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I wonder how Mr. Chomsky feels about fascists co-opting his analysis of media power. The right-wing has spent years convincing its base that "mainstream media" is corrupt. This harkens back to the fascist propaganda tool of using a small truth to perpetrate a big lie. The fascists have made shared reality a thing of the past. Now you can believe what you want to believe and they'll tell you what that is.

Noam Chomsky's Media Control was the first analysis of society and politics that I consumed that wasn't based in a partisan consensus. In describing propaganda and how it has been used throughout the twentieth century, he admonishes the Clintons just as much as the Bushes. Media control, Chomsky tells us, doesn't serve any party in particular, but the beneficiaries of capitalism. This was a radical insight to a much younger me who was struggling to understand why the American Dream wasn't turning out the way I was told it would.

Singsaas is describing the many small streams that are few and far between to refer to the "good days" after the onset of tinnitus. Eventually these become more frequent until they are the river, the majority of days. The tinnitus still exists, but the anxiety that is felt about it gradually fades, given the right mindset.

Frode Singsaas describes the onset of his tinnitus as occurring suddenly, at work, and thinking he was hearing the fire alarm. When he moved to evacuate, it dawned on him that no one else was and that the noise he was hearing was coming from inside his own head. A Roaring Silence was a quick read, something I desperately gobbled up in a search for answers and solace as I confronted this condition myself. While the book may be a bit redundant in parts I enjoyed it overall. It helped dampen some of the anxiety I was feeling and provided my first glimpse of hope when my world was turned upside-down.

Media perceptions of the ways people react to disaster are cynical, twisted, and overblown. Even when looting and property crime happen, its typically in the name of survival. Even when it's in excess of this - people running off with luxury items - it's a reflection of a society in which wealth is in the hands of the few and the poor are denied anything of value.

I think this is the allure of so much dystopian fiction today. People want the system to crumble because the system (capitalism) restricts their liberty and keeps us alienated.

I always enjoy Margaret's writing. This was a quick and enjoyable read that, for all its brevity, still managed to expand my mind.

There are few books I would say are must-reads. I wish everyone would read this book. Solnit does an amazing job recounting some of the worst disasters (mainly in the U.S.) over the past 100 years. In doing so, she paints a picture that contrasts the state response to disaster with the ways that everyday folks build paradises in hell. An amazing book well conceived and well written. 5/5

There are few books I would consider must-reads. This is a book I wish everyone would read. Solnit does an amazing job of recounting some of the major disasters to occur (mainly in the U.S.) over the last hundred years. In doing so, she illustrates the stark contrast between the state response to disaster and how everyday people come together to create a paradise in the midst of hell. This book is a treasure. Well conceived and well executed. I honestly don't remember when I read it. The dates are random times in the past.