Noam Chomsky on George Orwell, the Suppression of Ideas and the Myth of American Exceptionalism

Democracynow.org - In a Democracy Now! special, we spend the hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist, author and institute professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he’s taught for more than half a century. Chomsky has written more than 100 books, including his latest, "Because We Say So," a collection of his monthly columns. On Saturday, Chomsky spoke before a sold-out audience of nearly 1,000 people at The New School’s John L. Tishman Auditorium in New York City. In a speech titled “On Power and Ideology,” he discussed the persistence of U.S. exceptionalism, Republican efforts to torpedo the Iran nuclear deal, and the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations.
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[@prieten49]

My favorite Orwell quote: "The point is that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield." If the shoe fits...

[@roland20002000]

Yes it would appear the false belief that Islam is a religion of peace seems to be bumping up against solid reality. My favorite Orwell quote "So much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot."

[@liberexcogitatoris1792]

Stuart, one of many great quotes, I suppose its an early observation of cognitive dissonance which is so relevant in today's world.

[@peterspeight2880]

The so-called civilized West constantly invades Muslim countries, supports dictators there, and kills about 1,000x more than they kill of us. Then the people supporting these invasions and occupations use mental gymnastics to quote Orwell as a defense. Conservatives love quoting Orwell, and apparently none of you have ever read his books, articles or diaries.

[@geospot4679]

All this 'my favourite ' and 'my top 5' etc. shit really annoys me. Its just rhetoric and reeks of desperation to be heard. How boring to have a favourite quote and, no doubt, repeat it endlessly to anyone who will listen. Please, good as it is, go find another one. Sorry, thats been building and you arent solely to blame.

[@Deathrape2001]

What B.S.. I am incapable of believing stuff that contradicts verifiable facts. I'm not wired with your 'relativity' disease =)) I am immune.

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

Orwell warned that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother or Ministry of Truth is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity, and history. As Huxley saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. (Neil Postman, 1984)

[@mikaelgaiason688]

Orwell thought the same thing... 1984 ends with him loving Big Brother.

[@ithajean]

onthelibrarycomputer Huxley was right

[@uddeshyakumar2626]

Orwell was a snitch search about Orwell's list. And his hate for communism.

[@hacgarimman9660]

Do you think Postman is correct in his thought? Quoting doesn't really day that you understand. In fact it's a bit if a cop out

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

@@hacgarimman9660 Yeah right, not trying to prove that I understand, it's not about me - it's about you. Trying to be understood, I'd write a book. A youtube comments section is limited scope. I like the above quote for its broad tone for the general nature of modern society. That broad scope can then be taken by people here for their own context as a generalisation to use however they want. For example you used it to try and show that I copped out. You got out of the quote a reason to say I am intellectually lazy. Cool.

[@MarcGoudreau]

Its absolutely astounding to flip through the comments posted on this clip... Chomsky spends considerable time articulating the ethos of American exceptionalism and the bulk of social media comments focus on the guy's hair, as if his top knot has any relevance to the discussion. The Lesson: Never underestimate the role ignorant, confused, inattentive people play in mollifying the power of intelligent and critical thought in a medium that values free expression. Is it any wonder Trump has a shot at the presidency, what with all the shallow, self centered morons running around the USA looking for the next great "image" to admire.

[@ManInTheBigHat]

The two issues aren't mutually exclusive. Besides, Noam's a putz.

[@MarcGoudreau]

I've heard many unflattering references to Chomsky but never as a putz. Then again, his opinions are predicated on whats between his ears, not welling up from the vacuum inside a big hat.

[@ManInTheBigHat]

A man can be bright and still be a putz. Take yourself, for example.

[@MarcGoudreau]

".... what I do care about is, the man, while purporting to be libertarian, is in fact a statist: he believes the government is the voice of the people, and that it's the only voice." No, I don't think you're self centered, a moron or looking for a hero figure but your references to the terms libertarian and statist as descriptive of an individuals political leanings tells me something about how hopelessly naive you are about discursive political theory... indicative of why you would support Trump as a potential candidate for the presidency. Chomsky's academic accomplishments in linguistics and socio-political theory are uncontested in his field so I feel no need to defend his "intellectual superiority" and, just as importantly, feel threatened by his force of intellect, which brings me to your support of Trump. You may not be so superficial as to care about his hair... but you're not too far from that mark.

[@MarcGoudreau]

You'd do well to unload your bag of "intellectual superiority" bricks Brad. Nobody's arguing a sharper intellect but rather an appreciation for those who can articulate a more expansive view of the world and its generally accepted within Academia that Chomsky is foremost in such things. Trump has neither academic credentials nor a political lineage to support his "world view"... and it shows in most spectacularly embarrassing fashion. No, I don't worship anyone, but I do admire those who can prove their mettle by example, effort and academic rigor, not showmanship and bullshit. Its likely your intellect missed the beat there... but hey, who's counting. I'm not the type of troll who would want to add any more bricks to that bag you're carrying.

