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> Half the population has negative net worth, meaning debts outweigh assets. There has been stagnation pretty much for the workforce over the whole neoliberal p
by tgragnato 7y ago
> Half the population has negative net worth, meaning debts outweigh assets. There has been stagnation pretty much for the workforce over the whole neoliberal period. That’s the group that we’re talking about. Naturally, this leads to anger, resentment, desperation. Similar things are happening in Europe under the austerity programs. That’s the background for what’s misleadingly called “populism.”
The way Chomsky thinks (and expresses himself) is always fascinating. The linguistic background is as evident as his political activism, perhaps a tad uncomfortable for conformists.
- yostrovs 7y agoIt would be nice for him to stick to topics he's an expert in. Though considering he's a "word" guy, he does know how to manipulate language to achieve his goals.
- avmich 7y agoI'd assume that for long time he's an expert in much more than linguistics. Even his colleagues from computer world still assume he's only a linguist, but a man can learn.
- tracer4201 7y agoWhen you say he should stick to topics he is an expert in, do you have issue with something specific he’s saying or is it that this information conflicts with your personal beliefs or politics?
- tangue 7y ago> "It would be nice for him to stick to topics he's an expert in" Well if everybody sticks to his/her own expertise that would mean the end of HN ... And I'm not even talking about twitter.
- chacha2 7y agoHe´s the leading expert at this.
- everdrive 7y ago> perhaps a tad uncomfortable for conformists I hope you're not implying that conformists being uncomfortable with an argument somehow lends a weight to the validity of the argument.
- tgragnato 7y agoNo. Part of the work of a linguist is to try understand why people use one term rather than another, often this happens because a word is associated with a particular idea rather than another: a different speech may imply a different acceptation or a different nuance. These linguistic differences are obviously related to the set of beliefs, social habits, routines of the individual or set of people in analysis. I simply believe that it can be extremely unnerving to be criticised by a linguist like Chomsky, who in this step uses his skills to highlight the imbalances and logical internal inconsistencies (the wrongful usage of the word "populism") of the neoliberal political thought to favour his worldview (political activism). It's a critical point of view that's difficult to find in other figures, and one of the reasons why I follow his ideas, because whether you agree or not he offers another perspective.