Chris Hedges with David Talbot, Unspeakable (2016) — a book review

© 2016 Peter Free

 

22 November 2016

 

 

Superb — a concise indictment of the antihumanitarian corporatist state

 

In — Unspeakable: Chris Hedges on the Most Forbidden Topics in America (Holt Books/Skyhorse Publishing, 2016) — Chris Hedges and David Talbot teamed up to create:

 

 

the most concisely cogent argument against "inverted totalitarianism" that you will probably come across

 

and

 

a persuasive case for exhibiting morally based commitment to truth at all costs.

 

 

In a sense, Unspeakable is an implied theological comment about how to be in society.

 

 

The gist

 

Hedges, a Harvard seminary-trained and former New York Times war correspondent, is essentially an ethicist doing journalism. Now marginalized by both mainstream media and the powers that be, he supports himself writing, speaking and teaching college level courses in a supermax prison.

 

Unspeakable rapidly traces the origins and evolution of Chris Hedges' morally based hostility to how wealthy oligarchy has captured democratic institutions to its selfish, humanity-damning purposes.

 

Staying true to his activist minister father, Hedges' guiding light is social involvement done with absolute moral integrity:

 

 

If you measure your success by your impact and you feel you have a significant impact, then you will easily be seduced into re-configuring what you do.

 

Niebuhr wrote that in moments of extremity "nothing but madness will do battle with malignant power and spiritual wickedness in high places." Without it, as Niebuhr said, "trugh is obscured."

 

Once we learn how to die — which as Cornel West points out means freeing ourselves from fear along with psychic and psychological bondage — we can learn how to live.

 

Hannah Arendt says the "only morally reliable people are not those who say "this is wrong" or "this should not be done" but those who say "I can't."

 

© 2016 Chris Hedges with David Talbot, Unspeakable: Chris Hedges on the Most Forbidden Topics in America (Holt Books/Skyhorse Publishing, 2016) (respectively at pages 114, 112, 146 and 147)

 

 

Only 149 pages

 

I will not spoil this short book with further quotations.

 

David Talbot's precisely framed, provocative questions keep the book's theme unerringly on track. This is as concisely an on-point job of interviewing as it is possible to do.

 

No blather. No lax editing. One memorable statement and insight after another.

 

 

Properly printed

 

The text is spaced for easy reading. Questions are set off in bolded italic font.

 

 

Recommended — to people who recognize that soulful integrity is a human being's only worthwhile measure

 

And a useful guide for the few born to become what Buddhists might call social bodhissatvas.

 

Unspeakable is an action-calling gem to those willing to exercise open minded heart. The rest, perhaps, should give it a miss.