The Empire Of Illusion Summary

Followers create the influence necessary for a leader to have authority. Without it the organization will stagnate.

Trickery can be useful for companies wanting to sell products or entertainment. It helps actors, and especially politicians who need to gain support. To be able to make others believe in something that may not be true is an amazing skill to have but not the most essential as Hedge claims. A reason why artifice is not the most essential skill to have is because of the side effects that comes with it. In the end it is better if you are honest about things and try to find more positive things to gain support or money. It may be tempting to trick others especially if they are stubborn or strongly opposed you and your values but all together it will not work out and will not last. The most essential skill is not artifice because there are leaders that actually follow through with giving support

Have you ever wondered why it can be so hard to tell the truth, or why it seems better to tell a lie? In both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Rob Marshall’s Chicago, characters lie because they feel that it is easier. However, lying leads to a downward- spiral. The society we live in can either lead us to a complicated relationship with the truth or easy going. The problem with constantly telling lies is that it starts off with one then leads to another until everything you say is a lie. People know it is easier to tell lies than face the truth because they are either doing it for money, or protection for themselves, people they love, or relationships. Yes, telling lies can help but imagine the damage you’re building up on the way. Nobody likes liars and liars can be found anywhere, even families lie to each other. Relationships are just like thin pieces of paper that make small tears to it every time a lie is told. The paper can be put back together but it will never be the same or be seen the same.

One reason that people will follow a corrupt leader is that the people will look for anyone else to leave them other than their current leader. “All at once, Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of the frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing a knife behind him was Roger, fighting to get close. The chant rose ritually, as at the last moment of a dance or a hunt” (114). Even though Jack was hurting one of his friends, they still wanted to follow him because he could protect them and Ralph could not. Jack was also the only other boy who could lead them. A second example of this is “Why do you hate

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln. Once you give a man power, it all goes downhill from there. In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is one group of boys on an island. The boys elect one chief, Ralph, but another bigun thinks he’s a better chief. So the other boy, Jack, leaves and forms a new tribe with most of the boys. After a little bit of time, the groups start to fight resulting in a couple of deaths. Why would people follow a corrupt leader like Jack? They follow them because they feel like the new leader can help them better than the old one, they think that the leader can provide for them and it doesn’t matter who that leader is, they will follow them because there’s no one else to follow.

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).

In today’s society, many people are faced with big audiences, or in a position where it requires them to win over consumers. In an excerpt from “Empire to Illusion” by Chris Hedges, he claims that the state of having fake qualities or being “artifice” is most essential when in a leadership position. In many ways, this wouldn’t and isn’t the most important skill to have in a position like this since there are other qualities to obtain people’s interest. To acknowledge the flip side, there are different leading styles, and also different definitions of success. These factors are valid to have, respect, and consider, but is deception and artificial personalities the best option? Even though deception may work for some leaders, Hedges makes it sound like deception is the only way to success when it isn’t.

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.

Loyalty is key. To get others to be loyal, then a leader must be as well. Making stupid decisions with their money won’t make them followers. People will follow a great leader whether they agree or not.

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.

America needs good followers, and through these great leaders can be produced to lead our world the way that it used to be run. However what is a good follower? A good follower is someone that trusts their leaders and can stand by what they believe in. In The Follower Problem David Brookes states that, “more people are cynical and like to pretend they are better than everyone else around them”. This shows us how our followers in the west of the world act today.

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.

Effective followership is an essential component of effective leadership in that, without good followers, the leader’s work is difficult and cumbersome. The role of the follower is many times understated. As illustrated by Kelley (1998), “effective followers are thinkers; energetic and assertive, self-starters, independent problem solvers, and carry out their tasks with these characteristics (p. 143). Effective followers also are characterized by their ability to perform tasks with little supervision, their intelligence, and ability to think for themselves. We are all followers, even those who consider themselves leaders; so to encourage this effectiveness in others; we must be role models for those under us, so that they may also be effective at following. Chaleff (2009) observed that “all important social accomplishments require complex

Followers help leaders manifest their vision. Successful followers (supporters or team members) come in a wide variety of personal characteristics. There are people who may be good followers who do not make good leaders or even want to be leaders, but there are no good leaders who are not good followers. A good leader was once a follower. Without followers there is no leadership in any organization. Leaders can develop effective followers as followers develop effective leaders. The performance of followers and leaders of an organization are variables that depend on one another. Both roles are proactive together they can

The leader and follower relationship is looked at as winners and losers, when it is actually a symbiotic association. (Chaleff) Leaders cannot exist without followers and followers cannot exist without a leader. Leaders can forget that they need the backing of a solid team of followers in order to succeed. Because they make the “important” decisions and enjoy an astronomical rate of pay, it is easy to overlook the loyal, hard working individuals that make everything happen under them. Followers too can forget that they are a valuable element of a successful organization, and that their feedback and ideas are welcome.