[@gypon2732]

Exceptionalism is not only limited to the USA. It must be also taken into account that recent attempts to rewrite historical facts by leading politicians, is an existential threat to the international order, peace, stability, as well to the economic, social and cultural pillars of fundamental rights.

[@patricklarsen8078]

When the audience laughed I laughed aswell because I did not understand what they where laughing at

[@ishaaczamora8978]

Zombus Ignoramus 🙈

[@richardcabesa6609]

neither did they

[@Sitting8ull]

Maybe it was his hair.

[@ignatiusmagnanimous]

Orwell and Chomsky. Two of the greatest minds in recent history.

[@roland20002000]

Chomsky is a good part of what Orwell warned about and it is the greatest act of "doublethink" not to understand this.

[@ionfeld]

user220370 And Arnold had the greatest body!

[@BenGrem917]

You're doubleplusungood, sir. xD

[@TimezUp23]

Uh no, chomsky is just an academic nightmare. Orwell was the man

[@jalan2877]

Sorry, Orwell was one of the greatest minds in history. Chomsky is a talking machine who in the end says nothing of importance.

[@46.56.A.]

The Heihachi sides were an interesting choice.

[@michaelg7904]

As I listen to this, I am constantly reminded of the incredible spin political ideologues put on their twisted philosophies. It’s just like watching something spin its way down the toilet. What’s even more fascinating is that most people don’t even recognize what they’re watching. It’s incredibly important in our time, as an any other time honestly, that we understand what we’re watching and why we’re watching it and why it’s happening. If we got over our common fascination and infatuation with famous people, I think we would find there’s some of the beautiful and glorious within us that we have been missing all along.

[@thanakritsuwan6348]

2+2=5 always and always the TRUTH Is dead under new totalitarian Thailand. We love the great wise leaders and his ministries from newspeak.

[@atravelerofbothtimespace4172]

iphone culture is the beloved BigBrother which Huxley warned about . the fact anyone would charge Snowden as a traitor rather than a patriot speaks volumes ...

[@tomace194]

I find it astounding that the masses don't care. I like to ask alexa how to over throw the government or how to kill the president just for the fact they are listening. I have no intention of such things. But if they are going to spy they may as well have something to hear.

[@danielplainview1]

The identity of patriot is anathema to what he did. Rightly he could never be a patriot. Wrongly he could never be a patriot.

[@paradigmnnf]

@@danielplainview1 Patriotism is a sign of mediocrity. Trump has well exploited this trait of Americans

[@fabiengerard8142]

iPhone culture… 🙄

[@sophiarevel6952]

Thank you Noam Chomsky.

[@kennethmatthew9638]

Why is he still here and not in Venezuela ?

[@29memyselfandi]

He lost much credibility when he insulted the non vaxed. Would have imagined he above all people would have understood a power grab when it was happening under his nose.

[@fabiengerard8142]

He never happened to ‘‘insult’’ the non vaxed in any way, but just knowingly put them in front of their own irresponsibility in the midst of a globally unprecendented threat in human history. If you figured out the very man of ‘The Manufacturing Consent’(!) has been capable of betraying his most valuable achievement, at the time, you missed the point completely. Or do read more about the Socratic method before making another unconsiderate judgement of the kind.

[@29memyselfandi]

@@fabiengerard8142 Thankfully I read enough of Chomsky in my youth to be on my guard when authoritarian powers try to coerce a population to act in a certain way for ‘the greater good’. Which is why I was so stunned when he fell for the trap. In his later years his brain is obviously not as alert as it once was. Perhaps you missed The Great Barrington Declaration where a group of the worlds most eminent biologists, virologists etc stated their absolute rejection of the handling of the pandemic response where they stated that only the vulnerable should be vaccinated and that blanket vaccination would lead to increasingly strong and quicker developing variants ( exactly what happened). Perhaps you have more faith in Bill Gates’s knowledge of MRNA technology than the actual co creator of that technology, Robert Malone, who stated that mandatory vaccination was a recipe for utter disaster and would lead to stronger and more regular variants ( again proven right) Perhaps you missed the CEO of Pfizer admitting recently that at the time of the release of their vaccine they had no idea if it stopped the spread of the virus from person to person ( despite their claims at the time that it did which subsequently proved to be completely false) I could go on. If you can’t see how the Davos lunatics are planning our future and using Covid amongst other things to get there then you aren’t really looking. A younger Chomsky ( if he is the Chomsky I grew up reading) would have spotted it a mile away. Hopefully one day you will work it out too.

[@fabiengerard8142]

Thanks a lot for your kind and detailed reply. I’ll be researching the sources you suggest me to read.

[@wwc51450]

I have a feeling Orwell would have despised Chompski.

[@jonyh]

Why?

[@joelewishenry7886]

Explain.

