Monday, May 29, 2017

Noam Chomsky in Conversation with Amy Goodman on Climate Change, Nukes, Syria, WikiLeaks & More

In this Democracy Now! special, we spend the hour with the world-renowned linguist and political dissident Noam Chomsky. In a public conversation we had in April, we talked about climate change, nuclear weapons, North Korea, Iran, the war in Syria and the Trump administration’s threat to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and his new book, "Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power."
Democracy Now!
Noam Chomsky in Conversation with Amy Goodman on Climate Change, Nukes, Syria, WikiLeaks & More
Amy Goodman interviews Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ht V. Ramanan at The Case for Concerted Action

18 comments:

Peter Pan said...

Girls from high school watched the Love Connection. They'd ask me if I watched it and I said I couldn't because I arrived home too late. Two lies for the price of one.

Peter Pan said...

A sobering discussion :(
Thank-you for posting this.

MRW said...

Of course, a "world-renowned linguist and political dissident" is highly qualified to offer standing statements on climate change, nuclear weapons, North Korea, Iran, the war in Syria, and the Trump admin threat to prosecute Assange. What's the joke about opinions?

Anyone who makes hyperbolic statements like this before the man even took office gets an X across his face as far as I am concerned: "With Trump Election, We Are Now Facing Threats to the Survival of the Human Species." Drama Queen.

Ryan Harris said...

Linguists lie, deceive and manipulate. That's their game. He does a good job of creating alternative narratives. He gives a glimpse of the world as it would be if a progressive narrative dominated instead of the neoliberal one used by MSM. It's really dark and authoritarian.

Noah Way said...

@MRW, you should try reading Chomsky. He has a logical point of view based on an outstanding knowledge of history.

Penguin pop said...

I'm going to take a look at this later, but I'd rather trust Chomsky over say Robert Reich or the other surplus Clinton fanboys any day.

MRW said...

Noah,

@MRW, you should try reading Chomsky. He has a logical point of view based on an outstanding knowledge of history.

I have read him. Not impressed.

MRW said...

Noah, my understanding of history is just as unique; I would say superior.

MRW said...

No shit, Penguin.

but I'd rather trust Chomsky over say Robert Reich or the other surplus Clinton fanboys any day.

Peter Pan said...

I'd rather trust Chomsky over these guys:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/election-five-things-to-watch-halifax-cape-breton-pc-ndp-liberal-1.2670227

Kaivey said...

It looks like every wheeler and dealer, scallywag, good for nothing psychopath got into the top of the Republican Party. But lots is people seem to support them. But is the media doing its job in informing us? A small section of the rich and powerful have come to dominate important sections of society. It's the authoritarians working class who know nothing, read nothing, think about nothing that keep them in power. But as a result, all their well paid jobs have gone, and their bosses can abuse them because they have up many of their worker rights. Republicans have made their lives tough and grim.

Matt Franko said...

"A small section of the rich and powerful have come to dominate important sections of society."

That's because the 'sections of society' are materially important and these people are highly materially competent... so they are ofc going to be well financially compensated...

How important a skill is constructing a 5' tall human vagina costume?

some people go to school to be trained in skills that are more highly valued...

Matt Franko said...

This is interesting from Taleb:

https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/868899540140785664

"The university system is on its way to go bust.
It will regroup as separate technical schools devoid of "gender" & other BS studies."

I'll believe it when I see it.....

Tom Hickey said...

If the elite don't "share the wealth" enough to co-opt the plebs, then eventually they lose their heads, figuratively or literally as the case may be. In a democracy this may just mean getting voted out of office.

After the the Great Depression, the Republicans (read the haute bourgeoisie) were voted out of the power for fifty years, until the Democrats got cocky and blew it.

But the Germans got Hitler instead of FDR, and previous to that the French got Robespierre instead of Washington. In between, WWI removed the European aristocracy from power and a lot of them lost their land and fortunes if not their lives.

It's cyclical. Gilded ages are followed by populists revolts of one sort or another.

If Trump fails on his promises to the people that elected him and if the Sanders wing of the Democratic Party grows stronger, then the next populist move is up for grabs. Could go in many directions depending on circumstances.

Tom Hickey said...

Idiot technocrat that thinks that quantity is everything and quality nothing.

Peter Pan said...

If Trump fails on his promises to the people that elected him...

If ??
It's double, triple down time as far as the elites are concerned.

Tom Hickey said...

When angers enters the picture, rationality declines. Elites know this from history. The answer has been to impose totalitarian rule as a security and surveillance state. This is already in place in the US under the pretext of "terrorism." This greatly reduces the capacity for dissent, even constitutionally protected dissent. So the remedy is basically with the courts and if the courts are packed it is all over for constitutional liberties.

The US is already at the point of it can happen here.

Kaivey said...

I don't know how they make their money, maybe shady arms trading or in the parasitic banking industry.