Digital devices have saturated the planet and revolutionized the ways in
which we relate to each other. Now the promise and perils of AI pose
new challenges. This book addresses the historic links within the
military, industrial, entertainment complex and how
communications technology, trends in popular culture, and consumer
driven capitalism are at odds with goals for future sustainability.
In February, 2026, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of the book Mind Abuse: Media Violence and Its Threat to Democracy with the author Rose A. Dyson.
When you register for the club, we will send you a PDF of the book.
We'll let you know which parts of the book will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the discussions.
When:
For one hour on Wednesday February 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2026, beginning
at UTC 23:00, which is 1 p.m. in Honolulu, 3 p.m. in Los Angeles, 5
p.m. in Mexico City, and 6 p.m. in New York, and . . .
. . . the next day, Thursday, at 7 a.m. in Beijing, 8 a.m. in Tokyo, 10 a.m. in Sydney, and 12 p.m. noon in Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration).
This is a small group series with limited space of up to
approximately 18 people. Sign up to reserve your spot. We look forward
to reading and discussing this important book with you!
About the Book:
Most people are still in denial about the harmful
effects of media violence as entertainment. This new edition of Mind Abuse covers developments in the last 20 years, showing how the problem
has grown with each new technological innovation and how relentless
marketing victimizes countless young people around the world while the
entertainment industry rakes in billions. Rose A. Dyson offers a wake-up
call to parents, teachers, health professionals, and policy makers who
deal with the aftermath of first-person-shooter video gaming and social
media abuses, such as cyberbullying, that encourage errant behavior from
an early age. Dyson shows that recent trends toward increased violence in
popular culture are symptomatic of deeper social, economic, and
ecological problems that require an urgent shift away from the status
quo toward a more sustainable model for peaceful co-existence.
For over 30 years, Dyson has contributed to the debate over media
violence. Here, she urges us to resist the corporate giants of the
entertainment industries and reclaim the right to shape our own value
systems and dreams. Blind consumption of media violence as
entertainment, she argues, is inconsistent with vital policies for a
greener, healthier future.
Praise for the Book:
"Mind Abuse blows
the whistle on an industry that [Dyson] claims is profiting from a
public crisis in mental health. There is a lot of money to be made in
media, and graphic violence, so why should we take on trust reassurances
that media violence doesn’t do us any harm?" ― New Scientist
“With
this book, Dr. Rose Dyson has provided us with a brilliant, uniquely
original, and essential resource, exposing and examining aspects of
media violence with a clear, clarion call for action. . . I deeply
respect her perspective.” ― Dave Grossman, retired U.S. Army Colonel and author of Assassination Generation
“Most
discussions of our violent popular culture are cut off, before they
properly begin, by a mindless, discussion-ending cry of ‘Censorship!
Censorship!’. . . Dyson hopes to draw audiences past the usual
argumentative impasse and into a more in-depth discussion of how to
confront a toxic culture.” ― The Toronto Star
About the Author:
Rose A. Dyson is a media education consultant, scholar, writer, journal editor, public speaker, and activist living in Toronto.
As we get closer to these book clubs, they tend to sell out, but it's never too early to go ahead and sign up for future book clubs and give yourself plenty of time to read the books. They're all at
https://worldbeyondwar.org/bookclubs
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
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