[@dbeaton1111]

So do I. Orwell was a cynic but he was an honest journalist, too. He watched as the Communists took over the Spanish Revolution, heard what they said, and saw how differently they acted, demanding total obedience and subservience to the Party. Animal Farm was all about real communism, based on his own experience. Orwell defined totalitarianism partly by what they took away: individual rights, and he knew that totalitarianism had to be fought with force because that was the only thing they understood. By contrast, Chomsky is a weasel. He asserts, refers to a quote or two, tells you what that "proves," then asserts something else as fact, brings up a reference that, on proper examination doesn't mean what he says it means, and so forth, spinning a web that sounds so good and enlightened, but doesn't hold up under scrutiny. He'll tell you he isn't criticizing the US, then spends the next four pages doing just that. It's tedious to listen to him because virtually everything he says needs to be fact-checked for reference and context. He criticizes but offers no solutions. He's the Ministry of Truth for the revolution. Orwell would have despised him.

[@edwinamendelssohn5129]

Yep

[@grbbbc]

Boring babbling old fart, loved by the Right On Student types though.

[@ssrmy1782]

During the Covid-19 moral panic, Chomsky became an outspoken enforcer of the very thing he describes here. Goes to show how personal fear can eliminate an alleged set of principles in a short space of time.

[@jameswatson9641]

One of those truly standout individuals who not only deserve to be listened to, but should be. I enjoy and never tire of his fascinating observations

[@ms9771]

Noam Chomsky reminded me of Julian Assange who told the truth but still is on the dark side of US media, no one should see, listen or understand him as he tells the truth, and is not a benefit zionist Jew leadership of the United State of America

[@genghisdon1]

I've heard all this from Noam before, but it's good to get it out for others to hear

[@truegreenbeard7874]

Just gotta remind the living. Chomsky explicitly stated that the unjabbed should be starved until they comply. This is no libertarian socialist this is a straight up stalinist. Maybe he used to be but old and afraid he became something else. Something very bad and something that I would call an enemy.

[@eprofessio]

When I was in school to be a teacher Noam and multiculturalism was all the benches talked about. They would be like so Shawn have you ever heard of Noam Chomsky like I am some sort of ignorant country bumpkin. He is single handed responsible for the decay of American education. Bravo Noam, bravo. I can only hope my propaganda will be as effective as yours.

[@georgefspicka5483]

One thing I've noticed is that Chomsky consistently ignores the flaws in the system he promotes, which are identical to what he criticizes. This is a reflection of Confirmation Bias, something we all have. I feel Orwell's greatest contribution was to figure out the underlying psychology of political aspirations, which is basically the desire to control the minds of others. We're so conditioned that we can't see how deep we are immersed in this behavior. I believe it has something to do with psychological defense mechanisms that prevent us from seeing our true selves, that we are just as corrupt as those whom we condemn. Though he criticizes both the right and the left, Orwell mentions that the greatest threat to Liberty in the future will come from leftist politics.

[@karlmalias7074]

Noam Chomsky - I used to look up to him. Now, when he goes all in for the toxic genetic jabs and discriminates against the un'vaccinated'?? He has, unfortunately, become that which Orwell warned about.

[@davidball7111]

Orwell’s understanding of socialism’s terror is quite exquisite.

[@surferxblood]

You should call your channel Communist Now.

[@themajesticspider-man6116]

What you've demonstrated here is another perfect example of American Exceptionalism. "Anything I disagree with must be communist because it goes against my typically American worldview."

[@surferxblood]

The Majestic Spider-Man No! I come from a Communist Country. You dip shit. I know exactly how they run things. Half my family were killed by them. You know nothing. Your experiences in life has all been through a life of envy of the entire world. I have traveled all over the world for over 25 years and seen and experienced what systems work and don't. Seen the rich and poor in every continent. You know NOTHING.

[@avigindratt7608]

Chomsky's batman hair is everything

[@justbirdie4830]

i'm dead lmao.

[@RobertMBGH]

Noam Chomsky has made a living off his books, lectures and as a noted linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historical essayist, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", but has never created or organized any effective institutions that have spilled off into any meaningful effectiveness that has made an impact on national or international issues concerning social uplift. He has mainly been able to make a living and that's it. Forget the awards, and books sales what has he contributed to helps lives. Dr Martin Luther King JR said his Nobel Peace was not important and not to mention he had 3 or 4 hundred other awards or to mention where he went to school. He would want those to mention at his funeral that he tried to give his life serving others, that he tried to feed the hungry and the unclothed and visited those in prison. It's not important to be one of the most cited scholars alive. The awards and degrees mean nothing unless you back them up by deeds. Malcom X would rehabilitate those he found literally in the gutters of back alleys of American poverty stricken cities and later they would be resurrected into meaningful lives. In conclusion, it's not about intellectualism, degrees or high stature but more so about who did I help receive housing, food, clothing, and a job that might help a person provide for his or her families and who did I mentor to continue this type of work to serve humanity.

[@stevewilson3791]

What are you saying in this word salad?

