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The value attributed to objects is the fuel ultimately driving consumer ideology; this text develops this given to examine the values and beliefs that motivate terrorist activities and, furthermore, the clash of the values and beliefs of different cultures, often caused by a lack of communication. Schuster reminds us that words are the ultimate sign of value—hence such phrases as “invested with meaning” and “a wealth of meanings” are universally used and understood. In consumer society words become currency—invested with significance—and language is simultaneously both empowering and restrictive. Schuster's unpicking of Baudrillard's notion of ambivalence underpins the restricted economy of language. When language is invested with meaning, silence becomes a powerful weapon, stripping away, potentially, all significance. Similarly, Schuster posits, there is no way to analyze and assess value using language, as all language is already thoroughly entrenched with the concept of value.
The value of language also means that its use ranks and differentiates people, tying it ever more firmly to consumer ideology. Schuster uses DeLillo's and Baudrillard's works to demonstrate how art, terror, and language are all intrinsically locked into the manipulation of signs. Questioning meaning is cited as a potential tactic for rupturing the connection between language and value, as is the ambiguity of metaphor and the power of wordlessness—as with Mr. Tuttle of The Body Artist. Language is bent and distorted in graffiti—a concept examined by both writers. Consumer goods are used in an attempt to fill the unfillable gap which always remains outside of meaning or translation. As countries strive for global profitability, human capital becomes an increasingly debated concept—what exactly is a human worth?
Schuster unravels Baudrillard's writing on the complexities of war and terrorism both before and in the aftermath of 9/11, and illustrates the closer, more intimate picture given by DeLillo. This personal closeness can offer the reader a disturbing reminder of how much humans are influenced by consumer objects rather than by other humans, and the inevitable mutation of the species as a direct result of this. Schuster reminds the reader of DeLillo's quest to reclaim the