Customer Reviews

In the Absence of the Sacred

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

...

The picture Mander paints has a vast, web-like look andfeel to
it, extending from the vastness of the Canadian Northwest Territories,
into the boardrooms of the major oil conglomerates, the programming
chambers of the television studios, the daily lives of
once-free-roaming, nomadic Indian cultures, governmental "Think
Chambers", the back rooms where the exploitation of the moon and
the possible resources of Mars is being planned, and of course, the
burgeoning internet about which many have scarecly a clue as to its
worst and greatest potentials. And, surprisingly, your
bedroom. Highlighting several points won't get the point of the book
across because on any one of them, the reader of this review could
say, "Well, that one doesn't much bother me." or "Well,
I can't do much about that." or "Gee, that's too bad for
those poor indians, but what could I possibly do to change that? I
have so much going on already.", and the important message of the
book would be completely overlooked. ("Well, what's the
point?" you might be asking. Please forgive me. I swore not to
spoonfeed the answers.)

I strongly suggest that you -do not- read
this book if you are living a comfortable lifestyle, or at least hope
to live one. There's no point in upsetting yourself if you're not
willing to be different in order to make a difference in the future of
the world. We might want to be different, or imagine we would be
different if we were certain it would help things, but what this book
speaks of isn't on the level of 'conspiracy theory', it's about what
is actually happening right now...

Again, it doesn't pin down any
one thing. It pulls in everything starting with the most basic
elements: lack of truth in advertising; exploitation of humans as
consumer addicts; corporations as -real entities-, composed of people,
that share a single-pointed focus on accomplishing a -central aim-
(and not necessarily their stated one) at all costs; and many other
elements that add up to a "web" that we humans have
unwittingly become tangled in. The web tangles those who know about
it, and those who don't know about it equally, but the one's who think
they know about it sometimes imagine that they are better off than
those who don't know about it. So, what does one do? The book
addresses this question.

This reviewer believes that any attempt to
diminish the ideas in the book by associating them with some existing
philosopy such as Neo-Ludditism (broadly : a philosophy of being
opposed to technological change) would be a misdirection. The
underlying motivation behind this book is not to increase paranoia and
resistance for resistance's sake, but to introduce the = reader, to as
full of an extent as possible, to the conditions and circumstances
under which she currently lives and must become aware of if any
lasting change is to be possible.

This book should be required reading for every American. This book will take years of corporate and government brain-washing out of your newly enlightened skull. The next time our president calls another nation "evil", you may want to take a good look at our nation's past, present, and possible future. Mander describes Indian cultures that base current decisions on how they will effect childred 7 generations from now. Imagine our short sighted, consumption driven society, even attempting this. The book confirms what I already feel, that unless society changes the way we live and view the natural world, our future is grim. The Indians see the errors in our ways. They know our fate. The question is if we will listen to them in time to save our greedy little selves.

No one could accuse author and scholar Jerry Mander of sitting on the fence regarding his position concerning the so-called "Third Wave' of technological changes cascading through our society and culture. Indeed, this book has been described as a powerfully written broadside against the headlong rush into what Mander terms to be "Megatechnology", which is the combination of a number of particularly dangerous aspects of technological innovation, creating synergistic effect he believes will ultimately will be dangerous to us as individuals, consumers, and citizens. Many of the ideas he uses so effectively here were first broached in an earlier book, "Four Arguments For The Elimination Of Television".

The author uses a variety of examples to show how the public has been deliberately manipulated and misled by a variety of boosters and cheerleaders for technological innovation, ranging from corporations, the media, academics, and even the government. This, he contends, has led to the emergence of several particularly dangerous predominant technologies such as television, genetic and molecular engineering, and computers. What is surprising is the amount of evidence Mander produces showing clearly adverse aspects of each technology, evidence which heretofore has been deliberately omitted from public scrutiny by the aggregated sponsors and cheerleaders of the technology, who obviously have a vested interest in stacking the deck in favor of their particular interest. While he sometimes strains the reader's patience with arguments that use of a technology such as computers benefits the rise of corporate globalism more than it does individuals, Mander still manages to prove why we must be more aware of the meaning of these technologies in terms of our own self-interest, and in the interest of the community at large.

At base, what the author is really arguing for is a return to greater personal responsibility through the restoration of more traditional attitudes and values about our connection to the wider community and to an ethic of social responsibility. To the degree we allow ourselves to continue to be isolated and segregated from the community and its human-oriented interests, the more we play into the hands of forces that wish to fragment this orientation in order to better control resources, social patterns, and participation in the global economy by more forcefully orienting us toward lives as material consumers. Indeed, Mander argues, every aspect of the so-called "New World Order" is designed to acquaint and socialize us into adopting a new orientation that defines citizenship ever more exclusively as enthusiastic consumerism.

