it's worth watching even if the material is something you initially might be totally against. You aren't forever tainted if you expose yourself to information that conflicts with your personal worldview.

Tag for later viewing.

Interested in watching this.

a reply to: RickinVa

I watched some of it. Same talking points pinned to Trump as is the norm.
However by stating that his started with Trump and that it ends with Trump is completely false. He's micro contextualizing everything that led up to today.

I realize that for some folks, not necessarily you, that politics started to really suck and get real last October, but for others, this has been all part of the downhill trend for y e a r s.

Sorry I couldn't make it through.

If you were honest, you would disclose this guys political agenda
before people spend an hour watching your lame video.

If you think like this guy, you need a new role model.

Horrible speech by a political drone.

a reply to: JinMI

Just keep watching it. It's much more than Trump. In fact much of it has nothing to do with him at all. But he's the President now so you have to expect him to be included.

But just give it a chance there is so much more than just Trump in it if you'd just listen.

a reply to: mOjOm

About what time does the trump diatribe stop?

Maybe I'll try again in a bit.

In return, I kindly offer:

Anti-enlightenment, anti-American, anti-western claptrap with a Trump-bashing cherry on top. You have to love when preachers try to predict the future.

People bitch and moan about "big government", but at least with a representative democracy there's still a chance...people still have some kind of a voice via elections.

The way things are going now, there's going to be mega corporations controlling everything. Think the "Weyland Corp" from the Alien movies.

Has anyone read "Ready Player One"? In that book, mega-corps control everything. Can't pay your bills? You can get a job with the corporation to pay it back! You just have to live at a corporate prison compound and everything you eat and use adds to your "bill" that you're working to pay off. People never leave, and the corporation basically gets cheap slave labor.

Occupy Wall Street was horribly organized and an utter failure, but the core ideology behind the origins of the movement are too important to simply dismiss. A systemic concentration of wealth has been happening on this planet, and no matter how hard you work or try -- those "boot straps" have a limited tensile strength. You can only pull so hard.

We are literally going to eventually see a very, very, small minority of people (maybe half a percent) of the world's population living in heavily fortified compounds, serviced by robots and those lucky enough to somehow secure servant jobs. The rest of us will be left to rot in the toxic wasteland that has become Earth -- as the elites have completed raping and trashing the ecosystem so thoroughly it's become barley hospitable.

I believe wholeheartedly that Dubai is a prototype for the 1%. Geologically stable, ocean access, surrounded by inhospitable desert....what angry mob of humans could trek across the Arabian peninsula to pillage that shrine to wealth?

And yet people still think that there's going to be a place for them in this future. They somehow think that they're going to be among the lucky ones. These people vote against their own long term interests because they've bought into the idea that someone of another skin color or religion is actually causing their misfortune.

a reply to: Mandroid7

Sh*t man, what did I say about those who don't watch it. I don't care what you have to say because you're just speaking about something that you chose not to even watch. You have nothing of value to say about it because you won't listen to the information provided.

I don't care about his personal politics. This isn't about him personally. I don't care if you don't like him either. It's what he's saying that is important. If you disagree with what he says, fine, we can discuss that. But you have to listen to him first still to know what he says.

FFS, I made it perfectly clear not to comment if you don't plan on even listening to it. So why would you still do it??? You added nothing of value to this thread other than your own sh*tty premature bias about the man himself and even that was unsupported. SHUT UP!!!

If you want to comment, fine, watch it and comment on what is said in the video!!!

originally posted by: Mandroid7
If you were honest, you would disclose this guys political agenda
before people spend an hour watching your lame video.

If you think like this guy, you need a new role model.

Horrible speech by a political drone.

*gasp*

God forbid you are exposed to something that counters what you want to believe!

I guess the OP should have included some kind of trigger warning...

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

F*ck!!! You too???

Nobody has had time to listen to even half of it yet, but still all of you are commenting about it. Nothing of detail or about anything he saying either of course. Just unsupported general opinions about nothing.

If you think he's wrong. Great. Note down the specifics of why he's wrong and let's discuss when you're done watching. But don't f*cking act like you know what's been said without watching it at least.

I'm not saying you have to agree. Don't agree. But don't comment without first knowing what is said. Is it that hard???

a reply to: mOjOm

I’ve seen it months ago. Even then I couldn’t make it through. I don’t only think he’s wrong, but a relativist liar unable to practice what he preaches.

originally posted by: Kettu

originally posted by: Mandroid7
If you were honest, you would disclose this guys political agenda
before people spend an hour watching your lame video.

If you think like this guy, you need a new role model.

Horrible speech by a political drone.

*gasp*

God forbid you are exposed to something that counters what you want to believe!

I guess the OP should have included some kind of trigger warning...

Yeah, god would forbid this a-hole

-for manipulating non-thinkers in church, trying to shape society with their own sick version of reality and morality
training people to "feel" like they need a certain stance, to continue their own agendas.

About all the time I will spend arguing with emotion based decision makers.

a reply to: mOjOm

This guy started off with a quote from Karl Marx.
Mr. Hedges seems to be concerned with the national debt, but seems to have forgot what the National debt rose to under a socialist agenda. I couldn't take anymore from him. Just another disingenuous mouthpiece for the never Trump crowd.

a reply to: mOjOm

I've got it in on the background



There's always going to be people who don't want to bother taking the time before opening their mouths. It's probably better to just not feed them.

Since they didn't bother to watch or listen, their opinions and views are irrelevant and should be discarded/ignored.

There's a disturbing trend I've noticed here. Topics that are critical of a particular ideology are intentionally taken off-topic. The OP is baited into making off topic posts that are against the terms and conditions of the site, and eventually the entire discussion thread is deleted.

Don't let that happen. Ignore the irrelevant commentary by people who have no intention of having any kind of actual discussion about the topic at hand. These people seem to get away ruining threads, but as the author -- you need to hold yourself to a higher standard.

Stay strong dude, some of us see the value in the topic.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Ok, if you say you've seen it, I'll have to trust you.

That's totally fine you disagree with him. But that doesn't tell me anything.

What do you disagree with him about. Because he covers many areas and many various groups and ideas.

What do you disagree with and why??? What can you show to oppose his take on things??

a reply to: 3daysgone

Ok, that's a starting point. I guess the idea that any of you will watch more than 10 seconds was a fantasy.

But let's take that quote. Who cares if it was Marx who said it. What about it was wrong???

Just because you don't like Marx doesn't mean everything he ever said was incorrect ya know.

I mean come on. Break down what is being said. If it's wrong then say why.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Ok, if you say you've seen it, I'll have to trust you.

That's totally fine you disagree with him. But that doesn't tell me anything.

What do you disagree with him about. Because he covers many areas and many various groups and ideas.

What do you disagree with and why??? What can you show to oppose his take on things??

I disagree with all of it. Pick any sentence.

a reply to: mOjOm

Ok, that's a starting point. I guess the idea that any of you will watch more than 10 seconds was a fantasy.

Oh no. I will watch it all. I just have to do it in increments.

But let's take that quote. Who cares if it was Marx who said it. What about it was wrong???

Everything. Marx was speaking about only a capitalistic situation with no socialistic situation to contain it. We are a capitalistic and socialistic society.

Just because you don't like Marx doesn't mean everything he ever said was incorrect ya know.

I didn't say I didn't like Marx. You don't have to hate someone in order to disagree with them.

I mean come on. Break down what is being said. If it's wrong then say why.

What part about the National debt raising to an all time high under a socialist agenda didn't you understand?