just watched Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent" and got email from him

[cryofan]

Just finished watching the documentary "Manufacturing Consent" on VHS. It is about Chomsky and his ideas about how the media propagandizes us all. I have been reading a lot of Chomsky lately. Incredible stuff. I was familiar with his ideas from years ago, but did not think much of them. But with the advent of the Net, my research and reading caused my thinking to pretty much converge with his ideas.

I also sent Chomsky an email a couple of weeks ago. I talked about various matters, including Kucinich's candidacy. He responded to the email and to my various topics. He did say that he liked Kucinich's campaign, but I got the impression that he is not really into political campaigns as such.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

1. Yeah he's not into the whole Democratic political campaign thing..

I actually emailed and asked him what he thought about Wes Clark, and he got back to me, telling me that he didn't have an opinion on the matter. So I told him to give the next President of the United States a closer look, and he told me that he'd try to pay closer attention if he had any time..

..maybe one day we'll see Noam Chomsky endorsing Wes Clark? LMAO!

[wtmusic]

2. Wanna post it?

sounds like a good read

[cryofan]

3. OK, here is the email

Generally, I would be skittish of posting an email, but since it is Chomsky, after all...for the purposes of posterity, here it is, first my email to him, quoted, and then his email to me:


At 10:22 AM 11/22/2003 -0600, you wrote:

>I caught your interview on Charlie Rose a couple of days ago. Great stuff!
>
>I used to think you were a paranoid nut, but lately I think your ideas are
>brilliant. I have done a lot of reading and thinking about politics and
>govt and the media over the last few years, and my ideas have pretty much
>converged with your own. I call your "implicit conspiracy of the elite,"
>"CorpGovMedia."
>
>The CorpGovMedia conspiracy is mainly unspoken, and is organized similarly
>to flocking birds and fish that careen and maneuver seemingly as one, and
>the individual CorpGovMedia entities take their flocking cues from other
>subtle signals from leader entities based on internalized CorpGovMedia
>unspoken rules.
>
> I really think the time may have come for your ideas, and you know what may
>be the driving force for acceptance of your ideas? The runup in medical
>insurance costs and health care. In fact, I think the increasing cost of
>insurance in general may be a symptom of the oncoming failure of corporate
>capitalism.
>
>With the increasing use of the internet, Americans are becoming more aware
>of how much the European social democracies and Canada are providing for
>their citizens. As health care becomes more and more expensive, American
>anger and envy will grow. Such are the base emotions upon which political
>revolutions are built....
>
>But CorpGovMedia is already beginning to demonize the European social
>democracies, just as they did the Soviet Union decades ago. The propaganda
>machine is really beginning to crank up....
>
>Just keep fighting the good fight! Timing is crucial, and your time may soon
>come! I am sure that some day, people will look back on this historical
>period and agree that you were right.
>
>What do you think of Dennis Kucinich for President? He has prompted me to
>get involved in politics at the volunteer level for the first time in my
>life.
>
>Here is another idea you ought to look into: cryonics, the experimental
>science whereby people are cryopreserved upon legal death for possible
>future revival. Please consider it!



Glad you liked the interview. And I like your term -- though I don't think
it's a conspiracy, except in the terms that Adam Smith used when he warned
of the conspiracies of business men and governments against the public (so
I'm far from taking credit for the idea).

I think you are right about the internet, and also agree that the medical
catastrophe ahead may have quite an effect on people's minds.

I like what Kucinich stands for a lot, and if we had as much of a
democratic culture as, say, Brazil, where elections are more than just a
game among rich investors, then I'd be supporting him for President. But
we're far from that, and have a lot of work to do to get to that stage.

Cryonics? Honest truth is I'd rather not witness the world we're probably
leaving to our descendants.

Noam Chomsky

[begruntled]

4. That is pretty cool

and that is a phrase I haven't used in a very long time. I am with chomsky on his sentiment regarding cryonics. I have always liked him myself, but always got much flack when I would attempt to converse regarding his ideas. Most people tended to dismiss him as a socialist.

Now, I don't know what the mainstream concensus is on him. I do know that on various forums he goes over very well, particularly regarding his rundown on Manufacturing Consent. Great Book. Puts it all in very succinct order... There isn't much he has written that I have come in contact with that I disagree with.

I am so happy to see he responds to his e-mail too.

[Kerridwyn]

5. Very cool!

I would be chuffed as heck to get an email from Noam Chomsky.

As for the mainstream opinion of him, I'm not sure there really is one - I don't think enough people have read him. If I'm thinking of the same documentary it's a good couple of hours long and very in-depth, and I think there are a lot of people who just wouldn't be interested enough to stick with it.

[cryofan]

6. The Manufacturing Consent Documentary is VERY watchable

It is not hard at all to stay with it. Very entertaining. I still have it sitting on my VCR. I plan to watch it at least once more before returning it to the library.

[Kerridwyn]

11. Watchable to us...

I found it perfectly watchable, but I was watching it with a small group, and some of them found it too dense. I think people who aren't already interested in the topics aren't necessarily going to stick with it. Much like Chomsky's books - I'm not in any way knocking him, I think he is entirely brilliant; I just don't think he's ever going to have much of a "mainstream" audience because he's an academic and an intellectual. The mainstream wants Michael Moore.

[Devilock]

8. well, when he was on BookTV

During an "In-Depth" session (3 hrs of him, hurrah) on C-Span's BookTV, he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "What's so bad about socialism?"

[cryofan]

9. he is a well know anarchosyndacalist, which is not socialism

not the same thing....

[Rev. Day-Bu]

15. Yeah, but...

When people bash Socialism, I defend it. But that doesn't mean I'm a Socialist. Heck, I even defend Satanism to some extent, but I'm certainly not a Satanist!

Just because somebody challenges or defends something doesn't necessarily indicate that person is for or against it. And we all know Americans, by and large, tend to have a knee-jerk negative reaction against Socialism. It's become a hot-button word, one which Americans automatically assume is negative and repulsive.

Few people understand what Socalism is, in much the same way that many Christians don't differentiate between atheism and agnosticism.

[cryofan]

16. I agree with the kneejerk characterization...also rezine.org is good

That rezine.org gets into my Favorites::Dissent folder.

[bpilgrim]

7. FLOCKING only takes a few simple rules to produce their complex behavior

and that is a very apt term for the media behavior which is influenced from a few simple simple rules that govern corporations $$$ and what we witness is the natural by product... constant, simple messages, like BUY, don't think, sleep, god-guns-abortion, liberals are bad, reTHUGS good, look-out... theres a TERRORIST bug/gun/nut/dirty/bomb etc...

thanks for sharing his letter and yours, very interesting stuff :toast:

he hardly ever votes in the national elections... who could blame him :shrug:

wouldn't it be awesome to shoot pool with chomsky! ;->

peace

[muchacho]

10. He emailed me too

I emailed him once to inqure about any visits he might pay to New York. Since I've never seen im live I wanted to.

I was amazed he emeioed me before te day was over. I mean, DOES THE MAN SLEEP?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. "if we had as much of a democratic culture as, say, Brazil" - Yay! :)

Makes one proud. What's NC's e-mail? Please PM me.

[NeoConned]

13. Go to MIT's website

He said if people want to email him that his address is posted there.

[NeoConned]

14. Go to MIT's website

OOPS! Sorry.
He said if people want to email him that his address is posted there.