Noam Chomsky interview on Dissent (1988)

Noam Chomsky, "America's Leading Dissenter," answers questions about dissent and democracy with Bill Moyers.
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On the face of it, this seems the worst of times for the political radical. The consensus seems to be that dissent died with the ’60s. People today are too contented and too rich, or too poor and put upon to protest anything; we’ve become a nation of couch potatoes. But stop a minute and consider this: in 1988, at the height of the Reagan-Bush era, more than 500 students were arrested in campus political protests and over 3,000 people were arrested protesting against nuclear arms. In this program with Bill Moyers, Noam Chomsky shares his thoughts about the meaning of protest today. Chomsky believes in the blunt scrutiny of national power, arbitrary government, and injustice. He discusses the decline of political democracy, and his admiration for the common sense and creativity of ordinary people.

[@ManufacturingIntellect]

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[@scvman992000]

Noam has one of the most relaxing voices ever. So pleasant to listen to.

[@DeA2875]

STV H absolutely true

[@ahmedramidi1481]

I totally agree

[@jyrki5680]

noam chomsky asmr👌👌👌👌👌

[@jyrki5680]

although listening to him now basically is

[@pk-le4er]

He's also the father of asmr

[@TheJonnyEnglish]

Interviews are never conducted at this level of integrity anymore. Genuine discussion propelled by a great interviewer.

[@dhaltonmiller1215]

Wow it's just crazy how everything he says can be applied to what's happening today

[@hklinker]

Which is why concern for the immediate future should be higher than ‘leaders’ admit.

[@dhaltonmiller1215]

@@hklinker you know why they dont want to admit it? I have a guess but what do you think?

[@shadowwarrior7218]

@@dhaltonmiller1215 What do u think?

[@nkenchington6575]

System ain't changed, and until it does, his and other critics' points will remain valid.

[@gamingwithslacker]

This is one of his best interviews The interviewer was great too.

[@sciencenotreligion5607]

The best youtube videos have hardly any views

[@Atze7811]

Only if youtube numbers are true.

[@Atze7811]

Only if youtube numbers are true.

[@luiscortez3817]

Noam was ahead of it's time before his father met his mother.

[@edwardjones2202]

Hahahaha good work

[@TheSeanj87]

It’s a nice to see an interviewer that seems genuinely curious and actually lets the subject speak.

[@GrantTarredus]

Yes. Moyers has always had that gift, and it raises the level of everything he does. His six episode conversation with Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, is a prime example. It changed my life profoundly for the better, and all six parts are here on KZbin.

[@Dasein2005]

20:45 to 22:36 says it all. This is the solution. Chomsky often gets criticized for not giving enough solutions, but this really isn't fair. Bottom line: organize. We have to stop isolating ourselves, fearing others, being shy, and thinking we're alone. There are tons of people out there. We have to come together. Form or join a group and expand it; be welcoming and inclusive. Focus on common interests and goals. Start with friends and family. Join organizations, form a union. Online is fine but the real world is better. Let go of political "hobbyism," and make it a real part of your real life. Start at the local level. Learn to communicate, especially with those who don't immediately share your views; regulate your emotions, practice patience and empathy. We 80%, we working and middle class, have the numbers- and despite the propaganda we can read the writing on the wall. But That's not enough without real-world action and organization. Yes, we're all busy with legitimate things like jobs and families, but if we decide to prioritize these "political" things in our life, we can find the time. Hell, if we can spend time watching TV, drinking, watching sports, and playing video games, we can do this too- we can be good citizens. It's fun, it's empowering, exciting, and if we succeed it will benefit both ourselves and the world. There is really no alternative. You have to be in it to win it. Yes, there's a risk you fail, there's a risk of discomfort and it can be scary even, but Americans aren't cowards, we like a challenge. But more importantly, doing nothing is the greater risk, because it's a GUARANTEE that nothing changes. Solidarity!

[@gooddogreallygooddog6157]

Solidarity

[@JP-kp9kh]

Solidarity from France..! We the people will prevail.!

[@youmothershouldknow4905]

23:37 - 24:26 Finally, the ever elusive link between Chomsky’s linguistics work and civic advocacy.

[@capicuaaa]

Indeed. Thank you for pointing that out.

[@youmothershouldknow4905]

@@capicuaaa It’s a stretch, but Noam indulged Moyers with his perspective on a possible link, which, in the end, points to human dignity.

[@onurtasyakan32]

Late '80s Noam is my favorite Chomsky.

[@TheJonnyEnglish]

That hair doe

[@edwardjones2202]

You seen the William Buckley interview (on KZbin)?

[@chelfinita001]

SUBLIME. Qué importante que todos estemos al tanto de esto. Admirable Chomsky. Saludos desde Argentina.