[@openingshift7070]

@@stevewilson3791 Saying that Chomsky’s work led to him being a better intellectual but he didn’t do anything to truly help the poor or make any meaningful impact to help make people’s lives better is basically what this post is saying. But he’s wrong, Chomsky’s books and his other works have helped people wake up and see the crazy messed up world we live in. Don’t listen to this guy he’s just a hater

[@alfiovillordo350]

Yeah, they woke up, went on with their lives, and that's it. If you give a sandwich to a hungry homeless guy today, you'll accomplished more than Chomsky in his entire life. I respect him , but truth is truth.

[@gjnbouwmeester5860]

So, what did Noam do at Jefstein's place!? Why is he on the list of visitors??

[@wanderer6972]

What do you think happens at J-Ep's place? :D Of course he's visited there, J-Ep was a black mailing operation, you do not get to position of influence without being being controlled completely.

[@1silvervespa]

The Voice of Reason.

[@dorabastable7028]

Where is the rest of the interview? Your description states that "In a Democracy Now! special, we spend the hour with Noam Chomsky". So, why is it only 8 minutes long? Also, why don't you date your interview?

[@mitchellhawkes22]

Our moderator opened by saying America's "closest allies" are Israel and Saudi Arabia. Heh? Who believes that??

[@rogerforsberg3910]

You're too careful a listener, Mr H. I suspect that these two countries may be the US's 2 closest allies in the Middle East (although Turkey may be #2 instead of Saudi Arabia). Nonetheless, they are both much less important than Canada, Germany, the UK, France, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and possibly even Mexico. However, careful, thoughtful & discriminating analysis is NOT one of Amy Goodman's strong suits.

[@yaboobayyaboobay8191]

that was his best haircut by far,

[@saigotakimora3726]

We will always be defiant to Tyranny

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Takimora is an unusual Japanese name. Sounds fake to me.

[@anotherview5366]

Antidotes to ideologies: Think for yourself. Speak your mind. Say what you think. The philosopher Ayn Rand observed that we have only reason to guide us in this life. The sage Confucius said, "Calling things by their right name is the beginning of wisdom." The philosopher Spinoza wrote, "In a free state, every man may think what he likes, and say what he thinks." He gave us the operational definition of free expression. These antidotes in practice clear the air for intellectual progress, by which I mean the dialog among smart people who going forward concern themselves with the political and social things that affect daily life.

[@jogendron6320]

Rousseau: to be is to do Nietzsche: to do is to be Sinatra: doo be doo be doo

[@BMyVision]

While Noam downplays the exceptionalism, he lives and works.................. where, exactly.........?

[@collectorduck9061]

Chomsky has always been a dissident and it would be no surprise that he would seek to destroy the very foundation he lives on. Which is not a criticism of him, but rather a compliment.

[@Runamokish]

BMyVision: Just as individuals that fail to address their own flaws without any kind of searching self-critique never change, societies also stagnate and fail to progress without any kind of similar self-critique. Individuals like Chomsky that interrogate the nature of the status quo, highlighting its flaws and inconsistencies, are essential voices within any functioning democratic system, regardless of how much their voices are overlooked by the mainstream society they critique. When a government denies its citizens the right to criticise their nation or utilizes its infrastructure and the media to control opinion and insulate it from any criticism that could undermine its power and authority, it becomes totalitarian. Under such systems the status quo remains unchallenged and political power is increasingly the preserve of an elite minority, free to pursue their interest at the expense of the majority. If the early ideological frameworks upon which all seemingly democratic systems are based are taken into consideration, Chomsky's continued criticism of American exceptionalism arguably renders him a greater defender of American democratic liberty than any current politician or the corporations that they serve. Suggesting that Chomsky's criticism of the country in which he resides renders that criticism somehow invalid, is a common piece of sophistry which is itself invalid.

[@SandfordSmythe]

You have a logical point?

[@BMyVision]

@@SandfordSmythe He's a freeloading hypocrite....Why doesn't he live in one of his utopias? N Korea, Venezuela? China?

[@SandfordSmythe]

@@BMyVision Standard answer to this: Because he is an American and as an American he is entitled to his beliefs and to live where he wants. He wants to improve America, not to run away.

[@streetsandlanes]

2:39 Is this essay now included in new copies of Animal Farm? Thx.

[@XXX-hr5bb]

Animal Farm is not a collection of essays, so no.

[@deepakanjna2722]

yes it is in latest penguin modern classics under the section of appendix.

[@かんぐちあき]

@@deepakanjna2722 👍

[@paulgibby6932]

@@XXX-hr5bb The essay was the original introduction to the book.

[@zacharyroberts-winter9349]

what is the name of George Orwell's unpublished text Chomsky refers too?

[@OCTOSHED]

It's most probably called "Notes on ..." and just add in whatever the topic is that he mentioned.

[@greghunter4707]

Linguistic, cognitive science, political activist? Brutal

[@marclayne9261]

brutally stupid..

