Living in the Number One Country: Reflections From a Critic of American Empire

by Herbert I. Schiller

Overview

Living in the Number One Country is Herbert I. Schiller's chronicle of the symbiotic relationship between post-WWII American Empire and the substance and technology of the communications businesses. Schiller traces how the State has supported corporatized information by pushing their products abroad both through phony pronouncements about "the free-flow of information," and by subsidizing research and development for new technologies. Schiller's refreshing account infuses elements of his own experience; growing up during the Great Depression in New York, as a bureaucrat in the civilian sector of the military occupation forces in Berlin after the war, and as a radical journalist and academic.
This intriguing book argues that the main pillar of today's U.S. economy—the ever-expanding communication sector—is also the most crucial element in keeping a 500-year social system, capitalism, alive. Capitalism's future relies not only on labor exploitation, but also on a steadily entertained, and hence diverted, populace. Therein lies the importance of challenging the overarching institutions of corporate information production.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781583220283
Publisher:	Seven Stories Press
Publication date:	09/05/2000
Edition description:	A SEVEN ST
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.53(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

HERBERT I. SCHILLER, professor emeritus of Communication at the University of California at San Diego, is a leading scholar of the communications industries. His books include Information Inequality: The Deepening Social Crises in America and Culture Inc.: The Corporate Takeover of Public Expression.

Table of Contents

	Introduction: One Life, One Century	7
Chapter 1	Number One and the Political Economy of Communication	45
Chapter 2	Visions of Global Electronic Mastery	63
Chapter 3	Communication Today: What's New?	89
Chapter 4	Communication Theorists of Empire	105
Chapter 5	Corporatizing Communication and Culture	129
Chapter 6	In the Core of Power	147
Chapter 7	Number one in the Twenty-First Century	181

Editorial Reviews

Living in the Number One Country is a wonderfully written memoir that also provides a crystal clear introduction to the main themes in Schiller's research: the role of corporate communication in perpetuating global imperialism and inequality; the incompatibility of a commercially marinated society with a sane, humane and happy society; and the bankruptcy of mainstream communication scholarship to address these enormous issues. Through it all, Schiller's fundamental love for justice and truth shines through, as does his faith in the ability of people to govern their own lives. This is a book for activists and scholars of the coming generation.” –Robert W. McChesney, author of Rich Media, Poor Media

From the Publisher

A leading scholar and critic of the communications industry, Schiller (1919-2000) here chronicles how it transformed and propelled the American Empire after World War II. He recounts his experience growing during the Depression in New York, as a bureaucrat in the civilian sector of the military occupation of Berlin, and as a radical journalist and academic pointing out that the postwar rebuilding of German to suit large capital would happen in the US as well. There is no index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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