If Mander sometimes seems a bit shrill and even romantic in his approach, urging us to return to more traditional orientations in small human communities, moving toward more sustainable lifestyles, he counters by reminding us that having the degree of faith evident in contemporary society regarding the outcome of the hell-bent thrust toward economic globalism is also quite a romantic orientation, especially given our almost medieval understanding of just what this new technologically-oriented corporate-ascendant society would look like, or what it would be like to have to live in a world where corporate economic imperatives significantly influence every aspect of our lives. Given the events of the last year with Enron, Tyko, Global Crossing, and other corporate conglomerates, who can have much faith in either their vision or their integrity? Thousands lost their life savings due to nothing less than unbridled corporate greed! This is hardly the pedigree one wants to recommend for our collective futures. We would do well to heed his warning and to each become much better informed. This book can help! Enjoy!

I resisted many of the ideas in this book when I first read them. ("I'm a good guy! How could my life be harmful to Indians?!") I kept at it, figuring if I reacted so strongly, it must have been hitting close to home!

While Mander is sometimes pretty heavy-handed with his arguments, he challenges a lot of assumptions in a straight-forward, deliberate, compelling way that ultimately led me to make some concrete changes in my life. Can't promise that for everyone-- but if you've a gut feeling that says the way we live as a country is a little nuts, this book may help confirm your suspicions. It also manages to offer a few solutions.

I read this book several years ago. It is still with me. I find it creeping into my views at the least likely moments. As a marketing professional myself, I am keenly aware of Mander's tales of how media is routinely manipulated to produce a "world view", compatible with the needs of industry under the pretense of "best case scenarios." Though it is obvious, few people understand that thier views are almost entirely the product of political and media forces that have been working on them since childhood. Invariably, those forces are predisposed to the cause of industry. What, if anything do we actually 'think', that hasn't been funded to be thought about, by one industry or another? What passes for 'good taste' or an 'intelligent viewpoint' didn't get to become that by accident. Given the enormous budget it takes to produce any kind of "share of mind" in this culture, does anyone one really think opposing points of view to those of industry, have any chance whatsoever, of being heard in this society? If you do, I pity your ridiculous, pathetic, humourous delusion. But to catch a glimpse, just look at the garbage you throw out every week if you want to see who you really are. Do you really know where it all goes? Do you really understand why so much waste has to be produced just to get you to buy things? Do you even care?

If perchance, you have even the slightest sense that there is something deeper within you. An indigenous soul lurking somewhere beneath the years of corporate-paid info-strata you've been layering, this book will help fortify the feeling. You still will have miles to go. But this book, for some, could play an essential role in helping to awake from the deep slumber corporations pay so heavily to keep us in.

This is simply the most important and eye-opening non-fiction book I've ever read. The author, Jerry Mander, puts forth two major postulates: first, that technology is not necessarily always good for humanity, and in fact, is often quite the opposite; and second, that Western Civilization is on a crash course with self-destruction, and the folks who can save our sinking ship are the indigenous peoples of the world, who already know the formula for long-term survival, even though we've never bothered to listen. Both theories resonate with me. Both are, in the final analysis, true. Both should be heeded. This is a great book.

By the author of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, this is actually a manifesto for a popular revolution against banks, corporations, and states-a peaceful cultural revolution that has as its objectives the restoration of land ownership to the commonwealth; the acceptance of alternative economic models that optimize group cohesion instead of individual or organizational profit; and the liberation of 3,000 nations of relatively distinct groups from the subjugation imposed by the states that now have sovereign (that is to say, violent coercive) power over the individuals and groups that fall within their imposed territorial claims.

The most disturbing and unforgettable book I've read. Warning! Be prepared for the crushing weight of enlightenment. Awareness, and clear perception can be painful and haunting.So powerful it can change your life, maybe even rob your life of joy.Make sure you want to know before reading this book...........

This book is a 'MUST READ' for those interested in Environmental Issues, Technology, Indigenous Peoples, the True Intentions of Corporations & Governments (particularly the US Govt) & General Spirituality - and the connections between each of these.

Whether you agree of disagree, this book will SHOCK you out of your HAZE of day to day life. Thereafter you will hopefully begin the process of waking up to the truth of our existence. This is the effect it's had on me.

A brilliant account of our era - step out of your 'life' for a few hours and take a look in!

What you see may anger and disillusion you, but i feel much of it is the truth and ultimately only the truth will set you on the right course and let you be you free.

Did you know that our very own Constitution is based on the Iroquois Confederacy? Did you know that US government officials are still trying to steal land from Indians, this time through trickery and treaty-breaking? Did you know that watching TV puts your brain into a "passive-receptive" mode, letting images settle directly into your subconscious? Want to know more?

Jerry Mander writes extensively about how technology has failed to keep its promise of utopia, and the dangers presented by unrestricted megatechnology, the current situation of some of the world's indigenous peoples, and how we may be saved by heeding what we are so quickly destroying. The first half of the book is a wake-up call to the dangers of our unrestrained acceptance of technology, and the second half is sort of a Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee for the present day. HIGHLY recommended.