Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Noam Chomsky: The General Population Doesn't Know That It Doesn't Know

As I am hearing more and more tonight that the American choices in the next Presidential election are likely to be between a Narcissist and a Neoliberal, I feel sickened in my heart, spirit, and soul. And the words and wisdom of the brave ones, the ones whose open eyes and hearts inspire me with their unrelenting commitment to truth and a higher good, those such as Noam Chomsky, they are the ones who comfort me tonight. Bless the truth-tellers. Bless the children. Bless us all. ~ Molly

  
Quotes by Noam Chomsky

The general population doesn't know what's happening, and it doesn't even know that it doesn't know.
  
The United States happens to be the only state in the world that has been condemned by the World Court for international terrorism.

I don't bother writing about Fox News. It is too easy. What I talk about are the liberal intellectuals, the ones who portray themselves and perceive themselves as challenging power, as courageous, as standing up for truth and justice. They are basically the guardians of the faith. They set the limits. They tell us how far we can go. They say, 'Look how courageous I am.' But do not go one millimeter beyond that. At least for the educated sectors, they are the most dangerous in supporting power.
 
It’s ridiculous to talk about freedom in a society dominated by huge corporations. What kind of freedom is there inside a corporation? They’re totalitarian institutions - you take orders from above and maybe give them to people below you. There’s about as much freedom as under Stalinism.

Neoliberal democracy. Instead of citizens, it produces consumers. Instead of communities, it produces shopping malls. The net result is an atomized society of disengaged individuals who feel demoralized and socially powerless. In sum, neoliberalism is the immediate and foremost enemy of genuine participatory democracy, not just in the United States but across the planet, and will be for the foreseeable future.
 
As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome.

I try to encourage people to think for themselves, to question standard assumptions... Don't take assumptions for granted. Begin by taking a skeptical attitude toward anything that is conventional wisdom. Make it justify itself. It usually can't. Be willing to ask questions about what is taken for granted. Try to think things through for yourself.

Democracy is a danger to any powerful group.


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