Ralph spends the full hour with Noam Chomsky talking about censorship, nuclear war, citizen activism, ISIS, the Israeli/Palestinian question and much, much more.
Noam Chomsky is a political theorist and activist, and institute professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Along with his pioneering work in linguistics, Professor Chomsky is a critic of both American foreign policy and global capitalism. He is one of the most frequently cited scholars in history and is the author of over one hundred books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics and mass media, including “Manufacturing Consent,” along with Edward Herman, which was also made into a documentary film of the same name. His most recent works are a collection of commentary on various socio-political topics entitled Because We Say So and his updated critique of American empire entitled Who Rules the World?
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I think the fact that I am the first person to leave a comment here may underscore my point. Perhaps the most striking (and depressing) aspect of this extraordinary conversation is the extent to which is forced to exist on the outer fringes of the national debate.
On a personal note, I lived (for the most part) alone in apartment for about 25 years while working in sales and marketing for a subsidiary of a major media company. Left to my own devices, I did not watch television, and dedicated myself mostly to books; although I did start to spend a significant amount of time on the internet when it came along. This period pretty much formed my political consciousness, which was (and is) as directly aligned with both Mr. Nader and Prof. Chomsky as I imagine could reasonably be. About two years ago though, my step-father passed away, and I moved in with my eighty nine year-old mother, and now live in the house I grew up in about 50 years ago. My mother is a very avid TV watcher cum political junkie, with three working televisions in a fairly modest split-level house. Consequently, I gradually found myself watching the evening news, popular dramas and almost non-stop programs on MSNBC to an extent I never would have thought previously possible. I suppose there have been studies done on people such as myself. But I can honestly say that, from my now own personal experience, the net effect on my “cultural perspective”-now coming from your average American cultural consumer-, is (with all due respect to perhaps my two greatest American heroes) is just how marginalized you both now seem- and it really does break my heart to say this. I realize that there are countless YouTube videos with both of you which have been viewed millions and millions of times. And I honestly believe that you have both have been critical to a genuine rising of awareness and general consciousness with regard to the issues and perspective you so brilliantly express. But the fact of the matter is that I can now see just how completely lost in the insane,perpetual left/right, liberal/conservative slugfest/shouting match this country is. I certainly realize that this is hardly a new concept to either of you. But now, having personally experienced just how “normal” this frame of mind eventually becomes, when one finds oneself in circumstances which are essentially what the prevailing social and cultural norms consist of, I can only say that Mr. Nader’s comment: “Empires always devour themselves”, will (tragically) be what I will probably be ruminating over most, in the days and months to come.
God help us all.