Empire Of Illusion Analysis

Although many people may like to think of America as a honest and moral nation, it is no secret that artifice has cemented itself as an indispensable skill, exploited by many to achieve their own ambitions. Artifice, characterized through the usage of cunning devices or expedients to deceive others, is often utilized by politicians and organizations to help push their own agendas. As illustrated by Chris Hedges in his social commentary, Empire of Illusion, “artifice” has emerged to become so ubiquitous and essential throughout American society, whether in business or the entertainment industry. Essential, in the essence that without it, people in any industry are more likely to be disadvantaged in achieving their personal goals. In today’s modern world, no area has seen more abuse of artifice than in the field of media and politics. Its common knowledge that newspapers skew reports to their own biases and politicians often tell half-truths to cover-up ulterior motives. Unfortunately, these politicians and media giants hold extremely influential positions in society, and their usage of artifice is extremely damaging to the integrity and accountability within the United States. As a result, the press as well as the general populace must utilize free speech to expose this behavior. Despite the complete immorality of the usage of artifice, such chicanery remains essential for success in media and politics.

“Political leaders who use the tools of mass propaganda to create a sense of faux intimacy with citizens, no longer need to be competent, sincere, or honest.” In the quote, Hedges is explaining who uses artifice and what they do with their power. Artifice is a skill that is difficult to maintain and keep realistic. Being the most essential skill, artifice is the art of deceiving. People’s ideas and thoughts are altered for the gain of one and the loss of another. Everyone will need artifice at some point in their life to get the attention, item, or person they want. Specifically, our current President, Donald Trump, uses artifice all too much. He has exceeded his use of artifice. Trump won was because of his excellent use of artifice. He was able to persuade enough people to vote for him and his changes he would fulfill. Artifice takes quite skill to make believable for your audience. The importance of artifice during his ruling is immense, making it the most essential skill.

questionable authenticity in the eyes of others, and at times, even in how they view

As a society we are guided by false veneers and deceit. Artifice is unfortunately a prominent tactic used in hope of gaining the respect of the public. Politicians and celebrities who we look up to utilize artifice on a daily basis to gain our recognition and approval. Even teenagers are being taught how to use artifice to their advantage. Chris Hedges believes that the use of artifice is a necessary device to achieve success. In his book, The Empire of Illusion, he discusses the appeal of artifice and how individuals become “unreal” and “ignored” if they do not utilize it. His viewpoint is immensely untrue because this “strategy” causes a never-ending cycle of conflict. If we continue to feign our true appearances, we will become unable to fix societal issues we face to today.

In an excerpt from Empire of Illusion, Christopher Hedges argues that “the most essential skill in political theater and a consumer culture is artifice...Those who are best at deception succeed. Those who have not mastered the art of entertainment, who fail to create a narrative or do not have one fashioned for them by their handlers, are ignored. They become “unreal”” (Empire of Illusion). Today, the ideology of “the most essential skill [being] artifice” to reveal the truth or reach the favored outcome is prevalent and portrayed across various media. For instance, in Hamlet written in the early 17th century, William Shakespeare portrays Polonius as a nobleman who advocates for techniques of deception to achieve his goal. In addition, detectives implement this method of misleading in interrogation rooms to evoke a true confession. Similarly, politicians, like Donald Trump, delude the public by creating distractions that sway their attention from the more pressing topic. Examples from literature to modern government demonstrate that many hold the belief that “the most essential skill...is artifice” to achieve the desired outcome (Empire of Illusion).

“This is true.” (O’Brien, 420) – with this simple statement which also represents a first, three-word introductory paragraph to Tim O’Brien’s short story, “How to Tell a True War Story”, the author reveals the main problem of what will follow. “Truth” – when looked up in a dictionary, we would probably find definitions similar to sincerity and honesty on the one hand, and correctness, accuracy or reality on the other hand. When looking at these definitions, one can make out two groups of meaning: While sincerity and honesty are very subjective, correctness or accuracy are supposed to be objective by nature. One can be sincere and still not report the truth, due to the simple fact

The credibility of a person depends on many different elements. Credibility can pertain to trustworthiness and expertise. Trustworthiness is affected by things like reliability and characteristics of the person. Expertise is affected by credentials and proven skill (Flanagin, Metzger, 4). The same person may be perceived as credible at one point in time, but may lack credibility later in time. Credibility is largely based on what we as a society are experiencing during that time period. Small things may affect credibility that we would not originally think to include. If a person were to see an ad every day about a certain lawyer, they might think of the lawyer if it comes a time for them to need a lawyer. But if someone were to hear about how wonderful a certain lawyer is from a friend or coworker, that person would be more likely to use that lawyer if the need arose. It stands to reason that people are more likely to trust people they know blindly when it comes to credibility. Appearance is another aspect of credibility that would not always be considered. Much of the time it is subconscious, but people are more likely to trust a person or service if the staff or spokesperson is attractive physically

