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Chapter 1 - Introduction - Section III

• Boorstin introduces the book with his main thesis about the creation of pseudo-events in America and how they have come to dominate the collective consciousness.

• Boorstin posits that there are two main "extravagant expectations" that Americans hold.

• The first expectation is that there is always more that the world can provide; the second expectation is that we have unlimited power to fashion the world to our desires.

• Boorstin asserts that these two expectations lead to the creation of illusions and thus pseudo-events to maintain and strengthen those illusions.
• In Chapter 1 - Section I, Boorstin describes how the telling of news has changed from reporting what was seen to actively creating what is seen.

• Boorstin introduces the term pseudo-event and describes it as a false event that is intentionally created.

• Boorstin lists four main aspects of pseudo-events: the event is intentionally created, the...

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