[@Dasein2005]

20:44- what do we do? 26:00 - no labor party, weak secondary structures. 39:03 40:27 - Democracy as potential to express other values inherent in human nature.

[@havefunbesafe]

How incredibly sad how he’s been marginalized by the main stream media for so many years, a lifetime really. His contribution to my own education is significant. I have a picture of myself, Chris Hedges, Noam and his wife that I managed to take at his lecture in 2018.

[@JP-kp9kh]

What he says is so contrary to the interest of our capitalist “democracies” that it needs to be suppressed. This stuff is completely subversive

[@tombot64]

Every Chomsky video has comments saying "best talk ever", "truly his most inciteful discussion", "best interview ever" and somehow they're always right

[@robbyschwartz]

This man sees behind the curtain.... tells the world there is a man behind the curtain... the man behind the curtain says "just a curtain here, nothing to see" and the world says, " I think we oughta listen to the curtain"

[@musicdev]

Lmao this sounds so stupid but it’s so true

[@robbyschwartz]

@@musicdev bahahaha

[@fabiengerard8142]

Plato’s Cave 2.0…

[@RobertWard3000]

Noam looks like hes about to strap on a Les Paul and do a dreamy, bluesy set on Austin City Limits.

[@mck1972]

I'd actually like to see that...

[@tonyman2c]

At his prime speaking truth!

[@budgibson185]

Amazing stuff

[@mattiasnilsson1544]

Brilliant.

[@edwardjones2202]

Love ❤️❤️

[@tonyballoney5552]

Another great video. Save it and share it. Thanks Professor Chomsky.

[@1deplatt]

Omg he’s the best. Got to love Noam Chomsky. ❤

[@paifu.]

12:00 20:30 Collective intelligence 23:20 26:20 29:40 32:00 33:25 33:36 Exactly, ressources are in the hands of a few, and if you cant supplement it with popular organization, it's over. 27:10 Apolotical unions 40:15 42:40 45:30

[@ashfaquehossain8592]

❤❤❤

[@RocketKirchner]

Bill Moyers and Noam have a great capacity for listening and dialogue .

[@gooddogreallygooddog6157]

Hilarious outro

[@Samsgarden]

I just marvel at the fact that people once knew how to converse respectfully. What has happened now is nothing short of degenerate wokrness.

[@Themasterbrain2]

Noam Chomsky is probably my favorite socialist thinker. He recognizes that, like all forms of government, socialism has the potential to fall to authoritarianism, but instead of throwing up his hands and giving up, explains how socialism has, and could again, be implemented to create a truly egalitarian society.

[@sysuiu4533]

Naom, it’s the 21st century. We’re still here

[@ROBERTBROWN090564]

Yes, but that’s quire a low bar

[@DGlennDavis]

This interview revealed his prophetic nature.

[@felipecardona2512]

good

[@DjWellDressedMan]

A UMASS Prof. turned me on to Chomsky and then Chomsky saved my life growing up in the USA.

[@cathycyr8802]

May freedom ring Mr Chomsky!

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Long live freedom and democratic communism

[@marcdellorusso180]

What are some books (besides Chomsky) to gain knowledge on how society really functions?

[@nonameslb]

Marco Dellorusso I give one,"Bad Samaritans:The myth of free trade and the secret history of capitalism" by Ha-Joon Chang.

[@uttaradit2]

'Understanding power', 'The Chomsky Reader', 'What we say goes'. Also 'Chomsky on Anarchism' for an alternative society.

[@mck1972]

-OR you could read books by/about people who actually ACHIEVED MORE with their lives than merely criticizing others with the great luxury of 20/20 Hindsight...

[@uttaradit2]

Examples please.

[@jassohal4273]

lol Steve jobs

[@spencerwinellcomposer]

Bill Moyers and Noam Chomsky - two pillars of honesty and commitment to democracy. One of Chomsky's best interviews imo

[@aniruddhasarkar2409]

Check out Chomsky's interview on HotType

[@paifu.]

33:00 Prior filter and constant filter

[@skyguy5587]

17:15 he fucking called it

[@cayetano6547]

how in the world does this video have 48k views in 4 years???

[@REMRealEstateMillions]

This man came from the year 2250. His ideas do not belong to the XX and XXI centuries.

[@WakaWaka2468]

8:00

[@rickl5596]

With all his eruditeness I still have really only ever heard Chomsky criticize societal and economic structures, not ever actually posit any viable replacements. I'd like to read a book by him on that. If anyone knows of one I'd be interested.

