Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- A New Order -- The Expanding Field of Curriculum -- A Softer, Gentler Capitalism -- Hardball -- Ignorant Bliss -- Conflict, Control, and Surveillance -- The Age of Fundamentalism -- Eco-Racism and Environmental Degradation -- The Social Consequences of Greed, Addiction, and the Psychiatric Machine -- Transformation – Reaching the Inner Core -- References.

The book outlines the eradication of democratic freedoms and the emptiness that pervades postmodern existence, combining psychodynamic theories of human behaviour with the politics of consumption. The stark contrast between a representative democracy and our current form of governance is highlighted throughout the book, as corporations have become remarkably adept at creating needs - perceived needs - by convincing consumers that self-fulfilment resides in the purchase of the latest Lexus, IPod, Blackberry, antidepressant, or diet plan. The reader will gain an appreciable understanding of the forces that shape our behaviour and the inadequacy of a democratic institution based on the promotion of special interests and the empty promises of political talking heads.

Description based on print version record.