[@Drderp-hd5bb]

If a bird shuts on Chomskys shoulder he blames the United States

[@shemashekarshalom539]

The piece to serve as a preface to Animal Farm is: Freedom of the Press

[@duncescotus2342]

No best selling author and certainly no professor emeritus is a real dissident.

[@laurelbayless1804]

Anyone know the name of the essay he spoke of that was supposed to be the intro to Animal Farm or where to find it? I'd love to read it. Thanks!!

[@garoldhaynes1690]

"Politics and the English language" I believe...

[@busterbiloxi3833]

You can find it an obscure journal.

[@martiansurgery]

Noam is living proof that the scientists in Half Life 2 are real

[@Mitchery]

Nice avatar.

[@HAYAOLEONE]

noam 'just get injected' chomsky

[@krumi89]

If anyone has found the name of the mentioned essay by Orwell, please post it!

[@shemashekarshalom539]

krumi Freedom of the Press

[@kyliedarling3748]

'Freedom of the Press'

[@sgshumblecrumb6046]

Those are some mighty fine ear muffs Noam. Mighty fine

[@TheNoblot]

When there are two sides and one side made an enemy to blame; knowing he would be at fault. The problem could be those that voted for Maduro? Sort of they no longer exist. On what elections are concern. The bigger problem is can it be applied elsewhere, and to whom. Since there is no longer any opposition. One global ruling Party. Benefits? damages? Or damages that no one can longer control!!

[@bencordell1965]

Ignore the hair

[@Vibeagain]

The idea is to pull a comb through it while it is still damp, instead of accepting that a clown appearance wouldn't have a subtext of its own

[@busterbiloxi3833]

I can imagine Chumpsky standing at the dock and greeting Islamo-Fascists to the US as they trample him to death in their rush to invade America.

[@yoboi267]

aww, are you fantasizing? How cute.

[@busterbiloxi3833]

You stole that from a line in Houlebecq.

[@damonm3]

Ahhhh.. what happened to the rest of it?

[@swipswapkovski9260]

under 50 Club here

[@69adambomb69]

+Swip Swapkovski Under 20 club

[@zebbleganubi723]

fetus club here

[@johnf.kennedy2053]

Spermatozoa club here.

[@Player-125]

Swip Swapkovski Strip Club, here.

[@samsloanII]

Certain things that would not do to think.

[@Yanshufit]

Orwell despised the likes of Chomskey. It's all over his essays. "I'll give you an example right across the river (I think I'm pointing in the right direction [points over shoulder to the northeast]; I'm standing right near where Pete Suder used to play second base for the Boston Braves). Anyway, right across the river there is the amazing figure of Noam Chomsky. Noam Chomsky on his own did an extremely brilliant thing. He's a linguist, he's a scientist, and a scholar. He figured out on his own that speech, grammar, and the human capacity to record in memory are literally, physically, built into the human nervous system. It is not something learned; it is built in. That is why a child can take a new word like "chair" and immediately drop it into a sentence at the age of two and say, "My doll fell off the chair," a whole sentence with a subject, a predicate, an object. It's only in our time, the end of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st, that neuroscientists have the instruments by which they are beginning to prove that Noam Chomsky was right. A brilliant, brilliant human being. Did anyone call him an intellectual merely because he was one of the most brilliant people in the United States? No. When did he become an intellectual? When he finally spoke out concerning something he knew absolutely nothing about: the war in Vietnam. When he denounced the war in Vietnam, Chomsky put on the requisite display of utter ignorance and thereby became a leading American intellectual." Commencement Address to the Boston University Class of 2000 Tom Wolfe, 5/21/2000

[@MundaSquire]

Can't he know something about more than 1 thing? So how was he wrong on Vietnam, since you apparently agree with Tom Wolfe? And flesh out your view that Orwell would despise the likes of Chomsky? Of course since Orwell has been dead for decades, it is kind of a moot point, but have a go at it.

[@hoogmonster]

So, you feel ... On the basis of a quote by Tom Wolfe... That the same George Orwell who the fought with the open Marxists alongside the Anarchists in the Spanish Civil War and who wrote fondly of those Spanish Anarchists would despise Noam Chomsky who professed himself to be a fellow traveller in Anarchist terms. You sir, are a twit. I'm pretty confident both George and Noam would agree.

[@ljwoolley1950]

I am sick of not being able to access private videos when I get all other videos from you and not the private videos. what is going on here? I am a subscriber!!!!

[@glennestockley]

+ljwoolley1950 do you know the secret handshake...lol....

[@ljwoolley1950]

lol!!!

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

I respect Dr. Chomsky as an intellectual...but his blind focus on making sure America doesn't get too cocky, comes at the expense of national cohesion today. After all, the Howard Zinn/Noam Chomsky outlook, that America and the West, are cultures just as criminal as all others...is far more in ascendance than the John Wayne image of America.

[@MsColl90]

So you're saying that blindly accepting the idea of American Exceptionalism is necessary for 'national cohesion'. How Orwellian.

[@chooshchoosh]

Noam is a vast resource for the dissatisfied. Per Noam: "I never met a man for whom I didn't eventually feel contempt." Okay, I made that up.

[@UseAnAdblocker]

Is that what America calls someone who dares to speak the truth? A "dissident"?? Julian Assange?? If Chomsky had been put in the Whitehouse, The United states really might have been the greatest, most benevolent country on this planet

[@Mikey-mike]

Chomsky is a gate keeper. 9-11 "One will not be permitted to nor will one dare say the name of one's oppressor." George Orwell

[@anonjan82]

Chomsky dares to speak on Huxley? He is the biggest supportert of the brave new woke world with its new speak that exists.

[@mikehunt4023]

He literally defended a holocaust deniers right to free speech

[@paulgibby6932]

No, Orwell. Not Huxley

[@frepi]

Did he use a firecracker as a comb?

[@johnf.kennedy2053]

What's wrong with his hair? looks fine to me.

[@RegularMat]

He got some nice Bozo hair style

[@hasseaouled6032]

Too funny

[@Deathrape2001]

It's all a big, sick joke = 2 look like a fuking CLOWN like a middle finger 2 the audience, laughing inside as they lap up his bull$hit! Next, he will start doing speeches with a big red ball nose & makeup, and make balloon animals for the finale.

[@TimezUp23]

He stuck an extension cord up his ass

[@deannpembrook1448]

Love his hair! Noam don't change a thing ❤️😛

[@mohamedalyahudi3865]

He looks like Pennywise.

[@ishaaczamora8978]

What’s the difference between Watching Naom with ur visual eyes Watching Naom with ur inner eyes It’s the colour of the hair or maybe the shap ????🙈

[@TimJSwan]

If anyone would understand that condorcet criterion isn't met with current voting algorithms, it should be him.

[@bernardpopp541]

Chomsky's wild hair day may have caused his wife to say, you cant go speak in public like THAT Noam!!! But apparently, he doesn't want to put his thought process on hold for as trivial a matter as hair. As for myself, I think the crazy hair shape serves to separate his serious hearers from the trivial minded ones...let the public judge, as they will, whether going out with such clown shaped hair, indicates Noam,s inflated ego, or his disregard for the personal & trivial, thus revealing an actual humility in the man.

[@paradigmnnf]

I did not notice if he had any hair ...

[@ROGERWDARCY]

Though control is a bad.

[@definitiveentertainment1658]

“Could you trim and style only the top. Then give me a troll doll style on the sides, please. Perfect!”

[@MsColl90]

Were his ideas to complex for you?

[@jamesdavidson3259]

@@MsColl90 he has no ideas troll

[@Agislife1960]

Ever since Noam went down to Venezuela and stuck his nose up Hugo Chavez arse, I don't give much credence to what he says.

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

"Till recently it was thought proper to pretend that all human beings are very much alike, but in fact anyone able to use his eyes knows that the average of human behaviour differs enormously from country to country. Things that could happen in one country could not happen in another. Hitler's June purge, for instance, could not have happened in England. And, as western peoples go, the English are very highly differentiated." - George Orwell - Sounds like anglo-exceptionalism right there.

[@DavidPhilopott-bq9uv]

Nope. The UK was stratified and differentiated to degree (especially in that time frame/period) that wasn't approximated by other countries, especially European. Germany as unified country was relatively young, but unstable with the extremist policy of Gleichschaltung, hence the propagation of more such acts in the lockstep march to utopia. What were the conditions in czarist Russia that were the prelude and catalyst to the Bolshevik coup? The bulk of the country's population were peasants

[@pedrocosta6440]

Keep going Noam. We need you!

[@jeffreybernard4089]

unpopular ideas can be suppressed without the use of force.. quality education.. thought control under freedom.. US has a duty to maintain its primacy to defend liberty, markets, freedom.. clearly directed to others' benefit.. the US believes it seeks to promote universal principles. so not very different from other past imperial powers self-perception..

[@jamestcatcato7132]

+Jeffrey Bernard You surely mean self-deception?

[@lynnjohnson1239]

What I wouldn't give to have been one of his students.

[@jackdeniston6150]

He just said absolutely nothing. Nothing. Study that.

[@jackob9658]

How many times is this guy going to be proven wrong before people stop asking him anything?

[@KirinDave]

Can you give an example of him being proven wrong in the last 5 years?

[@Dylan-hy2zj]

@@KirinDave Give an example ever

[@KirinDave]

@@Dylan-hy2zj I don't really have a substantial one. He's pretty careful about what he says.

[@mwalton7951]

Excellent Report Thank-you!

[@frankbalistreri6822]

I'd like to see him in a discussion forum rather than lecture.

[@MOSteelers56]

Have you read Understand Power? It’s just a collection of long form interviews.

[@jogendron6320]

There are videos on here. Looks them up. The one with Buckley is my favorite.

