Disposable Futures The Seduction of Violence in the Age of Spectacle

Drawing inspiration from Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle and a wide range of other free thinkers and intellectuals, Brad Evans and Henry A. Giroux analyze how today's dominant economic system?neoliberalism?uses consumerism, privatization, and mass media to neutralize and control the public's participation in its own affairs. The consequence, they argue, is a "mode of existence that encourages us all to become voyeurs of suffering, while denying us the ability of connecting subjugation and willful oppression to wider systemic forces." Brimming with ideas and insights, Disposable Futures offers a sweeping, big-picture critique of consumption-driven society and how state and corporate power use and abuse violence to redefine citizenship, national security, and economics in order to enrich the few. From movies and entertainment to extreme weather and acts of terror, Evans and Giroux take readers on a fascinating exploration of politics, culture, and power to expose how the production of spectacle shapes and controls social realities while diminishing meaningful civic life and community. Centered on the power of public education, Evans's and Giroux's critique is rooted in a deep sense of hope in humanity and the emancipatory possibilities for dignified and nonviolent forms of living, learning, and resisting. Brad Evans and Henry A. Giroux are internationally renowned educators, authors, and intellectuals. Together, they curate a forum for Truthout.com that explores the theme of "Disposable Futures." Evans is director of histories of violence project at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Giroux holds the global TV network chair professorship at McMaster University.