The author looks at the recent two Washington Mall performances put on by media celebrities to manage the increasing anger of people who are suffering from the bankster engineered economic collapse. He notes that both groups, the right-wing and the liberals (I wish Hedges would stop describing them as a class), used their performances to attack a phantom radical left. What is the significance of these performances?
They both were performed because the capitalist ruling class fears any radical left forming in reaction to the current economic crisis. Because of the economic collapse, there is bound to be criticisms of, and attacks on, the capitalist system. They were both performed precisely to prevent this from happening. They were both designed to head off any discussion of alternatives to business as usual under capitalism. This is all a part of the ruling class' "manufacturing consent" program.
The modern spectacle...is a potent tool for pacification and depoliticization. It is a “permanent opium war” which stupefies its viewers and disconnects them from the forces that control their lives. The spectacle diverts anger toward phantoms and away from the perpetrators of exploitation and injustice. It manufactures feelings of euphoria. It allows participants to confuse the spectacle itself with political action.Also, check out William Blum's observations about Jon Stewart's Mall performance.