[@psc7949]

Err..

[@alexgoslar4057]

A great recollection of George Orwell by a great and respected mind, Prof. Noam Chomsky.

[@roughhabit9085]

Don’t tell him that Orwell and Buckley shared a close mutual friend.

[@bulborojogeimer6763]

​@@roughhabit9085who?

[@DavidMoralee]

very soon speaking like this will be outlawed in the West

[@napoleontheman2168]

Old school schooling the new school

[@bed-of-roses]

American exeptionalism or how andy warhol won the nuclear family over dinner

[@perrydickerson9055]

The art of talking and not actually saying anything. Noam is just another dog food sales man.

[@craigbugden9076]

great comment when you don't understand what you're listening to, I guess.

[@perrydickerson9055]

@@craigbugden9076 This guy gets paid to talk, nothing against that. Not having walked a inch in my shoes, you have no idea what I have under the hood and rather than defend Noam you slam me. Kind of a crap strategy. Noam simply did not deliver any thing to understand and I have listened to other wordy, cloudy, rambling guys before. If you liked him feel free to partake when ever you can.

[@pedrocosta6440]

They say in my country (Portugal) that there is no worse deafness then in the one that doesn’t want to listen. He could talk for 1000 years and you would still not listen....

[@craigbugden9076]

@@perrydickerson9055 Not slamming you... I just don't think that you understand him, and you slam him. "Dog food salesman?" Please. Read some of his books before you dismiss him. Or are you one of those people who won't change their mind about a book for having read it?

[@perrydickerson9055]

@@craigbugden9076 I base my opinion on watching his presentations. I am on the other end of the room when it comes to philosophy and sociology and I suppose I have a lot of bias. He is needlessly wordy and oblique which leads me to believe he lacks substance. It can not be denied he talks for a living, a activity I have no admiration for. At the end of all his talks I have to always ask what was the point. In fairness may be it is style that grates on me, you may be fine with it. You might be right a book would present him in a better light. B. F. Skinner has much more weight to his thoughts on Noam then I do, check that out.

[@romanclay1913]

George Orwell was MI5. ASF Gow, his Eton tutor, was his recruiter. Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police (IIP) from 1922-27. The IIP was a training ground for MI5. Sir David Petrie served in the IIP(1900-36) and became head of MI5 in 1941. After training in the IIP, Orwell returned to UK after the General Strike in 1926 to infiltrate left wing groups such as the Independent Labour Party. Orwell served in the Spanish Civil War with the Trotskyist POUM then returned to work for BBC which was vetted by MI5. In June 1940, FDR wanted an assessment of UK and its ability to withstand the coming Battle of Britain. FDR sent Gen. Willian Donovan, future head of OSS, on a secret mission. Donovan met King George VI, PM Winston Churchill and the military and intelligence heads....and George Orwell. In the published Orwell diary which covers this period, Orwell never mentioned meeting Donovan

[@fuatkurban353]

He is one of a very few American patriots who would make the funding fathers really proud. beyond his cynicism there is profound love for his country.

[@thecasualfront7432]

Haha the 'funding fathers' .....quite appropriate typo lol

[@Noah-jj5yr]

There's profound love for humanity, not his country. Which is a good thing.

[@Noah-jj5yr]

Cite sources? I know he sees the Palestinians as having a legitimate claim to their territory and thinks Israel oppresses them. I don't think he's ever endorsed attacks on civilians. Though when Western states are attacked he points out that this is what we routinely do to others. On the other hand, America helped arm both Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Which makes you start to suspect that it is not so clean cut as good guys versus bad guys.

[@ggggg-h9s]

Fouad Kurban he's just rambling....

[@MrCOUNTYCORK]

Eric Watchtower rambling to you maybe ,but then again you don't know any difference, as you are buried in you're ignorance

[@BlackBlue-bg8vp]

Depart ment what

[@humansvd3269]

The US constitution and the US Bill of rights is what makes the US exceptional. Not a cultural exception. I'll never take the UK, it's commonwealth countries like Canada, AUS, NZ or Europe as "free" societies. They are all permission based with the state as God. Noam Chomsky seems to forget that.

[@themajesticspider-man6116]

You seem very confident in that delusional mindset there, friend...

[@humansvd3269]

@@themajesticspider-man6116 makes a statement but fails to provide a counter argument. You've convinced me good sir.....

[@themajesticspider-man6116]

@@humansvd3269 How's this for counter-argument: NSA spying is perfectly legal somehow, and yet, not a part of the constitution. The constitution doesn't protect us from that shit if you actually let it happen. That piece of paper means fuck-all when we allowed ourselves to be victimized by the NSA and the Patriot Act. You didn't make a single fucking argument at all, just a baseless assumption that America wasn't deemed the "exception to the rule" regarding everything else from being the world police, thought police (starting to punish boycotts of Israel over their mistreatment and occupation of Palestinians), moronically thinking we're better than other developed countries by an order of magnitude in every way, to the idea that it's morally deplorable to burn the American flag and thus, wanting to make the very act of that free expression/speech illegal. When so many of these things (and more) have been clear examples of American Exceptionalism time and time again, for you to just disregard it as something that is non-existent is a dangerously misguided and naïve way of thinking.

