Reality TV Hits Rock Bottom

Doctors, nutritionists and physiologists express doubt about “The Biggest Loser.” The program’s regimen of severe caloric restriction and up to six hours a day of strenuous exercise can cause contestants to sometimes lose more than 15 pounds a week.

Debates about "political correctness", whether in the race, gender, or ethnicity conflicts can only be explained by the culture of prudery which prevails in American political discourse of all sorts. Like the 'sexual crimes' mania in the media.

No mammals are monogamous (in the sense of being sexually exclusive), and only three percent even bother pair bonding. Our genes want us primed to pursue promising new genetic opportunities even if we risk not "living happily ever after."

Long working hours and status consumption have the English-speaking world in their grip. They are the bane of all of us. We are on a treadmill. As obedient hamsters we work to turn the wheel, then shop to relieve the stress and boredom. We're fucked.

Next time you go shopping and focus mostly on getting a bargain, not only are you likely to get merchandise of lower quality, but you're making the world a worse place by contributing to the exploitation of the working class and 'sweatshop' labor.

How did such a sizeable portion of modern society develop into a post-literate, fantasy-fueled, perma-reality show? Chris Hedges joins us to discuss his new book: The Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.

Rather than questioning the real political motives behind Sarkozy’s manipulative ban-the-burqa campaign, many 'leftish' intellectuals view this proposal as a progressive step to fight against the rise of Islamism in Europe and the western world.

The King of Pop is dead. You can see the vultures circling. In our capitalist culture, performing artists have to deal with a public pillorying that actually ought to be reserved for the war criminals and thieves who have always owned this society.

Given the powerful economic forces that have a self-interest in colonizing our consciousness (marketers routinely talk about seizing "mindshare"), finding effective ways to protect our contemplative consciousness is going to be a formidable task.

The power of western cultural propaganda never ceases to amaze me. Most of the people protesting on the streets in Tehran have well-off Mummies and Daddies who provide satellite dishes and internet connections for their spoiled children.

Metaphors for US imperialism, like "Star Trek", appeal only during a certain kind of rise in the power of American hegemony. I had hoped the film would make empire Obama-style happen. But that's an illusion. Hope turns aggression into 'good wars.'