TIP OF THE HAT: AMERICAN PSYCHOSIS

I thought I would call your attention to a Vimeo documentary film, American Psychosis by Amanda Zackem. It’s short, less than 15 minutes, but it succinctly articulates the reasons behind the ‘cognitive dissonance’ many people feel today, when what they are told about our society is in conflict with how it really is. It's based on a 2017 article  by American writer Chris Hedges, which comments on the erosion of democratic institutions and safeguards, and the rise of populism (Hedges calls it a “rising despotism”) within the American body-politic. the film is a concise summary of the dangers we face when the lines between fact and fiction blur, and when we allow lies to stand in place of the truth.

     Hedges is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author of several books that address inequality and social injustice in the United States and elsewhere, and he comments weekly on the truthdig news-zine website. He also has a weekly interview program, On Contact, with the RT America cable TV network (and yes, the "R" in “RT” stands for "Russia", as in Russia Today, comrade). He writes powerfully and passionately about politics and society, of course with a focus on his native land. But just because we may live outside the US, shouldn’t make us complacent. What happens in the United States today may well happen here tomorrow. 

                                                                                AMERICAN PSYCHOSIS: