Noam Chomsky!
Noam Chomsky is the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar. A philosopher of language and political campaigner of towering academic reputation, who as good as invented modern linguistics, he is entertained by presidents, addresses the UN general assembly and commands a mass international audience. When he spoke in London last week, thousands of young people battled for tickets to attend his lectures, followed live on the internet across the globe, as the 80-year-old American linguist fielded questions from as far away as besieged Gaza.
Photo by Dennis Van Tine
But the bulk of the mainstream western media doesn’t seem to have noticed. His books sell in their hundreds of thousands, he is mobbed by students as a celebrity, but he is rarely reported or interviewed in the US outside radical journals and websites. The explanation, of course, isn’t hard to find. Chomsky is America’s most prominent critic of the US imperial role in the world, which he has used his erudition and standing to expose and excoriate since Vietnam. Please read on!
Kakistos says:
Ah, Noam Chomsky was the only decent part of studying linguistics at uni for 2 semesters xD
Justin says:
Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving other people information about this truly wonderful man and for providing this newspaper article to those who already got to know him a bit better before, like I did.
The following sentence -
“He describes himself as an anarchist or libertarian socialist, but often sounds more like a radical liberal – which is perhaps why he enrages more middle-of-the-road American liberals who don’t appreciate their views being taken to the logical conclusion.” -
truly made me cry for joy (well, almost). It expresses all the dislike I feel for those pseudo-liberal Bill Maher-watching Americans who think they’re progressive just because they don’t support retarded Fascists like Sarah Palin.
Brandon says:
How can anyone who pretends to have a functioning brain not see how brainwashed and manipulated the masses in the USA are. I say USA because that is were I am. I suppose it is much the same elsewhere.
The media only shows what little they can get away with and in such a way to support a specific agenda.
Conspiracy nut? Me? Maybe. But only because there IS something to be paranoid about.
….sorry, my $.02.
midnight says:
A great person with a great mind. And I loved the link to The Guardian article. It is the first online newspaper I read every morning. I agree with you, Justin, that aren’t any true ‘Liberals’ in the US. In Britain, where my partner is from say that the US Liberals would be in the Conservative Party there. But I am grateful we have nothing like the BNP here. That would mean the KKK would be a political party.
btw…..sad to say….we were at Mall of America before Christmas to pick up a few things and when we got there we suddenly realized what day it was. The Sarah Palin book signing day!!!!! We did get a few pics and some video of her doing the book thing.
kinkynik says:
Great article, great link, great man.
The bnp are small town fascists, who have not killed anyone, so whilst well intentioned the KKK analogy was well off target.
Can Palin write ??
Erik says:
Poor excuse for a man. Total communist. Does not believe in Freedom of Speech, nor Religion.
Espouses violent against those with whom you disagree.
Horrible person.
franz says:
All the fulsome adulation would make me skeptical even if I didn’t already know the man.