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The problem with Chomsky is that he views everything from a left-wing perspective, in which he interprets the biases in the media as coming only from big money
by deepyearning 12y ago
The problem with Chomsky is that he views everything from a left-wing perspective, in which he interprets the biases in the media as coming only from big money and the geopolitical power that big money relies on.
He cannot explain, for example, the success of pro-immigration politics. He might argue that immigration is a tool used by the powerful to lower the cost of labor, but to do so is to completely ignore that it has been the left that has been the main driver of immigration and multiculturalism.
Similarly, he can't explain the success of the pro-Israel lobby in the US. He views the US as propping up a right wing regime in Israel for its own benefit. But again, this ignores the complete cooperation of the mainstream left in the US in this process.
The only way you can believe in Chomsky's worldview is if you think that literally everyone in mainstream US politics, and most of the left outside of the mainstream, have been co-opted into promoting an agenda which is absolutely unrelated (and often opposed to) to their stated agenda. It is a viewpoint that vastly exaggerates the importance of money and political power, and ignores the power of ideology.
- DenisM 12y agoI too find Chomsky a bit too far to the left, and indeed he doesn't have all the answers in his worldview. The questions you pointed out seem important. Nevertheless, the list of techniques and examples of media manipulation that he has painstakingly documented in his book is valuable in its own right. You don't have to agree with all or even most of Chomsky to give due consideration to some of his work.
- deepyearning 12y agoI totally agree that Chomsky is worth reading and I'm trying to get around to reading his books myself. In my view he is very consistent, and this consistency makes it easier to understand the inconsistency of mainstream American liberals.