[@Sam-eu3yw]

keep watching interviews of his and you’ll come across it. he addresses this question in one of his books, understanding power. his answer is basically a reasonable one, saying you have to look at each individual case and interrogate it. i would recommend reading about anarchy as a political philosophy. the basis of it is to question power and how it’s being exercised all the time, an admittedly messy (but necessary) process. start with what you’re passionate about and that’s where we can all make the most change

[@mck1972]

The problem with Chomsky's, ' posits ', is that the man is an academic, who has never worked in, nor had to bear responsibility for, any field outside Linguistics! Moreover, all his criticisms of others have the great luxury of exploiting Hindsight-Hindsight which those whom Chomsky criticizes did not have at the time! This renders Chomsky's, ' posits ', of how HE THINKS the world works, and what HE THINKS the solutions are, less than useless-Even If Factual! SMH

[@gooddogreallygooddog6157]

M CK chomsky is very mild hes not saying anything crazy its common sense

[@mck1972]

@@gooddogreallygooddog6157 , And as I explained above, it is easy for Chomsky to APPEAR that he has, ' common sense ', with the luxury of 20/20 Hindsight...

[@BuGGyBoBerl]

@@mck1972 its not just hindsight. also "bear responsibility" or "never worked" is no argument at all. truth doesnt care who speaks it. we should judge what he says and not in what position he is in. also i think that "hes academic he has no clue of real life" is an extremely poor excuse either way

[@arishkhan-lz8yz]

i didnt watch this interview , back in those days i was more intellectually inclined towards cartoon network.☺

[@mck1972]

Cartoon Network has FAR MORE intellectual value than this interview!

[@robertstewart4953]

That explains why all of your comments are so idiotic.

[@mck1972]

@@robertstewart4953 , I've said it before-I will say it again: I'm sorry some people can't handle reality about Chomsky- -But please don't Shoot the Messenger here.

[@robertstewart4953]

​@@mck1972 Talk to me when you have 30+ honorary degrees and write 100+ published books. AND when you do, be sure to use facts and sources and LOGIC to formulate your arguments like the highly respectable person you seem to have a vendetta for. You are literally on every single Noam Chomsky video replying to every comment with the same fallacious strawman about chomsky. not once have i ever seen you refute a specific point or show any evidence of your own, even when challenged to do so in heated debate. I would recommend actually listening and reflecting upon the professors words instead of wasting your time formulating nonsensical arguments.

[@mck1972]

@@robertstewart4953 , (SIGH) IF you had grasped my point correctly here, then you would realize that Chomsky's, ' 30+ honorary degrees and write 100+ published books. ', and, ' refuting a specific point or show any evidence of your own ', is ALL Moot! Because ALL of Chomsky's impressive-sounding facts & figures have the great luxury of exploiting Hindsight-Hindsight which those whom he criticizes did NOT have at the time, and in areas that Chomsky has NEVER actually worked himself-Which is EVERYTHING outside Linguistics-Which renders his criticisms of others essentially Worthless-Even If Factual! So IF my comments are in fact SO, ' idiotic ', and, ' fallacious ', and, ' nonsensical ', then you should EASILY be able to answer my original question: If EVERYONE was like Chomsky, and spends their lives merely criticizing the Past Policies of others, but NEVER accepts responsibility for making NEW Policies, going Forward- -Then how would anything ever get done??? Please explain this, and I will immediately retract all my negative statements about Chomsky-On EVERY Chomsky video here on YT-and apologize! So can you explain this-Or not???

[@Adamb87]

Chomsky for President 2020

[@musicdev]

Ew, no. I love Chomsky, but I don’t think I’d want to force his hand to be in charge of the US war machine

[@zannedaglio]

"We're the only major industrial democracy that doesn't have a political party which is basically labor based. We only have one political party with 2 factions, it's the business party. We have 2 factions of the business party called the democrats and the republicans and that's unusual."

[@swedishdissident3406]

This person reminds me of the boy in the kings new cloths. For those who do not know the story he sees through the bullshit of government that the masses swallow up.

[@alextrainor2552]

42:43

[@williamwooten6156]

Enjoy Chomsky's views

[@porkfriedrice1530]

around 20 minutes in is a great prediction of trump. making a reality show out of our democracy.

[@bob733333]

Democracy is a crock of dog turds. 2 wolves and a sheep voting on what is for supper. We were founded as a Constitutional Republic.

[@chadsimmons4496]

bob733333 you were “founded” as a revolution...and the pigs are just like the humans. “American millionaires, bandits constantly clinging to unjust privileges, who fight their opposition with bribery and tear-gas bombs.” - George Orwell

[@angelozachos8777]

Noam now now calls dissenters KOOKS, CONSPIRACY THEORISTS and DANGEROUS 😂 This GateKeeper is ridiculous ✌️

[@jnyfumare]

15:00 Hillary Clinton described perfectly LOL

[@arcanuslosanara2823]

Chomsky put forward some subversive thoughts that are still relevant these days.