The art of deception is an essential skill, especially in moments such as political debates and commercial promotions. In today's society, artifice is a widely utilized skill to persuade the public. The commercial market connects producers to consumers through propaganda which appeals to consumers through elements such as pathos, ethos, and logos. Utilizing these elements, the audience is immediately drawn into the viewpoint of the deceiver. Politicians tried to appear as ordinary and modest as possible to seem more appealing to their audience. But, it can be a deception. As Chris Hedges said in his Empire of Illusion, a story is the best form of artifice because the “consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount.” Often politicians tell stories to create a persona making themselves look more trustworthy.

Baseline Writing On behalf of this passage from the Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges, his argument stated, is that “the most essential skill...is artifice”. Artifice plays an important role in a variety of ways. In my opinion, I strongly agree alongside with Chris Hedges that the most essential skill is artifice in which case, plays a huge role in political theater and in a consumer culture. The variety of ways artifice can be used highly in mass propaganda, which will have either a positive or negative effect on the citizens.

If used correctly language can change the entire context of any statement and Tara brown the reporting interviewer made full use of her extensive vocabulary to construct powerful statements all alluding to Belle Gibson’s ‘Fraud’. Tara Brown uses multiple ways of describing Gibson as a Liar. Examples of this include Brown describing some of the things Gibson stated as Questionable, Misleading, Fraudulent, Astonishing Fabrications, Elaborate Fairy-tales and even blatantly stating Belle was lying. Now in using these terms Tara Brown elicits a certain response from the audience. This response draws from the general public’s dislike for Frauds and Liars and it is common for news vendors to make this apparent only to draw from it. These terms all are used with the intention to make the viewer’s feel as though they have been personally lied to as well as to display belle’s actions in a negative manner. In using her language correctly Tara has made Gibson out to be a lair and used this to her advantage to gain this specific response from the

The New York Times includes important sources thato help the reader feel more secure about the information given. The type of propaganda that the journalists Mark Landler and Jonathan Weisman often used thewas Testimonial device. The New York Times’ quotes in the article were by people who are well- known by the populace. A quote stated by someone who is well recognized generally helps the reader believe what is being said versus a quote by a person who is not well recognized. This is why Landler and Weisman decided to include President Obama and Secretary of¬ State John Kerry in for quotes in their article. By using these individuals, it also links the story and helps verify the information that was given to the targeted audience. End The Lie’s article had numerous quotes, but some were by recognizable people and others were anonymous. Having an anonymous source in an article is skeptical because anyone could have said it, and that person may not know much about the Russian proposal or the any other diplomatic path that is trying to be focusedsolutions. Also, on or the journalist could have easily added their own opinion by quoting themselves and hiding behind an anonymous source.

In the book Empire of Illusion, by Chris Hedges, Hedges states that “The most essential skill in political theatre and consumer culture is artifice.” Hedges statement is correct, in that in order to succeed in political theatre and consumer culture one must deceive their audience. Hedges argument emphasises the importance of creating emotional appeal and intimacy with your audience even if they faux. In order to succeed in political theatre and consumer culture, it is crucial to create emotional appeal, and display that to one’s audience.

The key aspect discussed in this paper is how one can be deceived by the most significant body part humans depend on the most. Researchers have conducted experiments to determine if other factors affect the overestimation of vertical lines compared to horizontal. Other researchers have conducted studies to justify why people tend to identify vertical distance longer compared to horizontal distances of equal lengths. For example, Hamburger and Hansen (2010) conducted a research that identified factors that would help understand the horizontal vertical illusion to see if that justified the overestimation or if other factors were involved (p.1045). The experiment consisted of the manipulation of the horizontal and vertical lines by changing the

Since that is precisely what happens in front of an audience. We pay great cash to go see a show knowing very well indeed that what we're going to see isn't genuine. We suspend our incredulity and get tied up with the display that strangers are falling in love, passing on, and deceiving each other right in front of us. We pay for a lie… and we cherish each moment of it.

The only thing in my life that I can be positive about is change. Everything changes, from the moment we’re born to the moment we die. Reality has many twist and turns, and our perception of reality is what shapes us to become who we are. Our life is spent on deciphering the difference between reality and not reality. This is hard to define because reality is unique to each individual.