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After seeing The Corporation last week, I've been thinking more about the state of the world, US foreign and economic policy, etc. So instead of getting music this week, I'm posting some excerpts from a question and answer forum with Noam Chomsky. This is from a CD on Alternative Tentacles that was recorded in 2002. He's been called the most important living intellectual in America today and I don't think that's undeserved. So today it's about learning that's going on in the world, and next week we'll have more music.
Noam Chomsky - Big Business And The General Population - A Nation Divided
Noam Chomsky - Latin America, The U.S. And Globalization
Noam Chomsky - The Problems With Iraq
Noam Chomsky - U.S. Doctrinal Constraints On Middle East Peace
Noam Chomsky - Why Do They Hate Us?
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posted by bluecalx2 at 10:52 PM
4 Comments:
i love the unconventional Chomsky post...
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thanks. i've been reading a lot of Chomsky lately, so there might be more of them coming as we get closer to election day. :D
(btw, sorry this was posted twice, in case you were wondering...)
From what I've seen of reactions to Chomsky worldwide, most anti-Chomsky sediment has come from the US itself. While I am by no means an expert on foreign policy, in my readings of Chomsky, I have never once thought of him as a bigot. But I wish you had expanded on this comment. If I did get that impression, I would probably stop reading his work. What I do get is the impression that he supports the rights of the populace against oppressive or manipulative governments and corporations. I am particularly interested in his writing about propaganda.
Unfortunately, as I seem to have offended you (which I apologize for), I doubt that you'll be reading this and these words may fall upon deaf ears. Regardless, what offends me about how comment is not your idealogy, but how you choose to express it, by accusing me of being a bigot and an idiot, without providing any reasons. As I see it, this does little to convince anyone of your point, and only fans the flames of hatred between opposing idealogies.
While you haven't identified yourself in anyway, I do not even know if you are a liberal, conservative, or a member of a group which you feel that Noam Chomsky is discriminating against. So I'm forced to assume that you're view of him is either anti-American or anti-Semetic, to relate to his discussions on the present state of Israel. I'm guessing this because they are the most common arguments I've heard against Chomsky, although I disagree with them. Beyond the obvious facts that he is a Jewish American and that true anti-Semetism also includes discrimination against Arabs, who are also Semetic people, I still feel that his writings are in the defense of the oppressed (generally the populace) against the oppressors (generally governments structures which prevent the populace from gaining any significant power). What I don't see is him proposing anything like a race war or a war against cultures. On the contrary, I see attempts to neutralize just disputes that exist in the world today, along with class struggles.
The real shame of your comment is that you've provided no alternatives. I read Chomsky because I believe he is far more informative than the Ann Coulters and Michael Moores of the world. I've yet to find another author who addresses the inner workings of US foreign policy and its general lack of acceptance for the principle of universality better than Chomsky has. However, I am not so presumptious as to suggest that his words are the final words, or even that I agree with absolutely everything he says. So if you would like to suggest something supporting your beliefs, I would be happy to have my sensibilities challenged and I would be more than willing to read it respectfully and with an open mind. If, as you say, Chomsky is a bigot and I have overlooked it in my readings, which is of course possible, I would certainly like to know about it before I read any more. If however, you prefer to simply call me a bigot and an idiot, then I think it is a shame that you give me no oppurtunity to debate these issues with someone from a different perspective who came teach me a lot that I haven't thought of, even if I don't agree with it. If you ever do read this, I look forward to a civil discussion on the matter, but please do not call me a bigot.
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