[@wolfsden3]

About 21:00 in Chomsky is describing social media on the internet...we all know how that works now 🤣🤣🤣🖕🖕🖕. A race to the bottom! Hilarious.

[@1spiders1]

Basically what Chomsky is saying that people should not take shit anymore

[@mck1972]

Right because Chomsky's history of merely criticizing everyone ELSE from the sidelines is SO brave! smh

[@GebreMMII]

@@mck1972 he’s a linguist, and the mainstream media place his opinions on the sideline on purpose, so that morons like you stay indoctrinated.

[@mck1972]

@@GebreMMII , (SIGH) Chomsky is an academic who has spent his life complaining about fields that he has never actually worked in himself-Which is everything outside Linguistics-And become a multi-millionaire in the process! The MSM knows better than to take him seriously, as do I. It's sad for you if you don't! Talk about being, ' indoctrinated '! smh

[@GebreMMII]

@@mck1972 what industries are you working in ? Go get a job and slave for some CEO if you don’t want to think any, these videos are for people who are willing to listen.

[@mck1972]

@@GebreMMII , You mean, ' these videos people are for who are willing to listen ', to the paranoid rantings of a Linguistics Professor who has never worked in any other field himself? Yeah I already knew that! SMH And BTW: MIT has a CEO! So using your reasoning Chomsky himself was a, ' slave ', all those years he was there! :-D

[@pacerodi]

Who owns the NY times?

[@Vergoso_42]

Pacero Geoff Bozo

[@jamesfreeman7954]

I do. Great read, lots of truths in there. You'll learn to be a successful individual in the business by being well informed simply by reading the New York Times.

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

The hoi polloi have no hunger for discovery. They have had curiosity bled out of them. Dr. Chomsky seems to be attributing an energy to the masses that they lack. Their apathy is only excited by violence and strife. Even then, they are merely spectators, with only the power to exercise a false ability to impose a thumbs-up or thumbs-down outcome to artificial conflicts manufactured by the political entertainment complex.

[@markspangler5316]

We have become slaves to our comfort. Most people are angered more by a lost TV remote than the rapid slide toward dictatorship. It's why 20 years in Afghanistan was acceptable. No shared sacrifice. Reagan put an optimistic face on horrific policies. He did not openly ask for sacrifice. As long as others shed blood it was fine. Anti vaxxers are the result today. Viruses can thrive in the third world as long as we have our vaccines - oblivious to the fact that viruses do not know borders.

[@angelozachos8777]

@@markspangler5316 Are you Up-to-Date with your BOOSTERS ? 💉💉💉

[@yoganature3598]

#DeFi ...... ;-P 🤓...... ✌️ #peace

[@melodyjang2876]

The native English speaking world has just missed a great opportunity to be ruled by a leader that is more of a philosopher than just an intelligent writer, speaker, and professor.

[@edwardjones2202]

Who?

[@ArcaderGames]

Not as good as his interview with ALI G tho 😎😎😎😎

[@mck1972]

We should take ALI G FAR MORE seriously than Bill Moyers! :-)

[@sciencenotreligion5607]

Who cares if humanity doesn't survive?

[@mattiasnilsson1544]

About a thousand gods would, apparently :)

[@brett6905]

The future humans? You say that as if they already exist? I would imagine if i didn't exist I wouldn't care one way or another because I wouldn't exist.

[@brett6905]

Daniel - You're definitely reading too much into my statement and jumping too conclusions about my entire life. I'm just going to leave it at that. I find engaging with people whose best way of communicating their thoughts and feelings is by name calling to be a complete waste of time and leads to no meaningful exchange. I know I'm a caring person and my life speaks for itself, whether you agree with that statement or not makes no difference to me.

[@DanLetts97]

Yeah, we’d be dead anyway

[@GebreMMII]

Why keep living if you’re gonna die eventually?

[@sam1234567890100]

v

[@MarvinMonroe]

This is dangerous psuedoscience and I AM VERY OFFENDED

[@Kevin_TN]

So the Trump admin sounds like Reagan’s, clueless and book deals after leaving.

[@philipbaidoo7985]

A congenital liar.

[@edwardjones2202]

Wrong use of the word, mate

[@philipbaidoo7985]

@@edwardjones2202 thanks mate, then congenital liar it is.

[@mck1972]

@@philipbaidoo7985 Calling Chomsky a, ' liar ', presumes that he knows what he says/writes is not true, because he is capable of distinguishing between reality, vs his own fantasy. I would not take that bet myself...

[@philipbaidoo7985]

@@mck1972 I wouldn't stick my neck out to call such an icon of the left a liar if I don't know what I am talking about. I will refer you to an article I wrote about him. If you are interested you can google it.

[@gamingwithslacker]

Could you refer me to the same article? I'd be interested to hear your critique.