[@okaymate1079]

I agree with Thomas sowell when it comes to chompsky and other intellectuals

[@jameskile5113]

So you think academics are all stupid? Ya know Sowell himself was an intellectual right

[@marklawes1859]

Critical Thinking 101. Do not forget that you too are biased. Examine your own axioms with the rigor you apply to the examination of the axioms of others.

[@Kacee2]

Wonder what he thinks of our state controlled media.

[@ArchYeomans]

What a brilliant man.

[@TheWhitehiker]

Orwell would get a good laugh over Chomsky's tendentious anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-free market presuppositions.

[@irwinheld297]

The Sex Pistols said that England is fascist. Avram has a lot to learn.

[@edmarques9636]

Homeboy representin’ the lollipop guild.

[@440s]

A channel call democracy now talking about orwell is extrange to say the least...if you understand democracy and what orwell was trying to tell

[@freespeechisneverwrong9351]

It always makes me laugh when Socialists talk about Orwell. They see it as a manual not a warning.

[@aunthegeek5788]

You do realize that Orwell was a Socialist, right? He writes in Homage to Catalonia: _"Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for Democratic Socialism, as I understand it."_

[@freespeechisneverwrong9351]

@@aunthegeek5788 Try reading his later books like “1984” and “Animal Farm” which confirmed his belief that Socialism could only be forced upon people. Even his earlier works like “Road to Wigan Pier” where in the second half you makes an argument for Socialism but in certain sections he despairs that just handing money to people won’t solve their problems. He is full of doubt.

[@freespeechisneverwrong9351]

@@aunthegeek5788 I would also say “If You Are Not a Liberal When You Are Young, You Have No Heart, and If You Are Not a Conservative When Old, You Have No Brain”

[@freespeechisneverwrong9351]

@Pack -A- Punch He was a Socialist until he changed his mind when he saw it in action.

[@freespeechisneverwrong9351]

@Pack -A- Punch wow you got me there with all those facts and counter arguments. If you keep this up you’ll be ruling the world with your persuasive charm.

[@davidodonnellfilm]

I'm taking a screencap of this to my barber for my next cut -- "I'll just have the Noam-cut please."

[@GeorgiaGrowGuy]

Noam is an institution like hamburgers or pizza. Quite tasty at times, but not really a healthy diet.

[@BuGGyBoBerl]

i think its not unhealthy at all. at least not more than listening to a single person alone can be.

[@user-lr2od1kp3n]

Terrible sound recording. Not sure why these university conferences use such archaic sound equipment. Conspiracy maybe?

[@TheNoblot]

well Archie Meghan & Harry time is over The lobby & the British government has you on the trigger, hope you will survive before the british government put Murdoch inside Buckingham palace 😥

[@ManInTheBigHat]

And we thought Trump cornered the wacky hair market!

[@ronaldonmg]

Pretty tame video, but not as lame as flooding the site with "look at his hair" and other adhominems. Pretty pathetic how some people depict an anti-autoritarian leftist as an anti-leftist, or pretend to know Newspeak when all they know is English.

[@louisoddone992]

Tell him the Goulag was in Marx and still is.

[@Agislife1960]

Chomsky is so smart, he was in Venezuela, at the beginning of the Hugo Chavez regime, shaking hands and telling everyone about the start of a bright new future for mankind. I used to admire Chomsky for some of his observations, now I feel sorry for people who listen to him.

[@TimezUp23]

Leftist are a special kind of stupid. We can call them the smartest idiots of all time

[@TimezUp23]

@@johnmulligan455 I find Chomsky on the left and he generally gets followers who are leftist socialist.

[@TimezUp23]

@@johnmulligan455 do you think he leans left, struggles to undermine the right, and has a leftist socialist following?

[@Dylan-hy2zj]

Trust me unless you live in Venezuela or personally know people who do, you don't know about Venezuela. I wonder what possible reason the US could have for hating that country...

[@TimezUp23]

@@Dylan-hy2zj there's plenty of reporting on Venezuela. You dont have to know someone or travel there. But if you talk to some from there, they will most likely tell you how jacked up it is. It should be a lesson to the world, do not trust leftist socialist who promise free everything

[@cletusbufford]

Opinion on Orwell - the best way to recognize a shill (or a teletubby). "Greatest living intellectual", lol...

[@craftpaint1644]

There's no friggin way NC has anything good to say about either Party, so cutting this off with nouns like "Republican Party" isn't a stinging review of one Party 💁🇺🇲🛠️🇷🇺

[@JoshuaTree97]

The shoe never fit. Logicethics. By the way. Fear is Universal.

[@inyourfaceguitar5454]

Nim Chimpsky would love your coif, Noam.